STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford Athletics has announced the endowment of its third men's basketball coaching position, through a generous gift from an anonymous donor. The position is named in honor of graduating senior Oscar da Silva, who exemplified the facets of a scholar athlete both on and off the court.
"The support we have at Stanford is outstanding, and I'm extremely grateful for the generosity of the donor who is making this investment in our team. It is a tremendous honor to have this position named after Oscar," said Jerod Haase, the Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men's Basketball. "It is a tribute to his character and overall impact at Stanford. Oscar represented this program and university as well as anybody ever has, and his legacy will forever be solidified."
"This is the single accomplishment I'm most proud of because it shows me how much I've meant to the program and our supporters," said Oscar da Silva. "To have my family's name enshrined at Stanford until the end of time is a greater honor than I could have ever imagined. I know Stanford will forever be home to me."
The Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, da Silva was a first team All-Pac-12 honoree for the second straight season, and he added on with a nod to the Pac-12 All-Defense team. He was a top-10 finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, given to the nation's top student-athlete.
"Coaching Oscar and being a part of his incredible journey was one of the biggest highlights of my coaching career, and I am honored and thrilled to continue to be associated with him through this endowment," said Adam Cohen, the first to hold the title of the Oscar da Silva Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach.
da Silva concluded his Stanford career ranked 15th all-time at Stanford with 1,446 points, while finishing 13th in made field goals, 14th in field goal percentage, 13th in rebounds, seventh in blocks and 12th in minutes played. He began his professional career in March, signing with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in the German BBL before training for the 2021 NBA Draft in July.
A two-year captain, da Silva is finishing his degree in biology with an emphasis on biochemistry and biophysics. Throughout his experience at Stanford he has worked in a stem cell lab on campus under Dr. Michael Longaker, and helped present research at a conference in Baltimore. He is listed as a published author in a research paper titled: "A Clearing Technique to Enhance Endogenous Fluorophores in Skin and Soft Tissue."
"The only word that I can think of when describing Oscar da Silva is 'special'," continued Cohen. "Oscar means so much to me and to Stanford basketball, and he represents EVERYTHING that our culture is about. Oscar's impact on this program will be felt forever, and we could not be more excited for Oscar's next step along his journey."
The endowment is the third for the men's basketball staff, joining the Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men's Basketball and the James C. Gaither Assistant Coach of Men's Basketball.