Danny Young was hired by Abilene Christian in July 2025 and enters his first season as an assistant men's basketball coach.
Young comes to ACU from Samford, where he spent the past three seasons as an assistant. During that time, the Bulldogs compiled a 72-28 record, won back-to-back Southern Conference (SoCon) regular season championships, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2024 where they nearly upset No. 4 Kansas in the first round. It was Samford's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2000 and just the third in program history. The Bulldogs finished the 2023-24 season with a 29-6 record, which set a new school record for most wins in a season.
In 2025, Samford played in the NIT for the first time.
Before his three seasons at Samford, Young was the head coach at Division II member University of Montevallo (Ala.) from 2003-2022. Young guided the Falcons to a 372-209 mark in his 19 years, including 11 trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament, reaching eight Sweet 16s, and three Elite 8s. In 2011-12, Montevallo played in the national championship game.
Young is the winningest coach in Falcons' history, a five-time conference Coach of the Year, a two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches Region Coach of the Year, and the Gulf South Conference East Division Coach of the Decade (2011-19).
His turnaround of Montevallo started immediately. The Falcons had just one returning player for the 2003-04 season but won 19 more games than the previous year's team which was the biggest win-differential in program history. Montevallo won their first Gulf South Conference championship and made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
From 2001-03, Young was the head coach and athletic director at Salem International (West Va.), now named Salem University, where the Tigers went 51-11 and were ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation. SIU earned the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and went to the NCAA East Regional in 2002-03.
His overall, 21-year head coaching record is 410-204.
Young served as an assistant coach at SIU for five seasons before being promoted. He also worked as an assistant at Wheeling Jesuit (1994-96), Nebraska-Omaha (1993-94), and Grand Canyon (1990-93).
In his coaching tenure, Young has coached 11 All-Americans and seven Conference Player of the Year selections. Former UM standout Marcus Kennedy became the first player in Gulf South Conference history to be named Division Player of the Year twice in a four-year career under Young.
A native of Duncan, Arizona, and standout athlete in high school, Young earned Honorable Mention All-American honors and was also nominated to the McDonald's All-American Basketball Team. In college, Young was coached by former NBA player, Paul Westphal. He later earned his bachelor's degree in Physical Education from Grand Canyon in 1990.
Young and his wife, Sabrina, have three children: Caleb, Sophia and Cole.
