Mike Lonergan, head men’s basketball coach at the University of Vermont, will lead the Colonials as the next coach of GW men’s basketball.
A former basketball star at Catholic University, Mr. Lonergan has more than 18 years of coaching experience from the basketball programs at the University of Vermont, University of Maryland and Catholic. He will be introduced to the GW community at a news conference at the Charles E. Smith Center May 9 at noon.
“Mike Lonergan has the skills, experience and drive needed to take the GW men’s basketball program to new heights,” said incoming GW Director of Athletics Patrick Nero. “Out of an extremely talented national field of possible candidates, Mike distinguished himself as the right fit for George Washington University and the best candidate to lead our men’s basketball program to future success.”
Mr. Lonergan will take over a GW program that returns four starters and six of the team’s top seven scorers from last season. Mr. Lonergan replaces Karl Hobbs, who was released from his contract last month. In its 2010-11 season, the Colonials went 17-14 overall and 10-6 in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
“The opportunity to return to my roots in the Washington, D.C. area and build a program at an exceptional school like George Washington was too good to pass up,” said Mr. Lonergan, who is a native of Bowie, Md, and graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C. “The combination of GW’s strong academics, commitment to excellence and athletics tradition make it an ideal position, and I am eager to get started. I am committed to supporting and developing our student-athletes and building a program that will make GW proud.”
Mr. Lonergan comes to GW with an overall coaching record of 377-156 and a number of other impressive stats, including 13 NCAA Tournament victories and a NCAA Division III national championship, 12 regular season conference titles, 10 NCAA Tournament qualifications and five conference tournament championships. He was named the 2001 Division III National Coach of the Year and America East Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2011. Mr. Lonergan has also achieved a 100 percent student-athlete graduation rate as head coach.
“Mike Lonergan has deep connections to the greater Washington metropolitan area and a proven record of helping student-athletes succeed in the classroom and on the basketball court,” said GW President Steven Knapp. “The fact that he has achieved a perfect graduation rate among the student-athletes he has coached speaks volumes about his integrity and commitment to the young people he leads.”
In his six seasons as the head coach at Vermont, the program achieved a 126-68 overall record and 69-27 conference record, both the best in the America East Conference. Vermont captured three America East regular season championships and appeared in three America East Championship games, winning the championship game in 2010. Mr. Lonergan guided the team to the NCAA Tournament and twice to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Mr. Lonergan also served as director of the Vermont Basketball Camp, holding two sold-out sessions each summer.
Prior to Vermont, Mr. Lonergan served as assistant coach at the University of Maryland under legendary head men’s basketball coach Gary Williams from 2004 to 2005. At Maryland, he was involved in every aspect of the program including recruiting, scouting, practice and game preparation, off-season workouts and community service events. He also helped lead the team to a season sweep of top-ranked Duke University and a final four appearance in the 2005 NIT.
From 1992 to 2004, Mr. Lonergan served as head coach for Catholic’s men’s basketball program and associate athletic director. Mr. Lonergan was the winningest coach in the program’s 100 year history, with an overall record of 251-88. He led the team to nine of the 13 NCAA Tournament appearances in the history of the program, including its first since 1964. Under his leadership, Catholic won the Division III national title in 2001.