CHICAGO – Head men's basketball coach Drew Valentine announces the hiring of David Metzendorf as an assistant coach. Metzendorf brings with him over 13 years of collegiate coaching experience after spending the last six at Air Force.
 
"David is someone that I've long respected for his humility and love for the game," said Valentine. "He's worn a bunch of different hats throughout his career and that experience will be a great addition to our staff. Coach Metz has built a great reputation in this profession as a "grinder" and someone that handles himself with a high level of commitment and professionalism. I am excited to have him on board!"
 
In his most recent stint at Air Force, Metzendorf served in multiple roles. He was acting head coach for the final 14 games of the 2025-26 season. Under his leadership, the Falcons ranked among the top 15 teams nationally in overall efficiency improvement entering postseason play. Prior to head coaching duties, Metzendorf was hired in 2020 as an assistant head coach and later elevated to associate head coach in 2023.
 
"I've known Drew for years and have followed his program with tremendous respect," stated Metzendorf. "The teams he and his staff have built, the history they've helped create, and the culture they've sustained established Loyola as a nationally respected program. The opportunity to work for Coach Valentine, compete in the Atlantic 10, and contribute to a program that combines high-level basketball with a commitment to developing the whole person is exactly what drives me as a coach. My wife Nicole and I, along with our newborn son Kai, are committed to the culture and excited to join the Loyola community. Go Ramblers!"
 
Metzendorf helped Air Force achieve the highest NET ranking in school history, improve its NET ranking by 112 spots in a single season, and establish a clear statistical identity on both ends of the floor. For three consecutive seasons, Air Force ranked among the nation's top 10 teams in assist rate and top 15 in three-point rate. Defensively, the Falcons finished in the top five nationally in limiting opponent three-point attempts and top 25 in limiting opponent assists in back-to-back seasons.
 
Metzendorf helped recruit six different Mountain West Freshman of the Week recipients over a two-year span, the most of any program in the country during that stretch. His recruiting and development efforts contributed to the four highest-scoring freshmen in Air Force's Mountain West era. He and the staff also developed four All-Mountain West selections during his time at the Academy.
 
In July 2024, Metzendorf was selected as head coach of the USA Men's Open Basketball Team for the 2025 Maccabiah Games. The previous four selections for the Open Men's head coaching position include current Duke head coach John Scheyer (2021), Green Bay head coach Doug Gottlieb (2017), former college coach and current ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg (2013), and former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl (2009). 
 
Metzendorf was also named to the Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team in 2020, recognizing him as one of the nation's top young coaches.
 
Prior to Air Force, Metzendorf served as video analyst on Juwan Howard's staff at Michigan, helping the Wolverines capture the Battle 4 Atlantis championship, record the largest AP Poll jump in NCAA history, and secure a top-five nationally ranked recruiting class while working with future NBA lottery pick Franz Wagner.
 
Metzendorf previously spent three seasons at Holy Cross, serving as director of basketball operations before being promoted to Assistant Coach. During his tenure, the Crusaders fielded one of the nation's top defenses, highlighted by a No. 1 national ranking in steal rate and a top-15 national ranking in scoring defense.
 
During that span, Holy Cross also achieved the highest NET ranking in program history. He helped develop back-to-back Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Jehyve Floyd and recruited Patriot League Rookie of the Year Joe Pridgen, who set the program's freshman scoring record.
Before Holy Cross, he spent three seasons at Cornell, first as special assistant to the head coach and later as an assistant coach, helping engineer the largest turnaround in program history while contributing to the development of Matt Morgan, who led the Ivy League in scoring as a freshman.
 
A native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Metzendorf earned his bachelor's degree in sport management from Ithaca College and his master's degree in education from VCU. He and his wife, Nicole, welcomed their son, Kai, in May 2026.