CHENEY — EWU assistant earns exciting opportunity after two successful years in Cheney. Eastern Washington men’s basketball assistant coach Mark Darnall has been hired as the next head coach of Jessup University in Rocklin, California, as announced by Jessup on Thursday.
Darnall was an assistant under head coach David Riley for two seasons starting in 2021.
“My family and I are so thankful to have been a part of such a special program at Eastern Washington,” Darnall said. “I can’t thank Coach Riley enough for challenging me and helping me to grow as a coach. David is the full package, truly player-focused and one of the brightest minds in the game. I’m grateful to him and everyone at Eastern for their friendship and letting me be a part of it.”
Darnall joined the Eagle staff in 2021 as Riley took over for his first year as head coach. The Eagles went 18-16 in 2021-22 (11-9 in conference) before taking a huge leap in 2022-23, winning the Big Sky Regular Season Championship with a 16-2 mark (23-11 overall). EWU became the first program to begin Big Sky play with 16-straight wins and tied a decades-old conference record for overall win streak at 18.
The Eagles earned a bid to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and won the program’s second ever postseason game, defeating the Washington State Cougars on the road in the opening round before a tightly-contested loss at Oklahoma State in the second. Several Eagles earned All-Conference honors and awards, including guard Steele Venters as Big Sky MVP and Riley as Coach of the Year.
“Mark is an incredible person first and foremost,” Riley said for Jessup’s official announcement. “He cares about the players and has a passion for helping them reach their goals. His attention to detail, along with his knowledge of the game, will make him a great head coach for Jessup University.”
Jessup currently competes in the NAIA’s Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) but is transitioning to the Division II Pac West Conference in 2024-25. They have a strong tradition of success, reaching the NAIA National Tournament in 2016, 2019 and 2022. Darnall’s first year at the helm will be the program’s last at the NAIA level.
“I’m really excited to take over as head coach,” added Darnall. “This is an outstanding opportunity and I look forward to getting started.”
Darnall has previous experience in Division II as he coached at Chico State prior to his arrival at Eastern, serving as an assistant under Greg Clink while the Wildcats posted a 52-29 record with two postseason appearances in three years. He has further experience in the region as he was an assistant at UC Davis from 2011-16.
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