Thomas Nash, Head Coach

Thomas Nash was named as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach on May 6, 2008.  The first year Mars Hill College Head Coach enjoyed a 17-11 season which was the first winning season since the 1997-98 campaign.  His up-tempo defensive style lead to an NCAA Division II National No. 1 ranking with 13.7 steals per game for 2008-09.  The Lions also enjoyed being ranking No. 1 in the country in Turnover Margin. 

Nash came to MHC from UNC Asheville where he served on the Bulldogs staff for seven seasons, the final four as the Associate Head Coach.  He was an intricate part of UNC Asheville’s success from 2001-2008.  During Nash’s time at UNCA, the men’s basketball team made the school’s first NCAA appearance in 2003.  The 2007-08 season consisted of UNCA setting a record for wins at 23 and an invitation to participate in the NIT tournament, as the first Big South team to be invited to the prestigious post-season tournament.  UNCA was twice named Big South Conference Regular Season Champions during Nash’s time with the Bulldogs, and won a Big South Tournament Championship. 

Prior to his stint at UNC Asheville, Nash had a success five-year run as the Head Coach at Carolina Day School.  He guided the school to back-to-back North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association State Championships in 2000 and 2001.  In the 2000-01 season , his Carolina Day team was ranked as the top basketball team in Western North Carolina by the Asheville Citizen Times at the end of the season.  Nash was named the WNC Coach of the Year by the Citizen-Times for the 1999-2000 season.  He led the school to the state’s Final Four in 1999 and had them in the final 16 in 1997 and 1998.     

The Asheville native received his Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University in 1995 and went on to earn his Masters in Sport Management from the United States Sports Academy.  

Nash is married to former UNC Asheville women’s basketball player, Marcia Napier.  They have been married for 12 years and reside in Asheville with their son, Edward, born November 2003. 

Trip Cogburn, Assistant Coach

Joining the Lions for his second year as an assistant coach is Trip Cogburn. Cogburn’s on the court responsibilities revolve around post player development.  In his first year at Mars Hill, the Lions finished with a positive team rebounding margin for the first time since the 2001-02 season.  Mars Hill was also one of the top offensive rebounding teams in all of Division II, leading the South Atlantic Conference with over 15 offensive rebounds a game.

Off the floor, Cogburn’s responsibilities include recruiting, scouting of opponents, game preparation, travel plans, and organization of the team’s strength and conditioning program.  
Cogburn came to Mars Hill from UNC Asheville, where he spent six years as an assistant. The Asheville native joined the Bulldog staff in 2002 and helped UNCA win the Big South Conference tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.  During Cogburn’s time at UNCA, the Bulldogs set the school record for wins with 23, and became the first team in Big South Conference history to both win an NCAA Tournament game, and be invited to the postseason NIT.

Cogburn is a 2002 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in English. He graduated locally from Carolina Day in 1998 where he lettered in soccer, baseball and basketball. Cogburn was the basketball team MVP his junior and senior years, earning all-conference honors as a senior. While at Carolina Day, he played for Nash.

Coach Cogburn is married to the former Stacie Walker, of Columbus, NC.  The couple resides in Asheville.