Now-Allah James

Now-Allah James has been named the new head coach of the North Carolina Central University softball program, the Department of Athletics has announced.

James comes to Durham after serving as head coach at New York University in New York, N.Y., since 2015. He was the first coach in that program’s history, and in the 2018 season, he led the program to a No. 1 regional ranking.

His team finished eighth in the Northeast Region that year.

He won 145 games with the Violets after helping establish the program during the 2014-15 academic year. NYU had three winning seasons during his tenure, including a 2016 campaign that saw the Violets go 26-15 and win the ECAC Div. III Metro championship.

The Violets made the ECAC postseason three consecutive seasons, from 2016-18. In 2017 and 2018, James led NYU to the ECAC Div. III championship semifinals.

Prior to NYU, James was head coach at Lehman College in Bronx, N.Y., for the 2014 season. He also served two stints as an assistant softball coach at his alma mater, Pace University.

A 2000 graduate of Pace with a bachelor’s degree in political science, James was a four-year member of the Setters’ football team. James first joined the Pace Athletics Department staff in 2001 and served as the assistant facilities manager for two years and then department equipment manager from 2004-13.

James, who went on to earn a master's degree in public administration from Pace in 2003, is certified as both a personal trainer and in strength and conditioning.

A member of the NFCA Board of Directors, James serves as the organization’s Vice President for Membership and is a member of the NFCA Head Coaches Committee for Region IV and the All American Committee. He formerly served on the NCAA Northeast Regional Advisory Committee.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, James also served as Head Coach within the Hudson Valley Express Organization (2009-13) and as an assistant coach of the Hudson Valley Empire State Team (2008-10).

James is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y.