University of California - Davis Men's Basketball

Since Jim Les became the 23rd head coach in UC Davis' history on May 5, 2011, the Aggies posted their best records as a Division I program, won every game played on Hamilton Court twice within a three-year time span, captured their first Big West Conference championship, Big West Tournament championship, and in 2017 earned the school's first NCAA Tournament berth. Les will be entering his 15th season at the helm of the Aggies in 2025-26, a period during which the program has experienced unprecedented stability. Les, Associate Head Coach Kevin Nosek, and Assistant Coaches Jonathan Metzger-Jones and Kyle Vogt enter their 10th season together while Les, Nosek, and Vogt have coached together at UC Davis since the 2012-13 season. Les achieved his 300th career win on Nov. 12, 2021 in an 84-76 home win over Eastern Washington and enters 2025-26 with 364 career wins (210 at UC Davis). Last season, Les recorded his 200th career win as an Aggie over UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 7, 2024. 2024-25 was another year with Les at the helm characterized by high-level guard play, with TY Johnson earning a Big West First Team selection after the regular season. Johnson’s selection marks the fourth consecutive year the Aggies have placed a player on the First Team. A model of consistency, Johnson has earned conference recognition in each of his three seasons at UC Davis: an Honorable Mention in his debut 2022-23 campaign, a Second Team nod in 2023-24, and now a First Team honor in 2024-25. Johnson also with the development from Les was able to sign a summer league contract with the Los Angeles Lakers following the 2025 NBA Draft. In addition to this, the Aggies led by Les in 2024-25 saw four Aggies (Nils Cooper, Niko Rocak, Connor Sevilla, Pablo Tamba) be named to the NCAA Division I Academic All-District Team for the 2024-25 season. The Academic All-District® program honors the nation's top student-athletes for their combined achievements in competition and the classroom. Selected by CSC, the awards span all NCAA divisions (I, II, III) and NAIA institutions. Four Aggies from the 2024-25 team were also included on the Big West All-Academic Team. Collectively as a team, the Aggies under Les’ leadership earned an NABC Team Academic Excellence Award. In 2022-23, Les guided UC Davis to its third consecutive winning season, and sixth total during his tenure. Under Les' leadership this past season, Elijah Pepper experienced a career season, one in which the guard from Selah would lead the Aggies in points, rebounds, and assists while also breaking the school's single season scoring record. The 2022-23 season also was the first time since 2017-18 in which three Aggies were recognized on the All-Big West Teams. 2021-22 season saw Les guide the Aggies through multiple competition pauses and more canceled games than any other Big West team to a 13-11 record and a trip to the BWC Tournament quarterfinal round.  UC Davis saw eight games lost from its schedule due to COVID-19 with the Aggies going without a game for a nine-day stretch in February and were able to play just one game between Dec. 22, 2021 and Jan. 14, 2022. That one game epitomized the 2021-22 Aggies though. Down to just seven active players and needing a game after the previous three were canceled, Les coached the Aggies to a 78-71 win over UC San Diego on Jan. 8 in an empty University Credit Union Center.  That ability to adapt and persevere continued to show up in Les' 2021-22 group as the Aggies went on a three-game win streak in February but with two weeks inbetween the second and third wins due to cancelations. That streak was part of a stretch in which UC Davis won four of five.  Under Les' tutelage, Ezra Manjon was named Big West All-Conference First Team and surpassed 1,000 career points and backcourt mate Elijah Pepper was named to the Second Team.  During the 2020-21 season, Coach Les led the program through one of the most unique and challenging situations faced by any Division I head coach. Due to COVID-19, UC Davis paused all basketball-related competition to remain compliant with Yolo County Health orders. While other Big West teams were practicing, organizing workouts and playing games, the Aggies adjusted their in-season schedule accordingly.  Unable to use its facilities during the inaugural portion of a seven-week pause, student-athletes worked out on a one-on-one, and limited basis, once clearance was received by county health officials. With the program adjusting its schedule each week to remain fully compliant, men's basketball returned to the court on January 22, 2021, in a road game at UC San Diego — the team's first since its December 4 home opener — which took place shortly after the program received authorization to practice as a team. The Aggies' seven-week hiatus was the second-longest pause faced by any Division I program in the country; only three teams in the nation played fewer games than UC Davis when it faced the Tritons in its inaugural league game of the year.  