Josh Spainhour named Director of Basketball Sport Performance

Published 2:56 pm Thursday, April 13, 2023

JOHNSON CITY – ETSU men’s basketball head coach Brooks Savage added another piece to his staff.

Savage announced on Tuesday that Josh Spainhour will be the Buccaneers’ Director of Basketball Sport Performance.

“I am thrilled to join the ETSU men’s basketball program as Director of Sports Performance,” said Spainhour. “I look forward to working with the players to improve their strength and conditioning. I am excited to elevate this program and be a part of this community that has always been so supportive of ETSU Athletics and the basketball program. I am thankful to Coach Savage for bringing me on board and giving me this opportunity. I look forward to experiencing the energy that our fans will bring inside Freedom Hall.”

Spainhour comes to ETSU after spending the last year at Wake Forest.

During his year as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Wake Forest, Spainhour worked under former ETSU Director of Basketball Sport Performance, Mike Starke. Spainhour helped train Tyree Appleby – who was named Associated Press Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. Appleby led the ACC in scoring (18.8) and assists per game (3.4), becoming the first player in conference history to lead the league in both statistical categories.

“We are really excited to welcome Josh Spainhour to our ETSU family,” said Savage. “Josh is one of the best young strength coaches in the country. He possesses great knowledge and passion for training and his dedication to helping our student-athletes develop is unmatched. Josh was instrumental to the success of our players during his time at Wake Forest and learning from Mike Starke has helped prepare him to lead our strength and conditioning program here at ETSU. He brings a high-energy, hands-on approach that will help our student-athletes reach their full potential.  Josh will have a huge role in helping us build a championship program.”

Prior to Wake Forest, Spainhour worked at Kansas State and the University of Miami. At Kansas State, Spainhour spent last summer as an intern with the Wildcats’ strength and conditioning program before they made their run into the Elite 8 this past March. The year prior, Spainhour was a graduate assistant at the University of Miami from 2021-22. The Hurricanes made their first-ever Elite 8 appearance in program history as they finished with 26 wins following victories over Southern Cal, Auburn and Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament.

Spainhour played basketball at Guilford College from 2013-14 before earning a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health from UNC Wilmington in 2017.

After graduating from UNCW, Spainhour taught elementary school physical education and coached high school basketball at Mount Tabor from 2018-21.

Spainhour, a native of King, N.C., and holds certifications in CSCS, USAW-1, CPR and First Aid.