Having served a variety of positions with both the men’s and women’s basketball programs for five seasons, Donald Bohannon enters his ninth year on the women’s basketball coaching staff in 2024-25, and his second as associate head coach for the Braves.
Bohannon’s roots with the women’s basketball program date all the way back to the 2016-17 campaign when he served a graduate assistant coach role with the Black & Gold. He was promoted to a full-time position as coordinator of basketball operations for both the men’s and women’s squads in time for the 2018 season, while also serving as an assistant coach for both teams during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign as well.
The coaching veteran played an integral part of an historic 2022-23 campaign that saw UNCP stake claim at the Conference Carolinas Tournament championship and the 49-year-old program’s first NCAA Tournament berth. UNCP also finished the season ranked fourth, nationally, in field goal percentage defense and sixth, nationally, in scoring defense.
The 2023-24 season was another historic one for the Black & Gold, as the Braves won their second-consecutive Conference Carolinas Tournament championship, while earning the program's second NCAA Tournament berth and finishing with a 23-8 record. The 23 wins were the most since the 1991-92 season. UNCP also finished the season ranked fourth, nationally, in field goal percentage defense, and ninth, nationally, in scoring defense.
A Wilmington native, he has been at the forefront of more than 100 victories during his time in Pembroke, including 64 wins over the last three seasons. The Black & Gold also tallied a school-record 13 wins on the home floor during the 23-24 season. Bohannon also played a key part in the success during the 2021-22 season that landed the Braves a spot at 16th nationally for best scoring defense percentage. During the 2019-20 season, the Braves recorded an 11-win campaign while registering their first winning record at home in three seasons. Since joining the Braves in 2016, the Black & Gold have had nine All-Conference players, 1 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, and ten Conference Carolinas weekly award winners.
Prior to his trek to Pembroke, Bohannon attained valuable coaching experience on the prep level, first as an assistant coach with the junior varsity program at John T. Hoggard High School in Wilmington, and then as a junior varsity assistant with nearby E.A. Laney High School.
Bohannon earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from UNC Wilmington in 2014, and completed his master’s degree in sports administration at UNCP in 2018. He has also served as an adjunct instructor in UNCP’s Kinesiology Department since 2019.
Updated: July 2024
