Head Coach Damien Blair completed his 17th season at the helm of the Golden Rams in 2024-25. In his 17 years with the Purple & Gold, Blair boasts a 304-160(.655) overall record with five NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 10 years.

Blair has orchestrated a 209-111(.653) mark in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contests throughout his tenure, and under his tutelage, the Golden Rams have landed inside the top-three of the PSAC East standings nine times, including an outright PSAC Title in 2024-25 and a share of the regular-season title in 2022-23 along with six second-place finishes. West Chester has advanced to the PSAC Championship Game on three occasions. The West Chester University alum boasts a 12-14 record in the PSAC Tournament and a 1-5 record in the NCAA Tournament.

Last season, Blair earned PSAC East Coach of the Year honors for the first time in his career after leading the Golden Rams to a record of 23-7 overall and 18-3 in league action, culminating in the teams first outright PSAC East Regular Season crown since 2006. West Chester enjoyed a 12-game winning streak during this season, which began in Mid-November and lasted into early January, which was the team's longest winning streak since the 2019-20 season. With three All-League selections in Davante Dennis, Elijah Allen, and Joshua Walker, West Chester returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018-19, falling to third-seeded Virginia State at West Liberty by an 80-64 final in the Round of 64. During this historic season, Blair also notched his 300th career win, becoming just the second WCU coach to reach this milestone when the Golden Rams toppled Mansfield by an 84-76 final on Senior Day on February 8. 

In 2023-24, Blair guided West Chester back to the PSAC Tournament as the fourth seed in the PSAC East and after defeating Shepherd in the First Round of the PSAC Tournament before falling to Lock Haven and ending the year with a record of 19-11 overall and a mark of 15-7 in league action. Blair saw two of his players eclipse the 1,000-point plateau in 2023-24 as Robert Smith did so first as part of a 100-97 road victory over No. 9 and previously unbeaten California (Pa.) before Elijah Allen accomplished the feat on January 10 vs Shepherd. Smith became the first WCU player to score all 1,000 points at WCU since Matt Penecale and Jackson Hyland in 2018-19. On the Golden Rams regular-season finale and Senior Day, Blair and the Golden Rams made national headlines after orchestrating a surprise reunion for graduate student forward Jordan Kellier and his parents, who were visiting from Jamaica to watch him play for the first time in his collegiate career. Kellier earned PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year honors and First Team All-Conference recognition nad was joined on the First Team by Allen while Smith was named Second Team All-League for the third year in a row. 

In his 15^th season, Blair guided West Chester to its seventh 20+-win season, ending the campaign with a record of 21-8 overall and a mark of 16-6 in PSAC East action en route to a share of the squad’s first PSAC East Regular Season title since 2006. This effort, which included a sweep of East Stroudsburg for the first time since the 2008-09 season, also saw the Golden Rams score the most points they ever have against the Warriors in a 106-98 victory in Hollinger Field House. Blair also mentored a pair of All-PSAC East honorees once again as Kyle McGee secured First Team honors while Robert Smith was named Second Team All-League for the second year in a row.

Coming off a shutdown of athletics due to the COVID-19 pandemic that wiped out the 2020-21 campaign, Blair guided his squad to a 17-12 overall record and a fourth-place finish and an opening round win in the PSAC Tournament that pushed West Chester into the quarterfinals. Two Golden Rams were named all-conference in the postseason announcements. He did all of this without a senior on his roster.

The 2019-20 campaign saw West Chester finishing the regular season with a 20-10 record, including a 13-game win streak to start the year, to earn third place in the PSAC East standings. With West Chester sitting at 13-0 to start the winter, the Golden Rams climbed to as high as eighth in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II national poll - it's highest ranking since 1983 - the school's first year at Division II, after re-classifying from Division I the previous year.

West Chester continued its upward projection in 2018-19, as the Golden Rams broke multiple records on their way to the 2019 NCAA DII Atlantic Regional. After starting the season at 6-5, WCU went on to win its next 15 straight contests to set a new school record for most consecutive victories in program history. In the midst of all the winning, Blair became just the second West Chester men's basketball coach in history to eclipse the 200-win plateau, which secured Blair the No. 2 spot on WCU's all-time wins list behind his former mentor and Messikomer Hall of Famer, Dick Delaney, who ended his 21-year career with 370 victories - a number that stands as the fourth most by any PSAC coach in conference history.

