David Wells is entering his seventh season as an assistant coach for the Roadrunners in 2018-19. This is his second stint at MSU Denver under head coach Tanya Haave after also serving as an assistant in 2010-11. In addition to his on-court responsibilities, he oversees the program's academic progress.
Wells helped MSU Denver get back to the NCAA Division II national tournament in 2017-18, as the Roadrunners went 23-9 overall, placed second in the RMACÂ at 17-5, and defeated conference rival Colorado State University-Pueblo in the first round of the South Central Regional.Â
With Wells' help, the 2016-17 Roadrunners went 18-12 overall and 14-8 in RMAC play, with Georgia Ohrdorf earning the first of her two first-team All-RMAC awards. Wells helped guide a young team to an overall record of 13-15 and an RMAC record of 11-11 in 2015-16, when Hannah Stipnovich earned first-team All-RMAC honors.
In 2014-15, he helped the team to a 13-13 overall record, despite having three sophomores and one freshman in the starting lineup. Ohrdorf was the RMAC freshman of the year, and Deni Jacobs was first-team All-RMAC and was named Academic All-District while leading the team to a 3.36 GPA for the school year.
Wells helped a young 2013-14 Roadrunners squad to a 12-10 mark in RMAC play and 13-14 overall. After losing three four-year starters from the previous season, MSU Denver finished the season strong, going 10-6 over the final 16 games.
Prior to joining the Roadrunners again in 2013-14, Wells spent the previous two seasons at Millersville, an NCAA Division II school in Lancaster, Pa. At Millersville, he helped guide the Marauders to two winning seasons, including a 21-8 finish in 2012-13. He developed all phases of the strength and conditioning program and helped with player development, recruiting, administrative procedures and many other various duties.
He had served as an assistant coach under Haave for MSU Denver during the 2010-11 season, the best season in school history. Wells helped the Roadrunners to a 30-3 record, including 21-1 in the RMAC to capture the regular-season title. The team also advanced to the Elite Eight, winning the Central Region title at the NCAA tournament. The team was dominant defensively, finishing second in Division II in scoring defense and rebounding margin. He helped develop all-region forward Cassondra Bratton and future All-American point guard Jasmine Cervantes.
He is a native of Colorado, having grown up in Lakewood and graduating from Green Mountain High School. After high school, Wells attended the University of Northern Colorado to compete in track and field. He began coaching at Golden High School as a head track coach, assistant football coach and assistant basketball coach.
Wells has also served as a club coach for the Boulder Rockies, one of the top girl’s basketball club programs in Colorado. He has also worked with some of the state’s best athletes and coached a national champion in track and field and many other athletes that have gone on to play at the collegiate level.
In 2009-10, Wells was a practice player for the Roadrunners women’s basketball team. He earned his bachelors degree from MSU Denver in 2011 in exercise science with a minor in psychology. He is currently working on his master's degree in psychology.