Since returning to campus in the summer of 2020 for off-season workouts, throughout the entire 2020-21 academic year, the program recorded zero positive tests for COVID-19 due to Les' leadership and an uncommon level of self-discipline exhibited by student-athletes, staff members and coaches. Once action concluded, the Aggies strengthened their national reputation as one of the top free-throw-shooting teams in the nation, and toughest defensive units to face since it held the ninth-highest turnovers-forced average (17.06 per game) and 12th-highest team free-throw-shooting percentage (.785) among all 340 Division I programs. Throughout the 2018-19 season, no team was more dominant on defense than UC Davis. In addition to posting the lowest opponent scoring average in the league, both overall and during conference play, the Aggies set new program records in all major rebounding categories by holding opponents to season-low overall and three-point percentages. The program's championship tradition continued in 2018 when the Aggies won their third Big West title within four years and secured another postseason berth. Once the regular season concluded, Les received Big West Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career.  Known for its defensive prowess and intensity, UC Davis men's basketball earned a spot on college basketball's national landscape thanks to numerous team championships and elite individual honors earned throughout the Jim Les era.  Under Les' guidance, UC Davis won its first NCAA team statistical championship when the 2014-15 roster posted the highest three-point percentage among all Division I programs in the nation. Two individuals, Corey Hawkins (2014-15) and Stefan Gonzalez (2019-20), also earned individual titles when each ended their respective seasons with the No. 1 three-point percentage. In 2015, Hawkins became the first UC Davis player in the program's Division I era named Big West Player of the Year. Three years later, TJ Shorts II became the first player in Big West history to win its top two individual awards when he ended his first season in Davis as the league's Newcomer and Player of the Year. Shorts II is the Aggies' third Newcomer of the Year selection and joins a list of elite talents comprised of Chima Moneke (2017) and Hawkins, who became the first Aggie in program history to earn one of the league's major awards when he was selected in 2015. Following the Aggies' thrilling victory in the league tournament's championship game, Moneke became the first Big West Tournament Most Valuable Player in program history. Under Les’ leadership, Ezra Manjon earned another one of the BWC’s major honors when officials named him Freshman of the Year in March of 2020. In addition to Best Sixth Man awards received by Josh Fox (2015) and Siler Schneider (2017), Darius Graham collected consecutive Best Hustle Awards in 2016 and '17 and became the second player in program history to accomplish this feat (Joe Harden was the first when he earned this accolade in 2010 and '11). Les also created a unique home court advantage throughout his tenure at UC Davis, and turned the Pavilion into one of the most challenging environments on the West Coast. From 2015-19, no mainland squad collected more home wins than the Aggies and no Big West team held a higher home win percentage. UC Davis' historic 2017 NCAA Tournament run, which started with a come-from-behind victory against the defending league champions in the Big West Tournament, continued with another win in the NCAA First Four vs. North Carolina Central. By winning their inaugural Division I Tournament game, the Aggies drew Kansas in a Midwest Regional First Round matchup that took place at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.  The 2014-15 Big West Coach of the Year led UC Davis to its first-ever Big West Conference championship, and its inaugural postseason berth as a D-I team when the Aggies faced Stanford in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament. That appearance capped a season that included new school records for the most overall, home, road, conference and non-conference wins. For the first time in school history, UC Davis also ended that season as the NCAA's national three-point champions thanks to its .447 shooting percentage — the highest mark recorded by any team since the three-point line was pushed back to its current distance. Corey Hawkins, the country's No. 1 three-point shooter with his .488 percentage brought the team's first-ever individual title to Davis. Combined, the 2014-15 squad recorded the highest three-point team percentage in program history since 1994. As the only team in the nation to hold top five three-point and overall field goal percentages on a weekly basis, the Aggies posted a +16 win differential one that historic season concluded. Not only was that differential the largest enjoyed by any Div. I team that season, it is a new Big West Conference record. Les came to the Aggies after spending nine years as the head coach at his alma mater, Bradley University, where he won more than 150 games and led the Braves to an appearance at the 2006 NCAA Tournament's Sweet Sixteen. In all, Les possesses 30 years of successful playing and coaching experience in both the collegiate and professional ranks. Les is no stranger to the Sacramento area, having spent four years as a player with the Sacramento Kings, followed by three seasons as an assistant for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs. After a nine-year professional playing career, which included seven seasons in the National Basketball Association, Les enjoyed a successful venture into the financial world before returning to his basketball roots. Following his three-year tenure with the Monarchs, Les returned to Bradley and was named the 12th men's basketball coach in Braves history on April 7, 2002. In his first head coaching position, the Braves averaged more than 20 wins in