Chad Warner, who joined the Paladin program in May of 2022, is in his third season as part of the Furman men's basketball staff and first as associate head coach.
Warner assisted in leading the 2022-23 Paladins to a school-record 28 victories, highlighted by an 88-79 triumph over Chattanooga in the SoCon Championship game and a 68-67 victory over No. 4 seed Virginia in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Orlando, Fla. Seniors Mike Bothwell and Jalen Slawson both garnered first team All-SoCon accolades for the second straight year and were named finalists for the Lou Henson Mid-Major Player of the Year Award. Slawson earned SoConPlayer of the Year honors and was selected to play in the NABC Reese’s College All-Star Game before being taken in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. Bothwell inked a free agent deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers in June.
Warner arrived in Greenville after spending the previous five seasons as head coach at Flagler College, leading the Saints to a 72-63 record highlighted by an 18-3 mark in 2020-21 and 23-8 in 2021-22. He was also the head coach for eight seasons at Shorter University posting a 156-91 record. In 13 seasons as a head coach, Warner has amassed a 228-154 overall record.
In 2021-22, the Saints posted a 23-8 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional, posting more Peach Belt Conference victories (14) than they ever had since joining the league over a decade ago. Flagler also achieved its highest national ranking, No. 2, in the NCAA Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll. Warner coached Jaizec Lottie to his second consecutive Peach Belt Player of the Year award and NABC Division II All-America honor.
The Saints went 11-1 in Peach Belt Conference play in 2020-21, culminating in the program’s first PBC regular season and tournament championships. The season began with Flagler securing its first two wins over NCAA Division I opponents in program history, defeating Central Michigan and North Florida. Warner, who was named PBC Coach of the Year, then guided the Saints to their first-ever NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance after beating perennial power Alabama Huntsville in the South Region title game. Flagler would then score a 70-69 win over seventh-ranked Truman State to become just the third team in the school’s NCAA Division II era to advance to the national semifinals.
The Saints saw a program-best five student-athletes earn PBC all-conference awards in Lottie, who was also named PBC Player of the Year, Chris Metzger, PBC Defensive Player of the Year Jalen Barr, and Derrick Ellis. Warner garnered 2020-21 NABC South Region Coach of the Year honors and Lottie became the first player in program history to be selected NABC All-American.
Warner led Flagler to 17 wins during his first two seasons before breaking through in 2019-20, earning the program’s first Peach Belt Tournament berth after winning 14 games, including 10 in league play, while Gedi Juozapaitis was the team’s first men’s basketball student-athlete to be named first team all-conference.
Prior to joining Flagler, Warner spent the 2016-17 season as a special assistant to the head coach and recruiting coordinator at Valparaiso. The Crusaders claimed a share of the Horizon League regular season championship after winning 24 games. Valparaiso earned a postseason berth for the seventh straight season, earning an at-large spot in the NIT. One of his players, Alec Peters, was a second-round selection in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns.
Warner was the winningest coach in program history at Shorter with 156 victories, including a school-record 34 wins in 2011-12. Shorter advanced to the NAIA Division I “Fab Four” that year and was ranked No. 1 nationally for most of the season. He was named the NABC NAIA Division I National Coach of the Year.
He led Shorter through its transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2012-13. The Hawks recorded 21 victories and won the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Division I national championship. Warner was voted the Georgia Basketball Coaches Association (GABCA) Division II Coach of the Year in 2013.
At Shorter, he coached six NAIA All-Americans, nine All-Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) selections, two SSAC Newcomers of the Year, 18 academic all-conference picks and four NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Seven of his former players went on to sign professional contracts overseas.
Warner spent two seasons in two separate stints (2003-04 and 2006-07) as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Hampden-Sydney (Va.) College. The Tigers won the Old Dominion Athletic Conference title in both seasons he served as an assistant. Warner was also as an assistant coach for two seasons (2004-06) at William & Mary.
He began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater, Georgia, serving as a graduate assistant under head coach Jim Harrick.
Warner graduated from Georgia in 1998 with his bachelor’s degree in journalism. He earned a walk-on spot as a freshman under head coach Hugh Durham. After graduating from Georgia, he was an associate head coach at the Darlington School for four seasons.
Warner and his wife, Karin, have three children: Aly, Caroline, and Jack.
