The 2014 NABC Regional and Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year, Michael Donnelly completed his fifth season at the helm of the Owls in 2014-15. The Owls have enjoyed a resurgence since he took over as head coach in May, 2010.
Simply put, Donnelly guided the Owls to new heights in just five years on the Owls’ bench, highlighted by a 2013-14 campaign that was the best in school history. The Owls closed that year with a final record of 30-3. Along the way, Donnelly led the team to its first-ever Northeast-10 Conference regular season title, first-ever NE-10 Tournament title and a spot in the Elite Eight for the second-time in program history.
His record at SCSU stands at 97-48 (.669), with his career mark in 12 seasons as a collegiate head coach at 195-150 (.565). He has also guided the Owls to five straight appearances in the Northeast-10 Tournament.
This past year, 2014-15, Donnelly led the Owls to a second straight NE-10 Southwest Division title and a spot in the Sweet 16. SCSU closed the year with a 24-8 record and was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation during the year.
With the 24 victories, SCSU set a new program mark for wins in consecutive seasons with 54. In addition, an Owl captured All-America honors for the second year in a row, as Tylon Smith was recognized by two separate organizations, including the NABC. Smith also earned Academic All-America honors for the second straight year. In total, three Owls were selected as All-Conference performers in 2014-15.
The 2013-14 was the finest in school history, capped by a spot in the Elite Eight, where the Owls lost to the eventual national champions, Central Missouri.
On the individual front, team captain Greg Langston earned All-America honors from four separate organizations, was named the 2014 Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year and finished his career at SCSU ranked second all-time in points (1,890) and eighth in rebounds (626). Tylon Smith was named an Academic All-American in addition to All-Region, All-ECAC and All-Conference honors, while Michael Mallory was selected as both the ECAC and Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year.
That club also thrived academically with eight student-athletes earning selection to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
The Owls narrowly missed out on an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2012-13. Southern Connecticut was ranked as high as No. 4 in the region during the year and finished with a 17-10 overall mark. The Owls also reached the Northeast-10 Tournament for the third straight year and matched their highest regular season league finish in school history.
The Owls also continued to excel in the classroom in 2012-13. The team posted a combined 3.11 grade point average for the fall, 2012 semester. In addition, Tylon Smith was named to the Northeast-10 Conference Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team. In total, four student-athletes were named to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll last year.
Southern Connecticut finished the 2011-12 season with a 14-13 overall mark, the first winning campaign since 2001-02. In addition, the Owls’ fifth place finish in the NE-10 was the program’s highest since joining the league.
The team had three student-athletes honored by the NE-10 for their play on the court in 2011-12, while six student-athletes were selected to the NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll for academic success during the course of the year.
Donnelly’s first season with the Owls resulted in the team’s first NE-10 Tournament appearance in nine years. In addition, the Owls also posted the third-best win turnaround in all of Division II, capturing 10 more victories in 2010-11 than the year prior.
On the individual front, the Owls had one All-Northeast-10 Conference selection and one All-ECAC honoree. The team also had three selections to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
A Connecticut native, Donnelly joined the Owls with nearly a decade of collegiate coaching experience. He spent seven years as head men’s basketball coach at nearby Post University before taking over the Owls.
Donnelly guided the Eagles to six Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament and three Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference post-season appearances during his tenure at Post. The school’s all-time leader in wins (98), Donnelly was named CACC Coach of the Year in 2007. The 2007 squad also posted a 13-0 home mark – tied for tops in the region – while also receiving the program’s first-ever NCAA regional ranking.
His 2003-04 squad finished with 20 wins and reached the CACC Championship game. The Eagles posted a 79-62 league mark under Donnelly’s guidance.
Donnelly also served as the Athletic Academic Coordinator at Post, where he was responsible for academic progress monitoring for all of the Eagles’ student-athletes. He also spent three years as a Contest Management Director.
Prior to taking over as head coach at Post, Donnelly served as the head boys’ basketball coach at Notre Dame of Fairfield (Conn.) and Brookfield (Conn.) High Schools.
He made his foray into collegiate coaching into 1999 at Post, as he served two years as an assistant coach on the staff. During that time, he was involved in all facets of the program and also recruited Post’s first-ever Division II First-Team All-American.
As a student-athlete, Donnelly began his collegiate career at Central Connecticut State University, where he was a starting guard for the Blue Devils from 1993-95. He served as team captain as a sophomore and was also named All-East Coast honorable mention by Eastern Basketball in 1994.
Donnelly transferred to Sacred Heart University following his sophomore season and was a starting guard for head coach Dave Bike for two years. He was selected to the Honor’s Court by the National Association of Basketball Coaches for his academic prowess in the classroom.
Donnelly was a four-year member of the boys’ basketball team at St. Joseph’s High School in Trumbull for legendary head coach Vito Montelli. He helped St. Joe’s win back-to-back state championships and served as team captain as a senior.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Sacred Heart.
Donnelly resides in Waterbury, Conn. with his wife, Jill and two daughters, Kara and Payten.
