SJA Hires New Assistant Athletic Director and Basketball Coach

St. Johnsbury Academy has named Ben Davis as the school’s new Assistant Athletic Director. Davis will also take over as the school’s varsity boys’ basketball coach, replacing David McGinn, who announced his retirement as the Athletic Director and head coach after ten years at SJA. Ben will work with newly-hired Athletic Director John Lenzini and Assistant Head for Campus Life Beth Choiniere.

Mr. Davis arrives at SJA from Dartmouth College, where he served as the Men’s Basketball Director of Operations since 2017. In his role at Dartmouth, Davis worked with the team’s student-athletes and coaching staff, served as the Co-Recruiting Coordinator and scheduled all non-conference games.

Before moving to Dartmouth College, Davis served as the head coach at Mount Ida College in Newton, MA, where he was named the 2017 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. During that same season, the team finished with a school-record 12 conference wins. The 17 overall victories that season were the second-most in school history.

Davis has 13 years of experience as a collegiate basketball coach and has proven he is not above being involved in other aspects of an athletic program, including teaching college-level courses and serving as a member of a variety of athletic committees. Combining that with a strong work ethic, Davis has proven to be an asset to each program.

On being hired, Davis said, “I am thrilled to be joining the Academy community in these two impactful roles. The opportunity to carry forward the level of excellence that has been established within the athletic department, as well as with the boys’ basketball program, is extremely exciting.

Throughout the interview process it became clear to me that athletics are a valued and essential component of the educational mission at SJA. The sense of pride and community is evident across campus and I am eager to aid in the growth and development of our student-athletes in my new position.”

Ben graduated with dual majors in History and Political Science from Wheaton College in 2006 and received his Master of Athletic Administration from Endicott College in 2012.

Assistant Head for Campus Life Beth Choiniere says, “We are fortunate to welcome someone with Ben’s experience at the collegiate level to lead our Academy basketball program. His commitment to the game and his relentless work on building team culture was clear from the moment the committee met with him. More importantly however, we are privileged to have him join the larger Academy community as a role model for young people, excited to work to maximize individual potential for all who’s lives he will have the opportunity to reach.”

Headmaster Tom Lovett said, “We are very excited to have someone with Ben’s experience and credentials join our athletic program, and we are even more excited to have someone with his character and values step into leading our programs. We have always prided ourselves on living up to our Core Covenants of being committed, competitive, and classy, and Ben is all of those things. We are pleased to welcome his wife and family to campus as well!”