Radford Introduces Men’s Basketball Head Coach Zach Chu

Radford Introduces Men’s Basketball Head Coach Zach Chu 

Radford University officially introduced the new Head Coach for the Men’s Basketball team, Zach Chu, during a press conference at the Dedmon Center on March 19. Coach Chu spoke of his excitement for this position and how fond he is of Radford University, not just the athletics but the overall culture and community. 

“I’m very excited to lead this basketball program and be a part of both this exceptional university and this very very special community … I respect what Coach Nichols has accomplished here, there’s a foundation and a precedent for competing and playing hard which we can build on,” said Chu.

Chu is bringing a wealth of basketball experience to Radford. After playing for four years at Richmond University, he started out as a player development intern with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2015. His work ethic and analytical expertise allowed him to maintain a career in pro basketball. In the past 5 years he’s been the analytics liaison for the Dallas Mavericks, manager of game strategy for the Indiana Pacers and this past season he was the chief strategist for SMU men’s basketball. 

Chu imparted his thoughts on the changing landscape of college athletics, with less restrictions on transfer student athletes and opportunities for them to be paid, stating, “Unlike all the negative buzz around the direction of college athletics, I believe now is the time that we can create something special here … college basketball is evolving … it requires a new way of thinking …” To keep up with this evolution, Chu wants to be proactive. “(Proactive) means we embrace this rapid change but stay true to the idea that we are educating kids,” said Chu. Chu wants to stick to his roots by using analytics to help construct his roster and their style of play, while maintaining a commitment to the players. “They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care,” said Chu.