LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men’s basketball program has hired Dave Andrews as its director of athletic performance, as announced by Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men’s Head Basketball Coach.
Andrews has accrued experience working with both college basketball and football programs over the past 20 years, most recently serving as the Iowa State football program’s director of strength and conditioning for three seasons. A former tight end at Ohio State in the early 2000s, Andrews served as the men’s basketball performance coach at Cincinnati during Cronin’s first six seasons as the Bearcats’ head coach (2006 through 2012).
“I’m very excited to join UCLA’s storied program and to reconnect with Coach Cronin,” Andrews said. “I have seen first-hand how he went about overhauling and rebuilding the men’s basketball program at Cincinnati, more than 15 years ago, in one of the most difficult conferences ever. Joining UCLA is a terrific opportunity and I am here to make the Bruins better. It starts with the buy-in and hard work from our team’s talented young men, and we’ll strive to be at our very best. Everything that we do has a purpose, and we will hit the ground running. The summer months are important, and my number one goal is to help these young men significantly improve.”
Andrews spent eight total seasons as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with Cincinnati from 2004-12, working alongside Cronin during those final six seasons (2006-07 through 2011-12). His professional career has also included stops with the football programs at Iowa State (2020-22), Pittsburgh (2015-19), Notre Dame (2014) and Illinois (2012-13), following his time at Cincinnati (2004-12). After graduating from Ohio State in 2004, he began his career as a graduate assistant at Cincinnati.
“Dave Andrews is an elite strength, conditioning and performance coach,” Cronin said. “Bringing Dave back to basketball and reconnecting from our days together at Cincinnati is a tremendous coup for the UCLA men’s basketball program. Dave is talented and committed, and his passion for the student-athletes is second to none. Player development has been the backbone of our program, as we believe in providing the best for our players at UCLA. Dave’s impact will be felt immediately in our program, and we are thrilled to have him in Westwood.”
Andrews served as Iowa State’s director of football strength and conditioning for three seasons (2020-22). While at Iowa State, he helped the Cyclones to a 9-3 record during the 2020 season. Iowa State finished in first place with an 8-1 record in the Big 12 Conference that fall, advancing to the Big 12 Championship Game and qualifying for a New Year’s Six bowl game, all program firsts for the Cyclones. Among the best football teams in school history, Iowa State’s 2020 squad earned a 34-17 win over No. 25 Oregon in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl. Iowa State finished the football season ranked No. 9 in the final AP and Coaches polls.
While with Iowa State’s football program, Andrews worked alongside current 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy for two seasons (2021-22). Now with the New York Jets, running back Breece Hall became Iowa State’s first unanimous All-America selection in 2020 and was honored as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021. During Andrews’ three years at Iowa State, the football program produced eight NFL Draft selections – including seven in those final two seasons, the most in a two-year span at the university since the 1970s.
During Andrews’ five seasons working as the head strength and conditioning coach at Pittsburgh (2015-19), his leadership helped propel the Panthers to four bowl games. During that five-year span at Pitt, the Panthers registered the third most-winning conference record among the 14 ACC football programs.
Andrews’ time working with the Cincinnati men’s basketball program was impactful in the team’s steady turnaround. After his first season working with Coach Cronin (2006-07), Cincinnati won more games in each successive season, culminating with a 26-9 record in 2010-11 and a 26-11 mark in 2011-12. Cincinnati built from an 11-win season in 2006-07 to 26 victories just four years later. The Bearcats advanced to the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Tournaments, securing a berth in the 2012 NCAA Sweet 16. Cincinnati’s accomplishments in returning to national prominence took place while competing in one of the most difficult leagues in the old Big East Conference.
As a student-athlete in the early 2000s, Andrews competed as a tight end at Ohio State and was a member of the Buckeyes’ national championship team in 2002. He graduated from Ohio State in 2004 with his bachelor’s degree in education and later earned his master’s degree in education from Cincinnati.
Andrews starred as a two-sport high school standout at Miami Trace High School on the varsity football and basketball teams (Washington Court House, Ohio). He was a four-year varsity basketball starter and became the second-leading career scorer in school history.
Dave Andrews Named Men’s Basketball Director of Athletic Performance – UCLA
