Chu to Oversee Hoops Program at Radford

After moving up the ranks for almost a decade as an assistant in college and professional basketball, Zach Chu is finally a head coach.

The Highland Park alum was chosen this week to take over the program at Radford University, a Division I school located about 50 miles west of Roanoke, Virginia.

Chu served as an assistant coach with the Texas Legends in the NBA G-League for three seasons before being promoted to an analytics role with both the Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers from 2019 to 2024.

Last season, he was the chief strategist for the men’s program at SMU. Chu also has extensive experience working in Asia as an international basketball ambassador for Nike.

“College basketball is evolving to resemble the NBA game in many respects. We are in a new paradigm. It requires a new way of thinking,” Chu said at an introductory press conference on Wednesday. “Today, getting an edge in college basketball is about using analytical tools from end to end.”

The latest move brings Chu back to the state where he competed in college as a walk-on at the University of Richmond before earning a finance degree in 2015.

The Highlanders finished 20-13 this season in the Big South Conference. Chu will replace Darris Nichols, who left after Radford’s season to become the head coach at La Salle.

Chu was hired by Radford athletic director Robert Lineburg, who spent more than a decade as an assistant coach at SMU beginning in 1995.