Penn State basketball coaching staff officially set
Mike Rhoades is moving quickly to establish himself at Penn State after taking over the head coaching position. He had his introductory press conference on Thursday discussing his vision for how he wants to build the program.
The last hurdle before hitting the recruiting trail and transfer portal was to finalize his coaching staff. It looks like he has his group of assistants, bringing with him four coaches from VCU and welcoming the return of a program legend. Considering the success that Rhoades and his staff built at VCU, it’s a good sign they are following him to State College to try and replicate that success.
Here is the coaching staff that Rhoades put together.
Jamal Brunt - Associate Head Coach
Jamal Brunt has been an assistant under Rhoades at VCU for the past six seasons. He is the defensive coordinator on the staff, creating a top ranked defense in the country. Prior to VCU, he was at Miami and Richmond. Brunt is a proven recruiter who helped Miami bring in their top ranked recruiting classes of all time and VCU the highest rated classes in the conference.
Coaching History
2003-05: Randolph-Macon, Assistant Coach
2005-07: Richmond, Director of Operations
2007-13: Richmond, Assistant Coach
2013-15: Richmond, Associate Head Coach
2015-18: Miami (Fla.), Assistant Coach
2018-21: VCU, Assistant Coach
2021-23: VCU, Associate Head Coach
2023-present: Penn State, Associate Head Coach
J.D. Byers - Assistant Coach
A staple on Rhoades’ coaching staff, J.D. Byers has been an assistant coach at all three of his previous locations. Byers has helped VCU bring in the A-10’s top rated recruiting class in three of the last four seasons. He’s also been impactful developing the talent within the program. At Rice he developed Marcus Evans into a two-time all-conference player. During his time at VCU, he mentored NBA Draft picks Nah’Shon Hyland and Vince Williams Jr. Byers was also a great college player at Lebanon Valley College, becoming a NABC All-American in 2005.
Coaching History
2005-06: Fairleigh Dickinson-Madison, Graduate Assistant
2006-07: Lebanon Valley, Assistant Coach
2007-10: Randolph-Macon, Assistant Coach
2010-11: St. Francis (Pa.), Assistant Coach
2011-14: Radford, Assistant Coach
2014-17: Rice, Assistant Coach
2017-23: VCU, Assistant Coach
2023-present: Penn State, Assistant Coach
Brent Scott - Assistant Coach
Brent Scott was with Rhoades at both Rice and VCU. Before joining his staff, Scott also spent time as an assistant at TCU and LSU. While at VCU, he served as the recruiting coordinator who engineered the high level of talent coming into the program. Scott is also in charge of post-player development. After graduating from Rice, he went on to play professional basketball for 14 years in Europe before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 2007.
Coaching History
2007-08: Rice, Assistant Coach
2008-12: LSU, Assistant Coach
2012-16: TCU, Assistant Coach
2016-17: Rice, Assistant Coach
2017-23: VCU, Assistant Coach
2023-present: Penn State, Assistant Coach
Jimmy Martelli - Chief of Staff
The son of legendary coach Phil Martelli, Jimmy Martelli will be the Chief of Staff for Penn State. He served as the Director of Basketball Operations at VCU starting in 2017. Martelli dealt with the logistical side of the program as well as recruiting. Prior to that role, he was an assistant coach for eight years.
Coaching History
2005-06: Dickinson College, Assistant Coach
2006-07: Randolph-Macon, Assistant Coach
2007-10: Robert Morris, Assistant Coach
2010-13: Rutgers, Assistant Coach
2017-23: VCU, Director of Operations
2023-present: Penn State, Chief of Staff
Joe Crispin - Assistant to the Head Coach
Penn State welcomes back program legend Joe Crispin to it’s sidelines. After being the head coach at Division 3 Rowan University for the past seven years, Crispin has decided to take an assistant job back at his alma mater. His name is littered in the Penn State record books and is top five in career points, three-pointers and assists. Upon graduation, he played professionally in the NBA for a couple years and in Europe for a decade. While coaching at Rowan, Crispin was the architect of a prolific offense, averaging 80+ points per game in his last six seasons.
Coaching History
2014-16: Rowan, Assistant Coach
2016-23: Rowan, Head Coach
2023-present: Penn State, Assistant to the Head Coach
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