New Mexico State University Athletics

The only member of head coach Chris Jans' staff who has been by his side since his arrival in Las Cruces, David Anwar is set to begin his fifth season as an assistant coach with the NM State in the 2021-22 academic year.

Regarded as one of the nation's most elite recruiters, Anwar came to Las Cruces with a wealth of experience in that realm and it has paid more than its fair share of dividends since. With Anwar in their corner, the Aggies have won at least 25 games in four of five seasons. In that same span NM State captured three-consecutive WAC regular season championships (2018-20) as well as a pair of WAC Tournament crowns (2018 and 2019). Two of the program's 22 NCAA Tournament berths have been generated in Anwar's tenure, too.

Linking up with the program just prior to the start of the 2017-18 season, Anwar played an integral role in NM State’s WAC regular-season and tournament title run as well as its NCAA Tournament berth that year. His scout of then No. 6/7 Miami was critical to the Aggies defeating the Hurricanes in the semifinals of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic and gave NM State its first AP Top-10 win since 1990.
 
In his second season on staff, Anwar helped guide the Aggies to another dominating season capped off by winning their second-straight regular-season title and tournament title as well as another NCAA Tournament appearance as a staff. The season was capped off by a record 30-5 overall record and 19-game winning-streak – which was good for third-longest in program history.

Anwar helped the Aggies put forth another 19-game winning streak through the course of a memorable - albeit pandemic-shortened - 2019-20 campaign. Another victory over a Power Five foe (Mississippi State on Dec. 22) came the Aggies' way and that was just one of the wins during the team's 19-game unbeaten run to close out the season. Included in that streak was a perfect 16-0 record in WAC regular season action, making the Aggies the only team in the history of the league to go 16-0. 

Facing difficult challenges in the 2019-20 season, Anwar and the Aggies were prohibited from playing any games in the state of New Mexico due to in-state COVID-19 restrictions. Despite these hurdles, the Aggies still managed to make a run to the WAC Tournament title game for the ninth consecutive time. With wins in their first two games of the season, the Aggies matched the program's longest winning streak (21 games). 

He came to Las Cruces after spending the past five seasons at North Texas under Mean Green head coach Tony Benford. There, he served as the team’s lead recruiter since joining Benford’s staff in 2012. While in Denton, Texas, Anwar helped North Texas rake in a top-50 recruiting class for 2013-14.
 
Prior to joining the Mean Green, he spent six years at Nebraska (2006-12) where he worked for Doc Sadler and alongside Benford from 2006-08. Anwar worked mainly with the guards and forwards during his time with the Huskers, guiding them to postseason play in three of his final five campaigns there.
 
He also played a crucial role in NU earning back-to-back top-25 national ranking in scoring defense (2007-09). His tutelage of the guards saw a huge uptick in shooting beyond the arc for NU. In his first year with the Huskers, Anwar helped the guards knock down 244 triples, good for second-most in program history. During the 2009-10 season, three players shot over 43-percent from 3-point range. Nebraska also set a school record that season with a 39.7-percent shooting from downtown – which was also good for 15th nationally.
 
Anwar’s presence in the recruiting world is also well-known, landing Nebraska arguably its best recruiting class in the Big 12 era in 2007. That year, The Huskers’ recruiting class was ranked in the top-25 by three major scouting services in ESPN.com’s Bob Gibbons (21st), CSTV.com’s Van Coleman (12th) and HoopScoopOnline.com’s Clark Francis (5th).
 
No stranger to the Borderlands and Sadler, Anwar served as the director of operations at UTEP under Sadler from 2004-06. Before making his first trip to the Borderlands, Anwar was an assistant coach at Division II University of Arkansas at Fort Smith from 2000-04.
 
His final three seasons at UAFS was where he and Sadler first paired up. During his time in Fort Smith, Anwar helped the Lions post a 101-29 record in addition to a pair of top-seven national finishes in 2001 (fifth) and 2002 (seventh). UAFS captured the Bi-State Conference East title in each of his final three seasons and produced a multitude of all-conference players. He’s also helped over 20 players get to the Division I level during his time at UAFS.
 
Anwar’s coaching career started at the prep level in Philadelphia and Massachusetts, where he saw over 40 of his players continue their careers at the Division I or II levels.
 
The Philadelphia, Pa., native received his bachelor’s degree in special education and sociology from Fitchburg State in 1998 and then tacked on a master’s degree in sports management/sports leadership from VCU in 2004.