The Golden Rams capped off the 2018-19 season as one of the most dominating rebounding units in the entire country. Heading into the postseason, West Chester paced NCAA DII in total rebounds per game (45.3) and offensive rebounds per game (18.1), while sitting fourth in the nation in both total rebounds (1,359) and rebounding margin (+10.5). 

Individually, the 2018-19 Golden Rams featured three All-PSAC selections in Jackson Hyland (First Team), Matt Penecale (Second Team) and Malik Jackson (Second Team). Hyland ended his illustrious career as a two-time All-PSAC selection and his 1,448 career points are the 10th most by a Golden Ram in program history. He continued his basketball career overseas in England for a season following graduation. A two-time Academic All-District selection by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), Penecale capped off his career with the Purple & Gold as the program's all-time career leader in assists (505) and No. 2 on the West Chester all-time career free throw percentage list (.869). A former PSAC East Freshman of the Year, Jackson's 81 triples in 2018-19 were the third most makes by any WCU men's basketball player in history. Jackson graduated in 2020 as the school's fourth all-time leading scorer with 1,826 career points.

West Chester tallied a 22-7 overall record in 2017-18 to qualify for the NCAA Atlantic Regional for the second time in the last three years. Entering the tournament as the sixth seed. West Chester managed to clip the favored Cardinals, 82-77, inside the Virginia State University Multi-Purpose Center to give the Golden Rams their first NCAA Tournament win in nine appearances.

During the 2015-16 campaign, Blair guided his charges to a 23-7 mark, a spot in the PSAC Championship Game and a second trip to the NCAA Tournament in the past three campaigns. He did all of that with a pair of freshmen in his backcourt running the offense. Along the way, senior forward Matt Wiseley was named NABC All-Atlantic Region while also taking home PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year honors. Malik Jackson was the PSAC East Freshman of the Year as well. West Chester cracked into the NABC national poll for the first time since 2009 and rose as high as 16th in the country. That marked the Golden Rams' highest national ranking since 2003.

In 2013-14, West Chester cracked the 20-win plateau for the first time in a decade and the first time under Blair's watch. The Golden Rams finished with a 20-8 record and finished second in the PSAC East with a 17-5 mark. WCU's 17 conference wins also set a record for most in a single season in school history. The Golden Rams defeated Millersville in the PSAC Quarterfinals, before falling to eventual champion Indiana, Pa., in the semifinals. The 20 wins set a new season record in Blair's five years at his alma mater while the team's appearance in the conference semifinals was West Chester's second straight.

In 2011-12, Blair guided his charges to a 19-win season and helped the Golden Rams finish third in the PSAC Eastern Division. The Golden Rams upset Bloomsburg in the first round of the conference tournament, and when East Stroudsburg upset top-seeded Kutztown, West Chester earned the right to host the conference semifinals and finals as the highest remaining seed in the East.

Blair engineered an upset win over conference favorite and nationally ranked Indiana (Pa.) in the semifinals, landing the Golden Rams in the PSAC Championship Game.

In 2009-10, Blair led the Golden Rams to a 18-9 overall record and a 5-9 conference mark during one of the most competitive league slates in quite some time. That season’s Eastern Division champion suffered five losses in conference play.

It was Blair’s mission that winter to orchestrate a return to the PSAC semifinals and with it a shot at a PSAC championship. Blair led West Chester to the PSAC postseason tournament in his first season on the sideline in 2008-09, after inheriting a squad that had not reached the playoffs the previous two campaigns.

One of the top guards in school history, Blair made a big splash in his first season as head coach at his alma mater. The Golden Rams finished 18-10 overall and 9-5 in conference play, finishing third overall in the Eastern Division and leading the Rams to the quarterfinals of the PSAC postseason tournament. A loss to cross-town rival Cheyney ended Blair’s inaugural season prematurely.

In his first two seasons on the bench, Blair mentored three first-team All-PSAC players and four all-leaguers total. Former all-league selection, Ralph Hegamin, continued his basketball career overseas in Portugal. Hegamin was also an All-ECAC pick and two-time Herb Good all-star selection under Blair’s tutelage.

