Dave Springer, Head Coach
Seventh Year

Alma Mater: Ohio '84
Record at Shippensburg: 86-85 (.503), 6 years
Career Record: 97-100 (.492), 7 years
Office Phone: 717-477-1449
E-mail: cdspri@ship.edu

Dave Springer returns for his seventh year as head coach of the Shippensburg University men’s basketball team. Over the course of six seasons, he has recruited and graduated the winningest senior class in school history and revitalized the program into a perennial PSAC championship contender.

In his eight seasons as a head coach, Springer has posted a 97-100 record, but is 59-32 over the past three seasons. In 2005-06, Springer turned out his most successful team, as it won a Shippensburg record 24 games, captured the PSAC Western Division with an 11-1 conference mark and placed runner-up in PSAC Championship.

It was Shippensburg's first PSAC West crown since 1989, and at season's end the Red Raiders nabbed the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Division II East Region and made the school's second appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its first since 1991.

Springer's teams have also built a reputation for playing tough, aggressive defense. In the 2005 and 2006 campaigns, his teams finished in the nation's top 10 in scoring defense, and were ranked fourth in 2005-06 after allowing just 59.1 points per game.

Shippensburg has also built a winning tradition at Heiges Field House under Springer. Entering the 2007-08 season, his teams have won 37 of its last 40 games at home, including the opening round game of the PSAC Tournament in 2006.

Springer's success did not go unnoticed, as he was tabbed PSAC Western Division Coach of the Year for the 2006 season. He was recently selected to serve as a member of the 2007-08 East regional advisory committee (RAC) for the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Committee. Among his duties will be to rank the top teams in the region as well as aid with the selection process for the NCAA tournament.

Springer, who was an assistant coach at California University (Pa.) in 2001, has coached in the PSAC for 15 years at three different universities.

Prior to taking the assistant’s job at California he was an assistant coach at Shippensburg for 11 years, coaching from 1989 to 1996 and then again from 1998 to 2000. He also has head coaching experience, guiding Millersville for the 1996-97 season on an interim basis.

Springer began his coaching career in 1985 as an assistant at Bridgton Academy in Bridgton, Maine. He became the head coach in 1986 and served two years before moving on to Shippensburg to pursue a master’s degree. During his three years at Bridgton, his teams compiled a record of 38-30.

Springer joined the Shippensburg coaching staff as a graduate assistant at the start of the 1988-89 academic year and he was promoted to full-time assistant coach the following year. He was on the staff in 1991 when Shippensburg won the PSAC championship and he assisted in the team’s drive to the PSAC West title in 1989.

While at Shippensburg, Springer built a reputation for hard work. He was an energetic teacher and a tireless recruiter. He also helped the team establish a support system for academics. That effort has paid dividends through the years, helping Shippensburg maintain high retention and graduation rates. Five players made the dean’s list in the spring of 2002.

Springer went to Millersville just before the start of the 1996-97 season to be the interim head coach. Among his accomplishments with the Marauders was the work he devoted to the Millersville department of athletics in its effort to organize an academic support program for the team. On the court, Millersville was in the hunt for a PSAC playoff berth until the last week of the season, winning eight of their last 13 games. One of the highlights of the year was an upset of PSAC champion Mansfield. It was the only conference loss of the season for the Mounties.

Springer spent seven summers coaching with Planet Basketball and The Hoop Camp. He has taken eight teams to Venezuela, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad-Tobago and Canada. In the summer of 1999 he took a senior team which included Shippensburg star Wayne Morris and six other All-PSAC players to Sweden. In the summer of 2000, before joining the staff at California, he helped organize the Shippensburg basketball team’s tour in Canada. The summer of 2003, he took Marcus Hudson and Chuck Davis on a six game tour to Toronto and Montreal.

Springer serves on the International Basketball Coaches Committee for the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). He is Vice-President on the Advisory Board of the Boys and Girls Clubhouse in Shippensburg. He worked with the Boys and Girls Club of Central Pennsylvania to open a Shippensburg Clubhouse in March of 2004. Under his direction, many Red Raider players have worked as counselors at the Boys and Girls Club.

