VMI Basketball: Wilson hires Xavier Silas to fill open assistant coach slot

VMI Basketball coach Andrew Wilson moved quickly to find a replacement for Dave Davis, who stepped down on Tuesday.

Wilson, on Wednesday, announced that he has hired Xavier Silas to serve as an assistant coach and as the staff’s offensive coordinator.

Davis had held the offensive coordinator role before retiring on Tuesday, citing “personal reasons” for his departure.

Silas to comes to VMI after serving as an analyst for the University of Missouri men’s basketball program where he assisted with offensive and defensive strategies, preparing film, scouting opponents and facilitating player development.

“I’m very excited about the addition of Xavier Silas to our basketball program and the VMI community,” Wilson said. “He has a tremendous basketball pedigree as a player and coach at the highest levels and will bring fresh perspectives and ideas to the program. Our entire basketball program will benefit from his enthusiasm, passion and knowledge of the game. His presence has already paid dividends and will continue to help our program rise.”

Silas, in the 2022-2023 season, served as the head coach of the Guaynabo Mets of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional, the highest professional basketball league in Puerto Rico.

Prior to coaching in Puerto Rico, he had a dual role with the Detroit Pistons serving as both the director of player development and offensive coordinator for the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ NBA G-League affiliate.

From 2019-2021, Silas served a dual role with the Philadelphia 76ers as both the director of player development and offensive coordinator of its G-League affiliate Delaware Bluecoats.

Silas was a member of the NBA Assistant Coaches Program in 2019 and served as a head assistant coach for The Big 3 league’s Team Power in 2018.

As a professional basketball player, Silas had playing stints with the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers. As a member of the NBA G-League, he played for the Iowa Wolves, Northern Arizona Suns, Bakersfield Jam and the Maine Red Claws.

Internationally, he was selected as a starter for USA Basketball in 2018-2019 and helped Team USA qualify for the 2019 World Cup in China. Silas also played for various professional teams in Argentina, Germany, Greece, Israel and France throughout his playing career.

After beginning his collegiate career at the University of Colorado at Boulder (2006-2008), he transferred to Northern Illinois (2009-2011), where he earned first-team All-MAC honors and first-team NABC All-District 14 accolades.

As a senior, he averaged 22.3 points per game and was named the MAC West Division Player of the Week five times, becoming the third NIU player in program history to reach 1,000 points in just two seasons.