David Anwar begins his 10th season working alongside Coach Doc Sadler and is in his fifth season on the Husker coaching staff. He returns to the bench this year after serving as director of operations during the 2010-11 season.
Anwar has been a valuable member of the Husker staff since he arrived in August of 2006. He has helped the Huskers record 89 victories, including three postseason appearances in the last four years.
He worked with the Husker wings and post players for a majority of the time at Nebraska, and played a major role in NU ranking among the top 25 nationally in scoring defense in both 2007-08 and 2008-09. The Huskers also showed the ability to score from long distance in 2009-10, as Eshaunte Jones (40-of-92, 43.5 percent), Ryan Anderson (54-of-126, 42.9 percent) and Brandon Ubel (11-of-21, 53.4 percent) helped Nebraska set a school record and rank 15th nationally in 3-point percentage (39.7 percent).
Working primarily with the Nebraska guards in his first year, Anwar's guidance helped the Huskers power to the second-highest 3-point total in school history with 244 treys in 2006-07.
Off the court, Anwar was instrumental in recruiting, helping Nebraska reel in arguably its top-rated class in the Big 12 era. The Huskers' eight-man recruiting class for 2007 was ranked among the top 25 in the nation by at least three major scouting services, including ESPN.com's Bob Gibbons (21st), CSTV.com's Van Coleman (12th) and HoopScoopOnline.com's Clark Francis (5th). Anwar has also provided significant recruiting ties in the junior college ranks and has been a strong voice for the Huskers in international recruiting the past two seasons as well.
When he came to Nebraska, Anwar rejoined Sadler's staff after serving two seasons under him at Texas-El Paso. During that time, Anwar was the Miners' director of operations. He was responsible for the program's budget, scheduling and practice management. Anwar also oversaw the administrative staff and assisted with special projects, camps and on-campus recruiting while helping Sadler and the Miners reach the 2005 NCAA Tournament and 2006 NIT.
Before joining the UTEP program, Anwar served as an assistant coach at Arkansas-Fort Smith for four seasons, including the final three under Sadler. Anwar had on-court and practice responsibilities and also served as the recruiting coordinator. Arkansas-Fort Smith earned a 101-29 record with Anwar on the bench, including a pair of top-seven national finishes in 2001 (fifth) and 2002 (seventh). The team won the Bi-State Conference East league title each of his three seasons under Sadler and produced numerous all-conference players on the court and in the classroom.
Anwar has helped several programs earn a successful record of academic success, including helping more than 20 players move on to four-year schools from Arkansas-Fort Smith.
Earlier in his career, Anwar helped more than 40 high school and prep players earn a spot on Division I or II rosters while serving as a coach in his native Philadelphia and in Massachusetts.
A native of Philadelphia, Anwar earned a bachelor's degree in special education and sociology from Fitchburg State in 1998 and added a master's degree in sports management/sports leadership from Virginia Commonwealth in 2004.