JOE REILLY NAMED FACULTY HEAD COACH OF MEN'S BASKETBALL AT WESLEYAN
Joe Reilly, faculty head coach of men's basketball at Bates College in Lewiston,
Maine the last 11 seasons, has been chosen as faculty head coach of men's
basketball at Wesleyan University after a national search, athletics director
John Biddiscombe announced today. Reilly steps into the permanent position at
the helm of the Cardinals' program after Jay Johnson handled the reins as
interim head coach for the 2007-08 season. Johnson had filled the void left due
to the resignation of 11-year head coach Gerry McDowell in June, 2007.
Reilly returns to his home state after building
the Bates program into one of the strongest in the New England Small College
Athletic Conference (NESCAC), to which Wesleyan also belongs. After inheriting
an 8-16 squad in 1997-98, Reilly fashioned eight straight winning seasons with
the Bobcats beginning in 2000-01, a team first, including a record 20-6 campaign
in 2005-06 which included a team-record 16-game win streak. Reily was recognized
at NESCAC Coach of the Year following the 2005-06 season. His 19-8 squad of
2004-05 earned a spot in the NESCAC tournament title game. Over his 11-year head
coaching career at Bates, Reilly compiled a cumulative mark of 154-121 and was
6-5 vs. Wesleyan. Over the last six seasons, Reilly carried the Bobcats to a
.701 winning percentage with a 108-46 record and was the Maine State Basketball
Coaches Association Coach of the Year three times and the New England Basketball
Hall of Fame Division III Coach of the Year in 2003-04.
Part of a rich basketball coaching family,
Reilly, a native of Connecticut, is the son of legendary high-school mentor Joe
Reilly Sr., who won more than 500 games while guiding South Catholic High
School. His uncle Gene Reilly had similar success at Portland High School while
his brother Luke is well-respected for his current efforts at East Catholic
High School.
Reilly is a 1991 graduate of Trinity College in
Hartford, also a member of the NESCAC, where he was a team captain for two
seasons and scored more than 1,000 career points. His first college coaching
assignment came at Yale University in 1994, where he served as an assistant for
three years before arriving at Bates. Between Trinity and Yale, Reilly earned an
MBA from the University of Rhode Island. There he worked in the athletics
department as a graduate assistant involved primarily with recreational sports.
"Coach Reilly brings a wealth of NESCAC
experience both as a player and very successful coach to Wesleyan's basketball
program," stated Biddiscombe. "His experience will enable him to make an
immediate positive impact on our team."
"I had a great 11 years at Bates but it will be
wonderful moving back closer to my roots and family in Connecticut," said
Reilly. "This is an exciting time to be associated with the Wesleyan athletic
program with a tremendous new facility and a new president in place. I love the
NESCAC and its great student-athletes. I hope to be able to build a program at
Wesleyan that the university, alums, and community can be proud of."
Reilly's appointment is effective on July 1,
2008.
Joe Reilly, faculty head coach of men's basketball at Bates College in Lewiston,
Maine the last 11 seasons, has been chosen as faculty head coach of men's
basketball at Wesleyan University after a national search, athletics director
John Biddiscombe announced today. Reilly steps into the permanent position at
the helm of the Cardinals' program after Jay Johnson handled the reins as
interim head coach for the 2007-08 season. Johnson had filled the void left due
to the resignation of 11-year head coach Gerry McDowell in June, 2007.