ATHENS — Mark Fox has gone to someone he knows well to fill the vacancy on his UGA basketball staff: David Carter, who replaced Fox eight years ago as Nevada’s head coach.

Carter, who was an assistant at mid-major powerhouse St. Mary’s (Calif.) the past two seasons, replaces former assistant Yasir Rosemond, who left for a similar job at Alabama last month.

Carter was an assistant for Fox for five seasons at Nevada. When Fox left for Georgia in 2009, Carter was elevated to Nevada’s head coach, where he was for six years, then spent the past two seasons at mid-major powerhouse St. Mary’s (Calif.).

“I am very excited to have David joining our coaching staff,” Fox said in a statement on Wednesday.  “He assisted me at the University of Nevada and I aggressively pursued him when this opportunity opened.  He is a proven winner, a great teacher, a proven evaluator and recruiter and the type of man I want in our program.  We have always had a great chemistry and my staff and I welcome his expertise.”

A native of Los Angeles, Carter was Nevada’s head coach for six seasons, before being fired after going 9-22 in his final season. Carter went 98-97 after taking over for Fox.

Carter then went to St. Mary’s, and was on the bench when St. Mary’s beat Georgia in the second round of the 2016 NIT.

“David won two state championships in high school (Crenshaw, Los Angeles), a championship in college (St Mary’s), and another as a head coach after succeeding me at Nevada,” Fox said.  “He will make an immediate impact on our team and is exactly what I feel our perimeter players need at this time.   Obviously he’ll also broaden our recruiting base with his contacts.  He was a key part in our signing of Ramon Sessions (South Carolina), JaVale McGee (Chicago), and Kirk Snyder (Los Angeles) – all whom played in the NBA.

Carter joins a staff that includes top assistant Phillip Pearson and fourth-year assistant Jonas Hayes, who have recruited well. Pearson has excelled especially in south Georgia, getting now-sophomores Tyree Crump and Jordan Harris, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope seven years ago. Hayes, a former Georgia player, led the way in getting now-senior Yante Maten, the team’s current top player, as well as several other solid recruits.