Additionally, one former Golden Rams player, Kenneth St. George, was named to the PSAC academic honor roll both years with Blair while also being named a two-time recipient of the Arthur Ashe Scholar-Athlete Award.

The program’s second all-time leading scorer during his playing days, Blair became the program’s fifth head coach since 1960 and the first African-American mentor in program history in July 2008.

He made the leap into the college game from the high school ranks where he led nearby Downingtown High School to the Ches-Mont League boys’ basketball championship -- the first title in school history -- in 2007 and a spot in the PIAA state playoffs for the fourth time during his tenure.

Overall, Blair compiled a high school career coaching record of 173-78 (.689). Blair left Downingtown High as the school’s all-time winningest boy’s basketball coach. He was named the Daily Local News coach of the year as well as Ches-Mont League coach of the year his final season.

During his collegiate playing career, Blair set seven individual scoring records on the career, season and game levels. His 2,025 career points stands second all-time at West Chester University and 12th all-time in PSAC history.  

The flashy guard was a two-time PSAC East player of the year (1994, 1995) and four-time all-league selection, including three first-team nods, during his illustrious playing career. Blair was inducted into the Messikomer Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame at West Chester University in 2001.

Blair played semi-professional basketball with the Delaware Blue Bombers of the United States Basketball League for a brief stint, after his college career came to a close and was even invited to the Philadelphia 76ers tryout camp in 1996.

Blair received his bachelor’s of science degree in Education from WCU in May 2006 and is a certified Health & Physical Education instructor in the state of Pennsylvania. He completed his master’s in Athletic Administration from WCU in May 2007.

Blair resides in Downingtown, Pa., with his wife, Carolyn, a 1997 graduate of West Chester University and former women’s basketball player under former women’s head coach Deirdre Kane. The couple has four children: Hunter, Dylan, Autumn and Hayden. Hunter graduated from West Chester University while Dylan is a sophomore at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he plays basketball for ArmyWest Point. Autumn will attend the University of Florida on a women's lacrosse scholarship.
 

YEAR	SCHOOL	OVERALL	PCT	CONFERENCE	PCT	NOTES
2008-09	West Chester	18-10	.643	9-5 (3rd)	.643	PSAC Quarterfinals
2009-10	West Chester	16-11	.593	5-9 (T, 6th)	.357
2010-11	West Chester	14-12	.538	5-9 (T, 6th)	.357
2011-12	West Chester	19-10	.655	14-8 (3rd)	.636	PSAC Championship Game
2012-13	West Chester	20-8	.714	17-5 (2nd)	.773	PSAC Semifinals
2013-14	West Chester	20-10	.667	11-5 (2nd)	.688	PSAC Championship Game ; NCAA Tournament
2014-15	West Chester	16-13	.552	14-8 (T, 2nd)	.636	PAC Quarterfinals
2015-16	West Chester	23-7	.767	17-5 (2nd)	.773	PSAC Championship Game ; NCAA Tournament
2016-17	West Chester	14-15	.483	11-11 (T, 4th)	.500	PSAC Quarterfinals
2017-18	West Chester	22-7	.759	17-5 (T, 2nd)	.773	PSAC Quarterfinals ; NCAA Tournament
2018-19	West Chester	22-9	.710	17-5 (T, 2nd)	.800	PSAC Semifinals ; NCAA Tournament
2019-20	West Chester	20-10	.667	13-9 (3rd)	.591	PSAC Quarterfinals
2020-21	West Chester					season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021-22	West Chester	17-12	.586	10-11 (4th)	.476	PSAC Quarterfinals
2022-23	West Chester	21-8	.724	16-6 (T, 1st)	.727	PSAC Quarterfinals
2023-24	West Chester	19-11	.633	15-7 (4th)	.682	PSAC Quarterfinals
2024-25	West Chester	23-7	.767	18-3	.857	PSAC Quarterfinals, NCAA Tournament, PSAC East Coach of the Year
16 years		304-160	.655	209-111	.653	5 NCAA Tournaments; 3 PSAC Champ. Game Apps.