Men's Basketball
Kosmalski, Landry
Landry Kosmalski
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- lakosmalski@davidson.edu
- Phone:
- 2383
Davidson '00
Fifth Season
There’s nothing much about coaching college basketball that Landry Kosmalski doesn’t enjoy.
That includes recruiting, which bedevils some coaches. Even though it’s not an exact science at any college, recruiting is more complex at Davidson given the college’s rigorous academic standards.
“The pool of prospects is smaller for us because of Davidson’s academic requirements,” Kosmalski says, “but I still enjoy it. I like meeting coaches and talking with them as well as evaluating players.”
Nothing that Kosmalski encounters at Davidson should surprise him. He went through the recruiting experience himself as a Texas high school player and then enjoyed four productive years at Davidson playing for coach Bob McKillop. He averaged almost 13 points a game for his four-year career and eight rebounds. His 877 rebounds rank third on Davidson’s all-time list, and he stands 13th in career scoring with 1,438 points.
McKillop says Kosmalski’s loyalty, passion for the game and talent for coaching make him a perfect fit for the Wildcats’ staff. He filled an opening which came about in 2009, when former associate head coach Matt Matheny was named head coach at Elon University.
Kosmalski has stepped seamlessly into his coaching duties. He not only played for McKillop but coached under him at Davidson as an assistant from 2004-06. He is familiar with Davidson’s system, ranging from its motion offense to its carefully designed team defense to McKillop’s insistence on taking care of all details.
“I know what the players are going through since I played in the system,” Kosmalski said. “It provides much freedom for the players as long as they get it from within the system. We recruit good students here who are also good players, and it’s fun to coach them.”
Kosmalski brings vast experience to his job. In addition to his playing and coaching experiences at Davidson, he played professional basketball in Europe for four years and was an assistant coach for a professional team in Sweden for one season, during which time he also served as head coach of the franchise’s developmental team.
“I played for five different coaches in four years in Europe,” Kosmalski said. “They all went about their jobs in different ways, and I learned from each of them.”
Kosmalski found new learning streams when he took the dual position of head basketball coach and Dean of Students at The Webb School in Knoxville, Tenn.
“Serving in the position of a head coach was a great experience for me,” Kosmalski said. “I wanted the experience of being a head coach and knew I probably wouldn’t get that opportunity in college for a long time. At The Webb School, I handled all of the details that fall on the shoulders of a head coach, such as planning practice and taking care of travel plans. It was invaluable experience.”
So was being Dean of Students. It wasn’t totally unlike coaching but was certainly different in many ways. Kosmalski found himself handling disciplinary cases. It emphasized the important of maintaining poise and not making rash decisions.
“I learned to gather all of the facts and not to judge until all the facts were in,” he said.
Kosmalski comes from a basketball family. His father, Len, played for the University of Tennessee from 1970-74 and his younger brother, Logan, played two years for Davidson after transferring from Baylor.
Kosmalski thought for some time that he wanted to be a coach, but it became a certainty in his mind during his last year of playing professionally in France. Why coaching?
“I like the commitment and enthusiasm that you find in college basketball,” he says. “Players that reach this level have worked hard for many years to get here. They’ve shown dedication and commitment, and they all want to be good players.”
Davidson has an eclectic group of big men this year, and Kosmalski will get a chance to help teach them within the framework of McKillop’s system.
“Our players are good people, and they all want to learn,” Kosmalski said.
“Coach Kosmalski played as a big guy in this program,” said Steve Rossiter, a four-year lettermen and 2010 Davidson graduate. “He was on the staff here my first and last years at Davidson, and his experiences enable him to identify with what we’re going through as players and students.”
Kosmalski is married to Lauren Santi, a former cheerleader at the University of Alabama who also worked for two years in Davidson’s office of sports information. They live in Davidson, a short distance from the campus, with their son, Lincoln, who was born in August.
Kosmalski’s commitment to coaching is so strong that he says he doubts that he could hold a regular job in another field.
