Union University announces new assistant basketball coach

JACKSON, Tenn. — Union University men’s basketball head coach, David Niven, has announced Tre Walton as the next assistant coach for the program.

Walton was named the assistant coach for the Union University men’s basketball program in May 2024. Walton is in his first season with the Bulldogs.

Niven said, “I could not be more excited about the addition of Tre to our program. He has made an immediate impact in recruiting, and building relationships with our players and people on our campus. Tre’s faith fits the mission of Union University. He is excellent with on-the-floor coaching and player development. Tre is a rising star in the coaching world and will be an excellent head coach in the near future.”

Before coming to Union, Walton was the Director of Player of Development for Sam Houston State University in 2023-24. As an assistant coach at Sam Houston, Walton helped lead the team to the Conference USA Title and boasted three all-conference players. He was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Western Texas College in 2022-23 where he recruited and developed an all-conference player.

Walton said, “I am very excited for the opportunity to join Coach Niven’s staff at Union. Union basketball has had a history of recruiting great players to build great teams, and I hope to continue in that tradition.”

Walton was a graduate assistant at Dallas Baptist University from 2020-22, helping that squad to a third-place finish in the conference and a trip to the NCAA D2 National Tournament. In his two years at Dallas Baptist, he coached several first-team all-conference players, a freshman of the year, a defensive player of the year, all-region, and All-America players.

Walton also served as the assistant coach from 2016-20 at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He coached all-conference players and was a player of the year. Walton’s final season at John Jay ties the best regular-season record for the Bloodhounds. The team finished with a 20-5 record and a 13-1 conference record. The team also made its second consecutive ECAC postseason tournament.

Walton is a 2017 graduate of St. John’s University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management. He earned a Master’s Degree in Leadership from Dallas Baptist University in 2021.

Walton is a graduate of St. Mark’s School of Texas where he played three years of basketball.

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