Former Behrend player Justin Jennings hired as Edinboro men's basketball head coach
Justin Jennings will cross the state for his latest, and biggest, college basketball job.
Edinboro University athletic director Katherine Robbins announced Tuesday that Jennings will be the Fighting Scots' next men's basketball coach. He was hired to replace Pat Cleary, who held that role for 10 seasons.
Coaching change: Edinboro to start search for men's basketball coach; Cleary won't return
"I couldn't be more excited to get back to western Pennsylvania," Jennings said in an Edinboro news release. "My connections to the area and Edinboro are deeply rooted. The opportunity to build a family-based program in such a unique environment is one I couldn't pass up."
Jennings now has the unique opportunity to both compete and coach for Erie County men's college basketball teams. The Seneca Valley High School graduate played for Penn State Behrend in the early 2000s.
This will be the first head coaching position for Jennings, who was on the staff at Philadelphia's Drexel University for seven seasons. Before that, he was a two-season assistant with the United States Military Academy.
Jennings attained that position based on his three-season coaching record of 77-18 at the United States Military Academy Prep School, also located in West Point, New York.
"We're excited to have Justin join our staff and lead the men's basketball program," Robbins said. "Justin's basketball knowledge, extensive experience at the Division I level and high-energy personality will help us push Fighting Scots basketball forward. He's committed not only to excellence on the court, but also in the classroom and in the community."
Jennings takes over an Edinboro team that went 96-144 over Cleary's coaching tenure. The 2022-23 Scots finished 7-20.
McDowell graduate Jack Gallagher, James Sitter (Fairview) and Logan Donahue (General McLane) are local players who could be part of Edinboro's first Jennings-coached team.
"We're going to bring an up-tempo style of basketball where we focus on playing with pace and space," Jennings said. "Our fans can expect a high-energy, team-orientated style of play and a program that's committed to chasing excellence both on and off the floor."
New leaders next season
Jennings is the second recent hire for one of the county's three PSAC men's college basketball programs.
Gannon University announced Jordan Fee as the Golden Knights' new coach on April 12. The Erie native and Grove City High School graduate, who replaced Kelvin Jefferson, was an associate head coach for the Nova Southeastern University Sharks this past season.
New Gannon coach: Coming off an NCAA D-II title, Jordan Fee takes over as Gannon men's basketball head coach
Nova Southeastern, a Fort Lauderdale, Florida, school, went undefeated and won the 2023 NCAA Division II tournament.
Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Justin Jennings hired as men's basketball coach at Edinboro University