five seasons from 2005 to 2010, while racking up 10 postseason wins throughout that time. Along the way, Les became the first coach in NCAA history to win games in four different postseason tournaments. Les' coaching career has been defined by more than just wins and losses: Of the 26 seniors he has coached in his nine years with the Braves, 24 earned their degrees with the other two continuing their basketball careers overseas as professionals. Under Les' direction, Bradley set a program record for grade point average and had 11 team members earn a spot on the Bradley Athletic Director's Honor Roll during the 2009-10 academic year for posting a minimum 3.0 semester GPA during at least one of the two grading periods that year. Inheriting a team that produced a 9-20 record during the 2001-02 season, Les laid a solid foundation for a program that re-emerged as a force in the Missouri Valley Conference. Les finished with a 152-140 record in nine seasons as Bradley's head man, having directed the Braves to the Sweet 16s of the 2006 NCAA Tournament and 2007 National Invitation Tournament, followed by runner-up finishes in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational (2008) and CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (2009). In 2005-06, Les' veteran Braves were able to find their stride down the stretch and play their way into the postseason picture by winning 13 of their last 17 contests, including a seven-game win streak that took the team all the way to the MVC Tournament championship game. Bradley went on to win a pair of NCAA Tournament games, defeating No. 4 seed Kansas (77-73) and fifth-seeded Pittsburgh (72-66) at the Palace of Auburn Hills to make its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1955. Les began his college career at Cleveland State, but transferred to Bradley during the winter break of his sophomore season. Once in the Bradley fold, Les led the Braves to a 60-27 (.690) record in his 87 games, consecutive trips to the postseason (1985 NIT and 1986 NCAA Tournament) and one of the greatest seasons in the history of both Bradley and Valley men's basketball. The 1985-86 squad won the MVC regular season title with a perfect 16-0 league record and it remains the last Valley team to post an undefeated conference slate. Although the Braves lost the MVC Tournament championship game at Tulsa, Bradley earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where the Braves lost to eventual national champion Louisville in the second round. Bradley's 83-65 victory versus UTEP in the first round of the 1986 West Regional, however, was the program's first NCAA Tournament victory since 1955. During Bradley's memorable 1985-86 season, Les averaged 14.2 points and led The Valley with 7.9 assists per game. In addition to being named MVC Player of the Year in 1986, the 5-foot-11 point guard won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Hall of Fame Award as the nation's best player less than 6-feet-tall. Les was inducted to the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 7, 1998. He also has been inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame and the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame. Additionally, Braves fans voted Les one of the 15 greatest players in program history during the celebration of Bradley's first 100 basketball seasons. Following his senior season, Les was a third-round selection (70th overall) by the Atlanta Hawks during the 1986 NBA Draft and played a combined seven seasons for Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings and the Hawks. He led the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage (.461) during the 1990-91 season and he was the runner-up to Chicago's Craig Hodges in the AT&T Long Distance Shootout during the 1992 NBA All-Star Weekend. Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan and Dick Motta dot the list of coaches Les played for during his NBA career - three of the winningest coaches in NBA history. Originally from the Chicago suburb of Niles, Ill., Les is married to the former Jodi Martineau. The Les' have three children: son Tyler and daughters Amber and Hannah.

Kevin Nosek, who brings two decades of experience as either a UC Davis assistant coach or student-athlete, enters his 24th season as a member of UC Davis men's basketball's staff. Under his tutelage, the Aggies earned three Big West championships in a four-year timespan and advanced to postseason play on three occasions. Nosek has played a key role in the program’s success both on and off the court. His leadership and development focus have helped UC Davis produce a First Team All-Big West selection in each of the last four seasons while continuing to uphold one of the strongest academic standards in the conference. The Aggies maintain a 98 percent graduation rate and a team GPA above 3.0, leading all UC Davis men’s programs during the winter quarter. That commitment to academics was also reflected in recent College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors for Niko Rocak, Connor Sevilla, and Nils Cooper. The Davis native also helped student-athletes, Coach Les and the program navigate their way through a unique situation during the 2020-21 season when basketball-related activities were paused for seven weeks — the second-longest hiatus experienced by any Division I team in the country — to remain compliant with Yolo County Health orders and officials' response to COVID-19. While other teams were practicing, working