David Six proves to be a steady winner as Hampton women's coach

HAMPTON, Virginia -- Eight years ago, Hampton University was in the market for a women’s basketball coach.

One of the applicants offered a résumé that included a .780 winning percentage and multiple championship rings.

One problem: He was a high school coach who had never worked at the college level, not even as an assistant.

Yes, David Six was something of a risky hire at the time. But here he is, headed to the NCAA tournament for the sixth time in eight years as the Lady Pirates play Duke Saturday night in Durham, N.C.

“Obviously, he saw something,” Six said, referring to HU president William Harvey. “But how often do you hear someone go from high school to head coach in college without ever being an assistant? You just don’t see it.

“He didn’t have to do that. He could have hired someone with more experience, and nobody could have faulted him for that.”

With no crystal ball available, Harvey had no way of knowing Six would win six Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships in eight years. Five came in his first five seasons. The sixth, and most improbable, came last weekend.

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