Scott Coval’s philosophy of developing the total person – academically, athletically and socially – has helped establish DeSales University as a top level NCAA Division III men’s basketball program. Entering his 34th year with the Bulldogs, Coval’s career record of 598-285 (.677) makes him the all-time winningest men’s basketball coach in DeSales history.
Coach Coval has been named MAC Freedom Coach of the Year 11 times – 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. In 2009, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) honored Coval as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year and in 2024 he was named the Region IV Coach of the Year by the NABC.
He enters the 2026-27 season ranked third in victories with 598 among all active NCAA Division III coaches. Coval is 34th all-time in NCAA Division III in total wins.
Since taking over as head coach, Coval has led DeSales to the postseason in 30 of his 33 years. The Bulldogs have won four MAC Freedom Tournament championships (2009, 2010, 2014, 2019) and have won or shared the MAC Freedom Regular Season championship 13 times (2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024).
Coval’s teams have advanced to seven NCAA tournaments (1996, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2019, 2022, 2024). They also won the ECAC South postseason tournament championship in 2007.
In 2009, the Bulldogs won three NCAA Tournament games, advancing to the NCAA “Elite 8”, finishing the season with a 25-6 overall record and ranked #15 in the final D3hoops.com national poll. The 2010 DeSales team won two NCAA Tournament games, advanced to the NCAA “Sweet 16”, finishing with a 24-6 overall record and ranked #24 nationally. In 2014, Coval’s Bulldogs advanced to the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament with a 76-70 road win over host Randolph-Macon College.
In 33 years with the Bulldogs, Coval’s teams have posted a .500 record or better 32 times. Over the last 23 years, DSU has played in 15 MAC Freedom title games, been to 11 ECAC postseason tournaments and participated in six NCAA tournaments.
Relying on an up-tempo offense that emphasizes sharing the ball, players under Coval’s guidance have thrived individually with 22 of his players scoring 1,000 points and eight graduating with over 300 career assists. During Coach Coval’s tenure at DeSales, 46 players have earned All-Conference honors and 12 times a Bulldog player was named Conference Player of the Year. For the past 23 years, at least one DSU player has been named First-Team All-Conference every year.
Coval has mentored seven National All-Americans including two-time First-Team All-American Darnell Braswell. In addition, 16 players became All Region performers and three times a DeSales player earned Mid-Atlantic regional Player of the Year honors under Coval’s direction.
The Bulldogs also achieve in the classroom with 90 DeSales players being named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll during Coach Coval’s time at DeSales and one player, Mark Watermasysk, was named Academic All American in 2000.
Prior to arriving in Center Valley, Coval spent seven years as a Division I assistant coach. His Division I experience included coaching stints at William & Mary, Penn State and Lafayette. As a high school player, Coval lead Whitehall High (PA) to the 1982 state championship. After scoring over 1,800 points and being named 1st-Team All-State in Pennsylvania, Coval accepted a scholarship to play Division I basketball at the College of William & Mary. During his time at W&M, Coval had the opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the country including Duke, Virginia, Wake Forest, Maryland, Notre Dame, West Virginia and Georgia. In 1983, W&M played Virginia Tech in the NIT.
At William & Mary, Coval was named captain and team MVP as a senior. He still holds W&M career records for most assists in a game (15), most assists in a season (168), most assists in a career (409), highest FT percentage for a career (89.9) and highest FT percentage for a season (91.7). After his senior year, Coval was selected to participate in the Portsmouth Invitational NBA pre-draft camp. Coval graduated from William and Mary in 1986 with a degree in Business Management.
Coach Coval is one of three athletes at Whitehall High School to have his numbered retired. A member of the Lehigh Basketball Hall of Fame and the Whitehall HS Hall of Fame, Coval is the director of the DeSales University Bulldog basketball camp and the Scott Coval Shooting camp and clinics. He is also a guest lecturer at many camps throughout Eastern Pennsylvania.
Coval, who is also the Director of Athletics at DeSales, resides in Orefield, PA with his wife Kaye and their three children, Keeley (26), Mia (24) and Nicholas (21), a sophomore at Davidson College.
