EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — San Diego men's basketball assistant coaches David Gale and Jeremy Pope have been named to the 2026 Silver Waves Media Most Impactful/Influential Mid-Major Assistant Coaches list, the organization announced Monday.

Silver Waves Media compiles the mid-major list, now in its eighth year, after consulting a panel of industry professionals. The organization says more than 40 coaches from its lists over the last four years have gone on to become head coaches.

Gale joined first-year head coach JR Blount's staff in April, more than 20 years after the two became teammates at Loyola Chicago. He spent 2025-26 as an assistant with the Windy City Bulls, the Chicago Bulls' G League affiliate. A season earlier, he was head coach of USK Praha in the Czech Republic's top league.

His résumé includes 11 years in the NBA and G League, where he rose to assistant coach and offensive coordinator for Raptors 905, the 2017 league champion. He has led club teams in Lithuania and Germany and held staff roles at Georgia and Vanderbilt.

Pope arrived in March after three seasons at UT Arlington under KT Turner, where he helped develop four all-conference players in 2023-24. He knows the WCC from two seasons as an assistant at Portland (2021-23).

Silver Waves Media also named Pope to its 2024 Rising Stars list of mid-major assistants after his first season at UTA. This fall, he and Blount were selected for the Roots 66 Class of 2026.

The Toreros open Blount's first season Monday, Nov. 2, against Biola at the Jenny Craig Pavilion. Single-game and season tickets for San Diego men's basketball's 2026-2027 schedule are on sale now.