James Janssen — Associate Coach

James Janssen was elevated to associate head coach in the summer of 2021, after joining the women's basketball staff in the fall of 2017 while serving as an assistant coach. Janssen now enters his eighth season with the program.

In his eight seasons with the ‘Cats, Janssen has been heavily responsible for establishing the program’s Australian recruiting pipeline, as Wildcats Cassidy Gould, Suzi-Rose Deegan, Keeley Evans, Issy Morgan, Millie Prior, Katie Donovan, Emilie Bessell and Adelaide Fuller have all come to Davidson from Australia. During the 2019-20 campaign, Janssen’s trio of Australian recruits (Deegan, Fuller & Gould) combined for 863 total points and averaged 27.8 points per game. Leading the group was Deegan, who finished her rookie season with 461 points and earned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors.

Through his efforts at Davidson, Janssen has helped the Wildcats post two-straight seasons with a winning record (2018-19 & 2019-20), as well as reaching the A-10 quarterfinals for the second time in as many years. Additionally, Janssen aided in propelling the 'Cats to one of the most successful seasons in program history concluding the 2023-24 campaign with an 18-8 record and .692 winning percentage that ranked the third best in program history.

An Australian native himself, Janssen joined the Wildcats after having spent five seasons at Wake Forest University. Then a graduate student and volunteer for the Deacons, he worked closely with Davidson Head Coach Gayle Coats Fulks, while she was an assistant coach with the ACC program. While at Wake Forest, Janssen assisted with player development, on-campus recruiting, opposition scouting, camps, and sports science consulting. During his tenure, the Deacons posted back-to-back NIT berths, reaching the second round in both years.

Prior to his time with the Demon Deacons, Janssen had an extensive playing and coaching career with the Blackburn Vikings Basketball Club in Melbourne, Australia. A pass-first point guard, Janssen's 10-year playing career in the semi-professional BIGV competition was highlighted by captaining his side to a 2011 BIGV Championship, and consistently being among the league’s assist leaders.

His coaching career at Blackburn involved coaching boys and girls of a variety of ages. The first at his club to coach a team to an invitation to the prestigious Australian Club championships, Janssen also coached and led two high school girls travel teams on tours of the USA in 2009 and 2012. In addition to his time at Blackburn, Janssen coached at the Basketball Victoria talent ID camps, which are responsible for identifying and harnessing some of Australia's top basketball talent.

Janssen graduated with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sport science from Deakin University, in Melbourne, Australia in 2008, and then earned his master's degree in health and exercise science from Wake Forest in 2014. Having spent the previous 10 years in a range of teaching and research positions at Deakin, Wake Forest and UNCG, Janssen is currently completing a PhD in Kinesiology (exercise physiology) from UNCG.

Janssen resides with his wife Erika and their children, Charlotte and Parker.