out and playing games, Nosek helped student-athletes focus their time and efforts on academic coursework and remaining in basketball shape to prepare for an eventual return to action, which took place on January 22, 2021, when UC Davis traveled to UC San Diego for its Big West opener. Since returning to campus in the summer of 2020 for off-season workouts, throughout the entire 2020-21 academic year, the program recorded zero positive tests for COVID-19 — an outstanding accomplishment that was achieved due to Nosek's leadership, combined with an uncommon level of self-discipline exhibited by student-athletes, coaches and staff. With Nosek on staff, the 2016-17 team not only earned its first berth in the NCAA Tournament, thanks to a come-from-behind victory in the championship game of the Big West Tournament (collecting the program's first tourney title in the process), but captured its first Division I postseason victory at the NCAA First Four. With their win over North Carolina Central, the Aggies advanced to the Midwest Regional First Round where they faced Kansas. Nosek began his Aggie coaching career in 1999-2000 after competing for UC Davis all four seasons on campus as a student-athlete. After serving a three-year stint as head coach at Menlo College, Nosek returned to the Aggies in 2006-07. He assists in all aspects of the program. Nosek, a true veteran of the men's basketball staff whose connection to the program dates back to his youth days, first served as a ball boy for Bob Hamilton's teams in the late 1980s. Since his return in 2006, he has been instrumental in helping the program complete its transition to Division I, a process that includes the program's first official D-I and Big West Conference season in 2007-08. After starring at nearby Davis Senior High, Nosek played for UC Davis from 1996-99, highlighting his career with a NCAA Division II national championship in 1998. He enjoyed his best collegiate game during his senior year, when he hit 4 of 5 from three-point range en route to a career-high 12 points against Holy Names. Perhaps as a premonition of things to come, his teammates dubbed him "Coach Nosek" for his unrelenting diligence both on and off the court. Nosek remained with the Aggie program as an assistant to Brian Fogel from 1999-2003. In his four seasons, the Aggies compiled a 67-23 record and qualified for the NCAA D-II West Regional (1999-2000). Following his first tenure at UC Davis, Nosek earned his first collegiate head-coaching role when he took the helm of the men's basketball program at Menlo College. In three seasons with the Oaks, he turned around a program that finished 4-22 his first season, to one that posted a 17-11 mark and its best record in seven years. The Oaks advanced to the Cal Pac Conference Tournament semifinal game during the 2004-05 season and reached the title game the following year. Nosek's Menlo tenure included a roster that led all D-II teams in rebound defense, also ranking among the nation's leaders in rebound margin and field goal percentage defense. After he graduated from UC Davis in June of 1999 — earning a bachelor’s degree in organizational studies — Nosek received his masters in sport coaching from the United States Sports Academy shortly thereafter. Nosek and his wife, Nicole reside in Davis. They have two daughters, Maya and Grace, and a son, Derek.

Kyle Vogt enters his 14th season as UC Davis' assistant coach — a tenure that includes the program's most successful years after being hired in June, 2012. In his role, he assists in all areas of the program, and specializing in defensive schemes.   The Aggie defense has been amongst the countries leaders in forcing turnovers, ranking in the top 50 6 of the last 8 years.  Vogt also assists in perimeter play and development, recruiting and opponent scouting and scheduling. Vogt was recently recognized for his efforts to the program by being named to the 2024 100 Rising Stars: Men's Mid Major Assistants list. With Vogt on the sidelines, the Aggies have amassed 205 wins and have had four 20 win seasons.  In addition, UC Davis has won the Big West regular season or tournament three times and won the schools first ever NCAA Division 1 tournament game. Vogt brought an 11-year coaching career to UC Davis that including stops at UW Platteville (2003-04), Bradley ('04-'11) and Western Illinois ('11-'12). Vogt has been a part of five postseason teams throughout those 11 years, including Bradley's 2006 Sweet 16 run. In back-to-back years, teams Vogt coached set single-season school records for the most Division I wins - 18 at Western Illinois and 14 at UC Davis. "I am very excited to add Kyle to our staff," said head men's basketball coach Jim Les shortly after Vogt's hiring. "He is an accomplished Division I assistant that brings with him great knowledge and enthusiasm. He will be a tremendous asset to our staff and an excellent resource for our players both on and off the floor." A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Vogt graduated from Lakeland College in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in marketing. An outstanding player for the Muskies, Vogt was a three-time all-conference performer and scored 1,123 points throughout his career. He is ranked No. 2 all-time with 183 three-point field goals and was amongst the Div. III national leaders in three-point percentage during both his junior and senior seasons.   Vogt and his wife, Erin, live in Davis with their three children: Jackson, Nolan and Avery.

