Nate James enters his second season as Austin Peay men’s basketball head coach in 2022-23 after being named the 13th head coach in school history back in April 2021.
In his first season at the helm, James guided the Govs to a 12-17 overall record and 8-10 in Ohio Valley Conference play. James earned his first victory against UT Southern, 86-79, becoming the first APSU head coach to win his debut since 1983. James then helped APSU earn its signature win of the season, an 87-81 victory at Dayton, the program’s first win over the Flyers in school history.
Under Coach James in 2021-22, APSU’s Elijah Hutchins-Everett was named OVC Freshman of the Year, the first Gov to win the award since 2019. James’ eight conference wins were the third most by a first-year head coach in school history and was one of 27 first-year head coaches at the mid-major level to secure double-digit wins in his first season.
Prior to Austin Peay, James spent 12 years at Duke University under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, starting out as an assistant strength and conditioning coach before working his way into an on-court role in 2009 and eventually ascending to an associate head coach role in 2017.
With James on staff, the Blue Devils won a pair of national titles in 2010 and 2015 and won 30 or more games five times. James and the Blue Devils advanced to the Sweet 16 eight times, the Elite Eigth five times and made two Final Four appearances. With James in the fold, Duke hung six conference championship banners, including three-straight ACC Tournament titles from 2009-11 and again in 2017 and 2019.
During his time in Durham, James helped in the recruitment and development of some of the most notable names to take the floor in the history of Cameron Indoor Stadium. Since 2009, Duke has produced 21 first-round NBA Draft choices, including nine players in the top-10 since 2015. Four former Blue Devils from James’ time on the sidelines—Zion Williamson, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram—have earned All-Star nods just in the last two seasons.
From 1996-01, James played under legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski, accumulating more than 1,000 points in his career. As a two-time captain, James helped the Blue Devils win or share five ACC regular-season titles and three ACC Tournament Championships, and one NCAA Championship. As a senior, he was named Third Team All-ACC and member of the league’s All-Defensive Team.
Following his collegiate career, James played professionally from 2002-07 both domestically and overseas, with stops in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Philippines, Poland and Russia. James helped teams in Hungary and the Netherlands earn league titles. He also earned an invite to training camp with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2004.
Prior to playing at Duke, James was a 1996 McDonald’s All-American at Saint John’s Catholic Prep in Maryland, where he won the three-point contest and was also named the McDonald’s All-American Sportsmanship Award winner.
The son of a Marine, James spent his youth in Quantico, Virginia; Albany, Georgia; San Diego, California; and Washington, D.C. before his father retired as a Sergeant Major.
James graduated from Duke in 2001 with a degree in sociology and a minor in African-American studies. He and his wife, actress Bobbi Baker James, have two sons, Nathanial Drake James III and Michael Dash James.
