Eastern Michigan hires Clemson assistant as new head coach

Less than two weeks after Eastern Michigan and head men’s basketball coach Stan Heath mutually decided to part ways, the program has tabbed its new head coach with the hiring of Clemson assistant Billy Donlon, per On3’s Pete Nakos.

The Eagles finished with a .500 record in 2024-25 and won just 10 games this season, leading to Heath’s departure and a new era with Donlon stepping in. Donlon has been with the Tigers for four seasons as the associate head coach, helping engineer several NCAA Tournament runs.

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Before his time at Clemson, Donlon was the head coach for Wright State from 2010-2016, compiling a 109-94 record highlighted by a 23-13 campaign in 2012-2013. He then coached at Kansas City for three seasons, where he won 46 games versus 39 losses.

His first order of business at Eastern Michigan should be working to retain freshman forward Mohammad Habhab, who led the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. He far outpaced everyone on the team, averaging 36.0 minutes per game.

Leading the Eagles won’t be an easy task for Donlon, as the program hasn’t reached the NCAA Tournament since the 1997-98 season, making it nearly 30 years since their last postseason appearance.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: Clemson assistant Billy Donlon hired as Eastern Michigan head coach

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/eastern-michigan-hires-clemson-assistant-183527396.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-17 18:35:00

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