Completed his ninth year on the UC Davis staff in 2024 During his time at UC Davis the Aggies advanced to the NCAA Tournament (2017) and the National Invitation Tournament (2018) Member of the University of Montana men’s basketball staff for five years prior to joining UC Davis' program Throughout his tenure in Montana the Grizzlies won three Big Sky titles and appeared in the postseason four times Montana won the 2012, 2013, and 2015 Big Sky Regular Season titles and competed in the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Tournaments, 2015 NIT and 2016 CBI Began his coaching career at Cal State Fullerton as its director of basketball operations; his first assistant coach opportunity took place at UC Santa Barbara Helped UCSB win Big West Regular Season championships in 2008 and 2010, and earn trips to the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2011 Coached five players who continued their career in the NBA: Will Cherry, Orlando Johnson, James Nunnally, Alan Williams and Jacob Wiley. The 2024-25 season marked Metzger-Jones’ ninth year on the UC Davis men’s basketball staff. Entering his 10th year with the program, Metzger-Jones is part of a coaching quartet — alongside head coach Jim Les, associate head coach Kevin Nosek, and assistant coach Kyle Vogt — that forms the longest-tenured staff in Division I men’s basketball. Joining the program in June of 2016, Metzger-Jones has been a part of many Aggie firsts. The 2016-17 season marked the Aggies first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament after capturing the 2017 Big West Tournament championship. That year was followed up by a Big West Regular season title in 2017-18, a trip to the 2018 NIT, and marked the first time in UC Davis Division 1 program history that the Aggies had back to back plus .500 winning percentage seasons, a feat that was again accomplished in 2020-21 and 2021-22. In addition to back-to-back postseason appearances in 2017 and 2018, both seasons ended with the Aggies winning 22 or more games. With the Aggies Metzger-Jones is tasked with coordinating staff recruiting efforts, player skill development, opponent scouting, analytics, in-game strategy, and academics. In 2020 Metzger-Jones became an initial member of the board of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for UC Davis Athletics. In his role with DEI he helps to provide and coordinate resources, information, and advice which contributes to a more informed and inclusive athletics department and an overall better student-athlete experience. In 2018 Metzger-Jones was invited to participate in the inaugural Collegiate Coaches Consortium at the Final Four. This event brought together some of the leading assistant coaches in the country to meet with athletics administrators to learn and prepare for the future of college basketball. In his time in Davis he has worked with multiple Aggies to earn prestigious awards. Head Coach Jim Les was awarded the 2018 Big West Coach Of The Year Award. TJ Shorts was named Big West MVP and Newcomer Of The Year in 2018, as well as First Team All-Conference in 2019. Chima Moneke was named First Team All-Conference and Big West Tournament MVP in 2017. Ezra Manjon, Elijah Pepper, Stefan Gonzalez, Joe Mooney, Siler Schneider, and Brynton Lemar all earned All-Big West accolades in Metzger-Jones’ time with the Aggies. Metzger-Jones arrived to UC Davis after spending five seasons as an assistant coach at Montana. Throughout his tenure in Missoula, the Grizzlies won three Big Sky regular season championships and advanced to postseason play on four occasions. In addition to competing in the 2012 and 2013 NCAA Tournaments, Metzger-Jones' teams also competed in the 2015 National Invitation Tournament and 2016 College Basketball Invitational. With Metzger-Jones on staff, Montana won 20 or more games in four of five years. Under his tutelage, 17 Grizzlies earned All-Big Sky Conference honors -- a list that includes Kareem Jamar (2013 Big Sky Conference MVP), Will Cherry (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jordan Gregory and Martin Breunig. All four players received NABC All-District recognition. While at Montana, Metzger-Jones was tasked with recruiting, player skill development, opponent scouting, in-game strategy, scheduling, the program’s fundraising efforts and player academics — an area that saw the Grizzly basketball team post its highest cumulative GPA in program history. Before he joined the Grizzlies' staff, Metzger-Jones helped lead UC Santa Barbara to its most successful stint in program history. Over the course of his four years the Gauchos won the 2008 and 2010 Big West regular season titles, consecutive Big West Tournament championships and the program's first-ever back-to-back berths at the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2011. UCSB also qualified for the 2008 NIT. While at Santa Barbara, Metzger-Jones recruited and mentored Orlando Johnson, James Nunnally and Alan Williams. Johnson and Williams received Big West MVP distinction in 2010 and 2014 respectively; all three have NBA experience. Metzger-Jones played two seasons at Pacific, was named co-captain as a senior and etched his name in the Tigers' records book as one of the program's top 10 three-point shooters when he graduated in 2002 with a bachelor of science degree in business administration. Afterwards, he spent three seasons playing professionally in Europe with stops in Switzerland, Denmark and Finland.  Upon his return to the United States, Metzger-Jones started his coaching career as Cal State Fullerton’s director of basketball operations. Metzger-Jones is married to the former Alison Keck. The couple has one son, Jason.