For more than two decades, David McFarland has built a basketball résumé that spans nearly every level of the game — as a four-year collegiate starter and team captain, championship-winning coach, high school varsity head coach, elite grassroots coach, player development instructor, and educator.

 

Throughout that time, David has had the opportunity to work with thousands of players of all ages and ability levels, from players just beginning the game to high-level athletes who have gone on to play collegiately and professionally.

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His experience is unique because it combines three different perspectives: the experience of playing the game at a high level, the experience of successfully coaching it at multiple levels, and 16 years of professional experience teaching in the classroom.

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Together, those experiences have shaped David's understanding of basketball and his approach to player development. He believes great coaching begins with the ability to see the game, understand the player in front of you, recognize where that player currently is in their development, and determine what needs to come next.

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That philosophy is at the foundation of McFarland Basketball.

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A PROVEN PLAYING CAREER

Before becoming a coach, David experienced firsthand what it takes to compete and succeed at a high level.

David was a four-year starter for Northern Kentucky University Men's Basketball from 2005–2009, serving as team captain during his senior season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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​​​During his four-year career, NKU compiled an 86–35 record, won three GLVC East Division championships, made three NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, advanced to the 2007 NCAA Sweet 16, and captured the 2009 GLVC Conference Championship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

David also distinguished himself academically. He was named ESPN The Magazine Men's Basketball Academic All-District First Team in 2008–09, earned GLVC Academic All-Conference honors all four years, and received NKU's Thomas J. Kearns Career Achievement Award in 2009.

Before NKU, David was a four-year varsity starter at Boone County High School.

He finished his career as a member of Boone County's 1,000 Point Club while recording 668 career assists and 352 career steals — totals that currently rank 9th and 11th in KHSAA history, respectively.

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As a junior, David led the entire Greater Cincinnati area with 8.2 assists per game. His 18-assist performance against Walton-Verona remains tied for the fourth-most assists in a single game in KHSAA history.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

David helped lead Boone County to a school-record 26–4 season and 9th Region runner-up finish in 2004. His individual honors included 33rd District MVP, two-time 9th Region All-Tournament Team, NKAC Division I Defensive Player of the Year, two-time Cincinnati Enquirer First Team All-Star, and Courier Journal All-State Honorable Mention.
 

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His playing career gave David more than accomplishments to put on a résumé. It gave him firsthand experience with the preparation, decision-making, competitiveness, discipline, and attention to detail required to become a successful player.

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MORE THAN TWO DECADES OF COACHING

David began coaching while still playing collegiately and has since built more than 20 years of coaching and player-development experience across youth, grassroots, high school, and collegiate basketball.

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His early coaching career included extensive success with Shining Star Sports, where he progressed from a 17U assistant to head coach at the 15U, 16U, and 17U levels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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His teams captured the 2008 16U Kentucky AAU State Championship and 2009 17U Kentucky AAU State Championship, along with numerous tournament and Super Regional titles.
 

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The 2009 team finished 46–9, went undefeated in pool play while competing in the nation's top tournaments, reached the Final Four of the Spiece Run N' Slam, finished runner-up at the Grassroots Shootout, and advanced to the Elite 8 of the AAU Super Showcase.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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David was inducted into the Shining Star Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

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His early coaching experiences also took him internationally, serving as a camp instructor with All-American Hoops in Zhengzhou, China, in addition to working numerous college and high school basketball camps throughout the Northern Kentucky area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Following his collegiate playing career, David joined the Northern Kentucky University Men's Basketball staff as a student assistant for the 2009–10 season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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He then spent three seasons as JV Head Coach and Varsity Assistant at Dixie Heights High School, where he helped the Colonels go 29–4 and capture the 2011 9th Region Championship and 34th District Championship. Dixie Heights also won the 2012 NKAC Division I Championship and 2013 34th District Championship during his time on staff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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In 2013, David became the Varsity Head Coach at Ryle High School, leading the program for six seasons. His teams captured the 2014 33rd District Championship and qualified for the 9th Region Tournament three times.
 

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​​While at Ryle, David designed and launched the Ryle Youth Basketball League (RYBL), the area's first program to integrate weekly, staff-led skill development for all players. The league reached full capacity by its second year, attracting 240 participants from kindergarten through fifth grade. Additionally, David elevated the Ryle Boys' Basketball Camp into one of the premier summer programs in the Greater Cincinnati area, expanding enrollment from 55 campers to a consistently sold-out crowd of over 280, making it the second-largest camp in Northern Kentucky.

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More recently, David returned to elite grassroots basketball with Next Level.

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In 2024, the Next Level 2028 team he coached finished 35–6, winning championships at the PA Bruins and TN Miracle, finishing 1st Overall at The Splash and Select Super Showcase, finishing runner-up at Proving Ground and the National Championship S40 2027 Silver Division, and reaching the Final Four at The Classic.

