Following his announcement as the 10th head coach in Austin Peay women’s basketball history, David Midlick has led the Governors to the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament in each of his first five seasons at the helm. His streak of five-straight conference tournament appearances is the longest streak since the Govs made 10 straight trips to the OVC Tournament, 1994-2004.
In 2019-20, Midlick led the Governors to a historically-hot start, winning nine games before the end of December for the first time in program history. Two of those nine wins came when the Govs won the FIU Holiday Hoops Showdown, clinching the first in-season tournament title since the 2002-03 season. After setting the record for the most wins before New Years Day, Midlick’s Govs went on to win 18 regular season games in 2019-20, which is the most regular-season wins in program history since the 2003-04 team won 20 regular-season games.
Midlick’s Governors have broken the Austin Peay single-season team three-point record in each of the past two seasons. In 2018-19, the Govs made 241 threes and became the second team in program history to make 200+ triples in a season. The 2019-20 squad buried a program record 267 three pointers, which led the OVC and ranked 14th nationally.
In his first five seasons in Clarksville, Midlick has coached four first team All-OVC players, Tiasha Gray in 2016, Tearra Banks in 2017, Brianne Alexander in 2018, and Keisha Gregory in 2019, and a 2020 OVC All-Newcomer in Ella Sawyer.
Midlick returned to APSU after serving one season as associate head coach at Memphis, where he worked with the post players, recruited a seven-state area and served as the team’s academic, strength and conditioning and training room liaison.
Under Midlick’s tutelage, the Tigers post players improved their collective field-goal percentage in 2014-15 and Memphis saw its opponent scoring average decrease by more than five points per contest.
Fans of Austin Peay will know Midlick’s name from his longtime association with Govs and Lady Govs basketball. Midlick got his college coaching start as a volunteer assistant for Austin Peay’s men’s basketball team in 2003, holding that position through 2006 during an era that saw the Govs finish unbeaten in Ohio Valley Conference play in 2003-04 and advance to two conference tournament championship games (2004 and 2006) and one National Invitational Tournament appearance in 2004.
The Ole Miss alum returned in 2010 as an assistant coach for Austin Peay’s women’s team. In his two years, the Lady Govs qualified for back-to-back OVC Tournaments, with Midlick helping oversee an eight-point decrease in opponent’s scoring average between his first and second seasons. Jasmine Rayner, a member of Austin Peay’s 1,000-point club, enjoyed her finest season (10.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game) during Midlick’s first year as an assistant for the Lady Govs.
Before his stint in Memphis, Midlick served two seasons as head coach at Delta State University, guiding the Lady Statesmen to consecutive Gulf South Conference regular-season championships and two NCAA Division II South Region appearances, including a Sweet 16 berth.
Despite returning just one starter in his first season at the Delta State helm, Midlick led the squad to a 21-10 record and an NCAA South Region finalist appearance, with Chelsey Rhodes earning GSC Freshman of the Year honors and Seneca Walton and Rhandi Ball earning second-team all-conference honors.
A year later, Midlick’s charges posted a 24-6 mark and advanced to the GSC Tournament final, falling 67-59 to West Florida. During the 2013-14 regular season, Delta State climbed as high as No. 9 in the USA Today / WBCA National Poll, with Walton eventually earning GSC Player of the Year; Rhodes also was tabbed as a first-team all-conference selection.
The hallmark of Midlick’s most successful teams has been defense, which that 2013-14 Lady Statesmen squad certainly displayed. That season, Delta State led NCAA Division II in field-goal percentage defense (33.5 percent) and points allowed per game (53.3 ppg). Midlick is no stranger to the OVC. In addition to his previous time at Austin Peay, Midlick’s first full-time coaching position came at
Tennessee State, where served as an assistant for four seasons (2006-10). Midlick wore many hats during his time with the Tigers, coaching both posts and forwards, in addition to scouting, recruiting, scheduling and admission and eligibility tracking duties.
While at Tennessee State, Midlick helped engineer a turnaround for the program, helping the Tigers go from a win-less squad to OVC contenders. He helped Obiageli Okafor to 2010 first team All-OVC honors and Jasmine Smith was named to the OVC All-Newcomer team in 2009.
Midlick began his career in the high school ranks, coaching boys and girls basketball at various points in his prep career in Mississippi. He entered the coaching ranks at Washington High School in 1994-95 and took a boys’ program that won just six games in two seasons before his arrival and compiled a 90-77 record in his six seasons at the helm. He also guided the girls’ team to its first winning season since 1991 during a three-year stint leading that program. Midlick was named the Mississippi Independent Association of Schools North AAA Coach of the Year in 1996 and MAIS District I-AAA Coach of the Year in 1999. In between stints at Washington High, he led Indianola Academy to a district 1-AA championship.
In addition to his exemplary high school coaching career in Mississippi, Midlick was a highly successful physical therapist. He left that field to pursue his college coaching dreams on a volunteer basis at Austin Peay, a move that has paid off as his career has unfolded.
As a player, Midlick was three-year letter winner under Ed Murphy from 1988-91. The Rebels played in the NIT in 1989 – with Midlick leading the team in free-throw percentage and three-point field goal percentage – and were Southeastern Conference tournament finalists in 1990.
Midlick is married to the former Leslie Biddle; the couple have two sons, David Jr. and Will.
The Midlick File
Hometown
Memphis, Tennessee
High School
Christian Brothers HS
College
University of Mississippi (B.S., Biological Science, 1991)
University of Mississippi Medical Center (B.S. Physical Therapy, 1994)
Playing Experience
Mississippi, 1988-91
Coaching Experience
2003-06: Austin Peay, assistant coach (Men)
2006-10: Tennessee State, assistant coach
2010-12: Austin Peay, assistant coach
2012-14: Delta State, head coach
2014-15: Memphis, associate head coach
2015-pres.: Austin Peay, head coach
Family
Wife: Leslie (née Biddle)
Sons: David Jr. and Will
What they’re saying about David Midlick
Jim Boone, Delta State men’s basketball coach: “The best thing about Coach Midlick – as good a coach as he is, he’s a better person. He was an absolute pleasure to work with during our two years together. I think he’s got a tremendous basketball acumen and he does a great job relating that to his players. He’s very detail-oriented, a teacher of the game and very demanding, but he does it in a positive, player-friendly way.”
Melissa McFerrin, Memphis women’s basketball coach: ““David is a tremendously talented basketball coach. His character, passion, work habits and ability to build trusting relationships are his true strengths. We are disappointed to see him leave Memphis, but conversely, we are so happy to see he and his family return to a university for which they have deep affection. He will be a tremendous success at Austin Peay.”
Charlie Leonard, LSU men’s basketball assistant coach: “The big thing about David, he’s a winner. He’s first class. David is very meticulous in his preparation, he’s going to work hard. His teams will be very well-prepared. They’ll be disciplined from a standpoint of execution, but he’ll be a player’s coach. He and his family have strong ties (in Clarksville) and I think he’s the perfect fit.”
Mark Campbell, Union University women’s basketball coach: “The first thing I’d say about David is that he’s a good man. When I prepare against other coaches, the biggest thing I look for is, are they prepared? There’s no question that he is. He communicates with kids in such a way that they respond to him. His teams were always well-prepared defensively.”
Dave Loos, Austin Peay men’s basketball coach: “David and I go way back. He’s a good leader and really a solid basketball coach. I think he’s got a good temperament for coaching and he’s a tremendous role model for the kids. I’m a fan.”
