University of Oklahoma head men's basketball coach Lon Kruger announced Friday the hiring of Bryce Daub as the program's director of strength and performance.
Daub heads to Norman from the University of Oregon where he spent the past four seasons as the strength and conditioning coach for the Ducks' men's basketball program. Oregon has participated in the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons and won at least one postseason game each of those years.
"We're thrilled to have Bryce and his family join the Sooner program," said Kruger, who is starting his fifth season at OU. "He has a strong basketball background as a player and a strength coach, and our guys will benefit from his experience and expertise in the areas of health and performance. I know he's excited to start working with our players when they return to campus next week."
Daub is no stranger to central Oklahoma. Before joining the Oregon athletics department, Daub spent the 2010-11 season as an athletic performance coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball franchise. The Thunder went 55-27, won the Northwest Division and advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Prior to that, he served as a strength and conditioning intern with the Seattle Supersonics.
Daub played college basketball at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash., where earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in exercise science in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Following his playing career, he served as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach working specifically with men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer and track and field.
"I'm excited to come to a school and an athletics department that has championship expectations, and I'm excited to work with a basketball staff that is dedicated to upholding and building on the excellent tradition here at Oklahoma," said Daub. "I'm thankful for the opportunity that Coach Kruger and the OU Athletics Department has given my family. I look forward to contributing to the wellness of our student-athletes and helping them compete at the highest level.
"Coach (Dana) Altman at Oregon has always been a strong supporter and he wanted the best opportunity for my family moving forward," Daub continued. "I greatly appreciate what Oregon did for me the previous four years and it was comforting knowing that the Oregon staff that I got along with so well and valued so much has such a strong tie to the coaching staff here at OU. That made me even more comfortable with the decision to come to Oklahoma. Coach Kruger has genuine character and he leads his young men in a way that this state and university can be very proud of. He's renowned in the basketball community for being very successful on the court, but also for doing things the right way and having strong character and ethics. That's a big draw."
Daub played the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons at Central Washington, starting 21 of 54 career games. He played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Bellevue Community College. He averaged nearly 20 points per outing as a sophomore and earned all-NWAACC Northern Region honors as a freshman.
A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Daub is also certified as a performance enhancement specialist (PES) and corrective exercise specialist (CES) through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
A native of Centralia, Ill., who spent the majority of his youth in Washington, Daub and his wife Carlee were married in 2012. They have a 10-month-old daughter named Tatum.
* Bryce's father is the head S&C for the OKC Thunder
Daub heads to Norman from the University of Oregon where he spent the past four seasons as the strength and conditioning coach for the Ducks' men's basketball program. Oregon has participated in the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons and won at least one postseason game each of those years.
"We're thrilled to have Bryce and his family join the Sooner program," said Kruger, who is starting his fifth season at OU. "He has a strong basketball background as a player and a strength coach, and our guys will benefit from his experience and expertise in the areas of health and performance. I know he's excited to start working with our players when they return to campus next week."
Daub is no stranger to central Oklahoma. Before joining the Oregon athletics department, Daub spent the 2010-11 season as an athletic performance coach with the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball franchise. The Thunder went 55-27, won the Northwest Division and advanced to the Western Conference Finals. Prior to that, he served as a strength and conditioning intern with the Seattle Supersonics.
Daub played college basketball at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Wash., where earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in exercise science in 2008 and 2010, respectively. Following his playing career, he served as a graduate assistant strength and conditioning coach working specifically with men’s and women’s basketball, women’s soccer and track and field.
"I'm excited to come to a school and an athletics department that has championship expectations, and I'm excited to work with a basketball staff that is dedicated to upholding and building on the excellent tradition here at Oklahoma," said Daub. "I'm thankful for the opportunity that Coach Kruger and the OU Athletics Department has given my family. I look forward to contributing to the wellness of our student-athletes and helping them compete at the highest level.
"Coach (Dana) Altman at Oregon has always been a strong supporter and he wanted the best opportunity for my family moving forward," Daub continued. "I greatly appreciate what Oregon did for me the previous four years and it was comforting knowing that the Oregon staff that I got along with so well and valued so much has such a strong tie to the coaching staff here at OU. That made me even more comfortable with the decision to come to Oklahoma. Coach Kruger has genuine character and he leads his young men in a way that this state and university can be very proud of. He's renowned in the basketball community for being very successful on the court, but also for doing things the right way and having strong character and ethics. That's a big draw."
Daub played the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons at Central Washington, starting 21 of 54 career games. He played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Bellevue Community College. He averaged nearly 20 points per outing as a sophomore and earned all-NWAACC Northern Region honors as a freshman.
A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, Daub is also certified as a performance enhancement specialist (PES) and corrective exercise specialist (CES) through the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
A native of Centralia, Ill., who spent the majority of his youth in Washington, Daub and his wife Carlee were married in 2012. They have a 10-month-old daughter named Tatum.
* Bryce's father is the head S&C for the OKC Thunder