Springer also began working with Shepherd University to hold an annual "Food for the Hungry Game," in which students receive free admission to the game with the donation of a canned good. All proceeds were donated to the local food bank, The Kings Kettle.

A 1984 graduate of Ohio University, Springer holds a degree in business. He grew up in Dayton, Ohio, and played basketball at Northridge High School, graduating in 1978. Springer earned his master’s degree from Shippensburg in communication/journalism in the fall of 1991.

Springer and his wife Jackie and son Austin, age 10, live in Shippensburg.

Mike Nestor, Assistant Coach
Eighth Year

Alma Mater: Shippensburg '00
Office Phone: 717-477-1369
E-mail: mgnest@ship.edu

Nestor is entering his eighth year as an assistant on the men's basketball coaching staff. He is a 2000 graduate of Shippensburg University and played basketball for the Red Raiders from the 1995-96 season to the 1999-2000 season.

During his athletic career at Shippensburg, Nestor lettered four years and was captain of the team for two years. He scored a total of 631 points. In addition he had 263 rebounds and 218 assists. Primarily a guard, Nestor also saw action at forward. He was the starting point guard in 1997-98 and 1998-99.

A native of Collingdale, Nestor is a 1995 graduate of Monsignor Bonner High School. He played for Shippensburg in 1995-96 and then led the team in three-pointers with 27 the following season. In 1999, he led Shippensburg in assists with 92 and in 2000 he was second on the team in assists with 45.

As an assistant coach, Nestor coordinates the high school recruiting and the advance scouting of all opponents. He has also played a major role in the development of Shippensburg's guards, which have produced tremendous results during his watch. He is also responsible for monitoring the academic support of the student-athletes in the men’s basketball program.

With the coaching of Nestor, Marcus Hudson became Shippensburg's career steals leader in 2006 and Chuck Davis was named PSAC Western Division Player of the Year and has quickly moved into 10th place on Shippensburg's career scoring list. His guards have also become known for their aggressive defensive play, which has been instrumental in the Red Raiders' success the last two seasons.

After one season guiding the post players, Nestor will once again tutor the guards, as Todd Johnson has joined the coaching staff to help mentor the forwards and centers.

Nestor is working on his master’s degree in communications studies at Shippensburg.

Todd Johnson, Assistant Coach
First Year

Office Phone: 717-477-1369
E-mail: trjohnson@ship.edu

The newest member of Shippensburg’s 1,000-point club, standout forward Todd Johnson will remain with Shippensburg but this time as a mentor from the sidelines.

Johnson joins the coaching staff for the 2007-08 season as the replacement for Marcus Hudson, who became an assistant coach to former Shippensburg coach Jamal Palmer in Slippery Rock.

A native Philadelphia and a graduate of St. John Neumann High School, Johnson thrived in the post for Shippensburg over his four-year career. In his junior season, Johnson ranked second on the team in scoring with an average of 8.4 points per contest. He scored in double figures on 11 occasions and shot a team-best .536 percent from the floor.

Just last season, Johnson delivered an average of 10.5 points per game and virtually matched his excellent shooting percentage with a .537 mark from the field. He concluded his career with 57 blocks, 110 steals and 111 assists.

Steven Novosel, Student Assistant
Fourth Year

Steve Novosel is beginning his fourth year as a student assistant coach for Shippensburg.

An aspiring coach and teacher, Novosel is a native of Harrisburg and 2002 graduate of Central Dauphin High School, where he played basketball for four years. He is a four-year member of the Air National Guard.

Herb Bowers, Volunteer Assistant Coach
Third Year

Herb Bowers has been traveling with and assisting the men's basketball program at Shippensburg University for more than 30 years.

While helping the basketball team, Bowers served as the police chief and director of public safety at Shippensburg for 32 years before retiring in 2003.

Bowers earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice and master's degree in public administration from Shippensburg University. He is also the father-in-law of head coach Dave Springer.