Former North Montgomery High School and Purdue University basketball player D.J. Byrd has accepted a new coaching position. The former Charger announced Friday he will be the Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida.
Byrd said accepting the new job was an easy decision.
“This position was brought to my attention by a former recruit of mine who transferred to Barry,” Byrd said. “Coach Butch Estes has been a successful coach for many years and has been a great mentor for many of the coaches that have worked for him. I’m excited for the opportunity to take the lead role in recruiting, skill development, and game planning under his guidance.”
Byrd expects to make many trips return trips to his home state in his new position.
“Recruiting Indiana will be a huge priority of ours, as it has been for me for many years,” Byrd said.
Byrd believes the present team at Barry University will be competitive in a tough conference.
“Barry U is a prestigious school in one of the, if not the, top Division II conferences in the country, the Sunshine State Conference,” Byrd said. “We have a great team of returning players and new additions that should make for a very competitive year.”
Byrd won’t be the only Indiana representative on the team. Milik Stanley is a senior from Warren Central High School and Gavin Welch is a sophomore from New Castle High School.
“I look at this as a great step forward on my journey to being a head coach one day,” he said.
Byrd most recently coached five seasons with the Mercer Bears in Georgia.
As a player, Byrd played the 2013-14 season professionally in Germany with the Kirchheim Knights. He was also a standout at Purdue. He helped the Boilermakers to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including 2012 when he was named the Sixth Man of the Year in the B1G 10. In 2010, Purdue won the regular season Big Ten Championship and went to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to the eventual NCAA National Champion Duke Blue Devils.
While a player at North Montgomery, Byrd was named a 2009 Indiana All-Star. He led the Chargers to three sectional championships and one regional runner-up title his senior year in 2009.
Byrd is the all-time leading scorer at North Montgomery with 1,785 points playing varsity for four seasons.