“We keep score in this profession,” he said. “When we go home after a game, there’s no doubting who won and who lost. I think I’d miss the competition too much to work in another field.”
Fifth Season
There’s nothing much about coaching college basketball that Landry Kosmalski doesn’t enjoy.
That includes recruiting, which bedevils some coaches. Even though it’s not an exact science at any college, recruiting is more complex at Davidson given the college’s rigorous academic standards.
“The pool of prospects is smaller for us because of Davidson’s academic requirements,” Kosmalski says, “but I still enjoy it. I like meeting coaches and talking with them as well as evaluating players.”
Nothing that Kosmalski encounters at Davidson should surprise him. He went through the recruiting experience himself as a Texas high school player and then enjoyed four productive years at Davidson playing for coach Bob McKillop. He averaged almost 13 points a game for his four-year career and eight rebounds. His 877 rebounds rank third on Davidson’s all-time list, and he stands 13th in career scoring with 1,438 points.
McKillop says Kosmalski’s loyalty, passion for the game and talent for coaching make him a perfect fit for the Wildcats’ staff. He filled an opening which came about in 2009, when former associate head coach Matt Matheny was named head coach at Elon University.
Kosmalski has stepped seamlessly into his coaching duties. He not only played for McKillop but coached under him at Davidson as an assistant from 2004-06. He is familiar with Davidson’s system, ranging from its motion offense to its carefully designed team defense to McKillop’s insistence on taking care of all details.
“I know what the players are going through since I played in the system,” Kosmalski said. “It provides much freedom for the players as long as they get it from within the system. We recruit good students here who are also good players, and it’s fun to coach them.”
Kosmalski brings vast experience to his job. In addition to his playing and coaching experiences at Davidson, he played professional basketball in Europe for four years and was an assistant coach for a professional team in Sweden for one season, during which time he also served as head coach of the franchise’s developmental team.
“I played for five different coaches in four years in Europe,” Kosmalski said. “They all went about their jobs in different ways, and I learned from each of them.”
Kosmalski found new learning streams when he took the dual position of head basketball coach and Dean of Students at The Webb School in Knoxville, Tenn.
“Serving in the position of a head coach was a great experience for me,” Kosmalski said. “I wanted the experience of being a head coach and knew I probably wouldn’t get that opportunity in college for a long time. At The Webb School, I handled all of the details that fall on the shoulders of a head coach, such as planning practice and taking care of travel plans. It was invaluable experience.”
So was being Dean of Students. It wasn’t totally unlike coaching but was certainly different in many ways. Kosmalski found himself handling disciplinary cases. It emphasized the important of maintaining poise and not making rash decisions.
“I learned to gather all of the facts and not to judge until all the facts were in,” he said.
Kosmalski comes from a basketball family. His father, Len, played for the University of Tennessee from 1970-74 and his younger brother, Logan, played two years for Davidson after transferring from Baylor.
Kosmalski thought for some time that he wanted to be a coach, but it became a certainty in his mind during his last year of playing professionally in France. Why coaching?
“I like the commitment and enthusiasm that you find in college basketball,” he says. “Players that reach this level have worked hard for many years to get here. They’ve shown dedication and commitment, and they all want to be good players.”
Davidson has an eclectic group of big men this year, and Kosmalski will get a chance to help teach them within the framework of McKillop’s system.
“Our players are good people, and they all want to learn,” Kosmalski said.
“Coach Kosmalski played as a big guy in this program,” said Steve Rossiter, a four-year lettermen and 2010 Davidson graduate. “He was on the staff here my first and last years at Davidson, and his experiences enable him to identify with what we’re going through as players and students.”
Kosmalski is married to Lauren Santi, a former cheerleader at the University of Alabama who also worked for two years in Davidson’s office of sports information. They live in Davidson, a short distance from the campus, with their son, Lincoln, who was born in August.
Kosmalski’s commitment to coaching is so strong that he says he doubts that he could hold a regular job in another field.
“We keep score in this profession,” he said. “When we go home after a game, there’s no doubting who won and who lost. I think I’d miss the competition too much to work in another field.”
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