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In 2025, David coached Next Level 15U 3SSB to an 11–2 record on the adidas 3SSB Circuit, an adidas 3SSB Elite 8 appearance, and the TN Miracle Championship.

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From championship teams and high-level national events to individual player development, David's coaching career has allowed him to study the game from countless perspectives and work with thousands of players at virtually every stage of development — including players who have gone on to compete at the collegiate and professional levels.

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THE PLAYER. THE COACH. THE TEACHER.

Basketball experience is only one part of what shapes David's approach.

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For 16 years, David has also been a high school mathematics and engineering teacher.

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That background matters because David believes there is an important difference between knowing the game and knowing how to teach the game.

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Teaching requires the ability to observe, evaluate, diagnose, communicate, provide feedback, build progressions, and recognize when someone is ready for the next challenge.

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David has spent his professional career doing those things both in the classroom and on the basketball court.

 

His classroom experience ranges from Algebra I through AP Calculus and Principles of Engineering, giving him years of experience teaching students with dramatically different abilities, learning styles, strengths, and needs.

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The same is true in basketball.

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After working with thousands of players — from beginners learning foundational skills to advanced players preparing for high-level competition — David has developed a strong ability to recognize where a player currently is, identify what is keeping them from progressing, and determine what they need to learn or improve next to move their game forward.

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That evaluation is a critical part of his approach.

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Two players of the same age don't necessarily need the same workout. Two players who struggle with the same skill may not struggle with it for the same reason. And adding more advanced moves or drills isn't always the answer.

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Sometimes development means adding something new.

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Sometimes it means improving a player's decision-making.

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Sometimes it means correcting a technical detail.

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And sometimes it means going backward to strengthen a foundational habit before moving forward.

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The ability to recognize those differences comes from experience.

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The ability to teach a player through them comes from understanding how people learn.

 

A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

David McFarland Basketball was built around a simple idea: 

Player development should be taught — not just trained.

 

David doesn't believe the goal of a workout should be to see how many drills a player can complete or how complicated those drills can look.

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Every drill should have a purpose.

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Every correction should have a reason.

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And every player should leave with a better understanding of their game than when they arrived.

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David's playing experience allows him to understand the game through the eyes of the player.

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His coaching experience allows him to understand what translates to winning basketball.

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His experience working with thousands of players allows him to recognize patterns, strengths, weaknesses, and developmental needs.

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And his 16 years in the classroom have helped him develop the ability to take that knowledge and teach it in a way players can understand and apply.

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The result is a development philosophy centered on four questions:

Where is the player now?

What is holding them back?

What do they need next?

How do we teach them and what situations do we need to put them in to get there?

 

The answer is different for every player.

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That's why David's approach goes beyond simply teaching moves or providing workouts. The goal is to help players understand how to play, how to practice, how to recognize what they need to improve, and how to continue developing when a coach isn't standing beside them.

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EDUCATION & THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

The same commitment to learning that has shaped David's basketball career has been present throughout his academic and professional career.

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David graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northern Kentucky University with a 3.97 GPA and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education, attending NKU on a full academic scholarship. He was named Most Outstanding Student in Mathematics in 2010 and received the ETS Recognition of Excellence Award in Mathematics Content Knowledge.

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He later earned a Master of Arts in Teaching in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Cincinnati and a Rank I in School Principal Administration from the University of the Cumberlands.

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Over 16 years in education, David has taught regular and accelerated Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, Precalculus, AP Calculus, Business Math, Personal Finance, College and Career Readiness, and Principles of Engineering.

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THE McFARLAND BASKETBALL DIFFERENCE

Few basketball development programs can draw from the same combination of experiences:

 

THE PLAYER
A four-year collegiate starter and team captain who played on conference championship and NCAA Tournament teams, after an accomplished high school career that included records that remain among the best in Kentucky basketball history.

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THE COACH
More than two decades of coaching experience at the youth, elite grassroots, high school varsity, and collegiate levels — including AAU state championships, a 9th Region championship, adidas 3SSB success, and extensive experience competing against high-level programs throughout the country.

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THE EDUCATOR
Sixteen years of professional teaching experience built around understanding how people learn, identifying individual needs, communicating complex concepts, providing meaningful feedback, and creating purposeful progressions toward improvement.

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THE EXPERIENCE
Thousands of players coached, trained, or instructed — from beginners learning the game to players who have continued their careers at the collegiate and professional levels.

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Together, those experiences have developed David's ability to see the game, teach the game, and understand player development from the foundation all the way through advanced levels of basketball.

 

McFarland Basketball brings all of that experience into the gym with one purpose:

To meet players where they are, help them understand what they need next, and give them the knowledge, skills, and habits to take their game to the next level — while fostering a lasting love for basketball and developing the confidence, discipline, work ethic, resilience, and character that will serve them far beyond the game.