Former NKU head coach Dave Bezold joins Kentucky Wesleyan as assistant; reunites with Drew Cooper

NKyTribune staff

OWENSBORO — After a 16-year hiatus, with Northern Kentucky University a distant memory for both, Dave Bezold and Drew Cooper are reuniting on the basketball sideline.

And the reunion is taking place at Kentucky Wesleyan College, NKU’s one-time rival in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Cooper, now the head coach at Kentucky Wesleyan, announced Wednesday that Bezold has joined his staff as an assistant. Cooper served as NKU’s graduate assistant in 2002-03 while Bezold was the top assistant for then-head coach Ken Shields.

Following Shields’ retirement in 2004, Bezold was selected as the NKU head coach and posted a 194-133 record in 11 seasons. Prior to that, he was the top assistant at NKU for 14 seasons, helping the Norse to two NCAA Division II national championship game appearances (1996 and ’97).

“This is a win-win,” said Cooper. “It is a win for our community to add someone of Bezold’s experience and winning expertise. Bezold is a mentor of mine and I am excited that he will be significantly shaping our characteristics on and off the floor this season.

“It is a win for the Bezold family that he gets to coach (his son) Tyler his senior year at such a high level of basketball. As a father, I would imagine that’s somewhat of a dream come true.”

Tyler Bezold, a forward at Kentucky Wesleyan, is a Covington Holy Cross High School graduate. He averaged 4.7 points per game last season, starting 24 games. Now, he will get to play for his father in 2019-20 as members of an eight-time NCAA Division II national championship program.

“This is a tradition-rich program,” said Dave Bezold. “There is a high level of excitement coming to a program that has played in numerous big games. I look forward to working with Drew and the players as this program continues to experience perennial success.”

As head coach at NKU, Bezold was 17-4 against Kentucky Wesleyan. In his first 12 games against Kentucky Wesleyan spanning nearly six seasons, Bezold was perfect (12-0) against the Panthers. He also owned a 7-1 mark against Kentucky Wesleyan in the Owensboro Sportscenter.

Kentucky Wesleyan is now a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The Panthers’ eight Division II national championships are an NCAA record at that level.

Cooper, the former Thomas More head coach, led Kentucky Wesleyan to a 10-16 overall record last season. The Panthers finished 8-12 in the GMAC.

Thomas More posted a 94-46 record during Cooper’s five-year tenure, including a 66-20 mark in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference with two straight championships and a pair of NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.

In 2016-17 and 2017-18, Cooper was named the PAC Coach of the Year. The Saints posted a record of 45-13 during that span.

(Information compiled from Kentucky Wesleyan and staff reports)