Following up on a report from earlier today. Here’s the official announcement from Eastern Michigan on the hiring of Billy Donlon as their new head men’s basketball coach:
Billy Donlon, a veteran coach with more than two decades of experience across the NCAA Division I level and a proven record of building disciplined, winning programs, has been named the 31st head men’s basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University, Vice President/ Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee announced today, March 17.
Donlon will be formally introduced to the EMU community soon at a press conference inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Currently an assistant coach at Clemson University, he will coach the No. 8 seed Tigers against No. 9 seed University of Iowa Friday, March 20, in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament First Round in Tampa, Fla.
“We cast a wide net and conducted a national search, evaluating outstanding candidates from across the country,” said Wetherbee. “I want to thank President-Elect Dr. Brendan Kelly, Board of Regents members Marques Thomey and Michael Hawks, E-Club Hall of Famer and former student-athlete Jack Brusewitz, and Herb Courtney from Renaissance Search and Consulting for their work throughout this process.
“Billy quickly separated himself. He has won at every level, developed high-level talent, and led teams to postseason success on the national stage,” Wetherbee continued. “His experience in elite conferences, along with his ability to build a strong culture and connect with student-athletes, made him the clear choice to lead our program. We are excited for the future of Eastern Michigan basketball under his leadership and look forward to our community embracing him and this team.”
“This hiring reflects our commitment to attracting exceptional talent who not only strengthen our athletic programs but also contribute to the broader mission of Eastern Michigan University,” said President-Elect Dr. Brendan Kelly. “Coach Donlon’s experience and vision will elevate Eastern Athletics, inspire our students, and create opportunities that extend beyond the court. Every decision we make to bring in outstanding leaders like him helps advance the University’s goals, reinforces our culture of excellence, and drives impact across academics, student engagement, and the community at large.”
Donlon brings 26 years of collegiate coaching experience, including nine seasons as a head coach and multiple deep postseason runs. His résumé features seven NCAA Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight run, as well as NIT, CBI, and CIT appearances. As a head coach, Donlon built a reputation for steady program growth. He posted a 155-133 (.538) overall record across nine seasons, including a 109-94 mark at Wright State University and a 46-39 record at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
“I am humbled and honored to be named the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Eastern Michigan University,” Donlon added. “Thank you to President-Elect Kelly, Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee, and the entire search committee for believing in me and entrusting me with this incredible opportunity. President-Elect Kelly’s energy and passion are truly inspiring. There is something special about competing for championships alongside a president who is also a proud EMU alumnus. Scott has shown unwavering support for his coaches and has already elevated the men’s basketball program by increasing resources and investing in success. I’m excited to build on that foundation.”
“At Eastern Michigan, we will be a program that prioritizes the transformational over the transactional,” continued Donlon. “We’re committed to developing young men of character, fostering a family atmosphere, and creating an environment where players grow on and off the court. Our community and alumni will be proud of the product we put on the floor: tough, disciplined, unselfish, and relentless in pursuit of excellence. Most importantly, to the Eastern Michigan community and our proud alumni: You are the heartbeat of this program. Your passion, support, and unwavering loyalty fuel everything we do. Together, with your energy behind us, we’ll build something special that makes every Eagle proud and brings championships back to Ypsilanti.”
He arrives in Ypsilanti after serving as associate head coach at Clemson, where he played a key role in one of the most successful stretches in program history. Over the past four seasons, Clemson won 98 games and posted a .733 winning percentage in Atlantic Coast Conference play, the second-most wins in the ACC. The Tigers advanced to the 2024 NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, their deepest run in more than four decades.
Donlon works closely with the guard unit and defensive game planning on Head Coach Brad Brownell’s staff. Each season, the production from Clemson’s guards has shown through, with Chase Hunter earning 2025 All-ACC First Team. Jaeden Zackery earned 2025 All-Defensive Team honors, while Joseph Girard III broke Clemson’s three-point record in 2023-24 that had stood since Terrell McIntyre set it at the end of his career in 1999.
Donlon has been instrumental with the Tiger guards, and their success has shone bright since he arrived in 2022. Chase Hunter blossomed into one of the most dangerous guards in the country and was critical to the Tigers’ success in 2024-25 and to their 2024 NCAA Tournament run to the Elite Eight. Hunter was named All-West Region after averaging 17.8 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.3 rebounds.
Clemson’s 2025-26 season reflects a defense built on depth and consistency, driven by its “Everybody All the Time” approach. The Tigers rank in the top 20 nationally in defensive efficiency by KenPom and back it up with strong NCAA metrics, including No. 27 in scoring defense at 66.7 points allowed per game and No. 56 in field goal percentage defense at 41.9 percent.
The Northbrook, Ill., native was also the main recruiter for Joseph Girard III during the offseason prior to 2023-24 and for Jaeden Zackery in 2024-25. Girard turned in the best year of his five-year collegiate career while at Clemson and set many program records in the process. Zackery was a steady source of scoring and top-tier defensive play.
Defensively, Clemson ranked second in the ACC and 17th nationally in 2024-25 (65.8 points allowed per game), while finishing third in the league in steals per game (7.4), turnovers forced per game (13.29), and three-point defense (31.9 percent).
In three NCAA Tournament wins in 2024 that advanced Clemson to the Elite Eight for the first time in 44 years, Clemson limited its opponents to just 14-of-75 from three-point range (18.7%).
In three seasons as the Kansas City Men’s Basketball head coach, he finished with a 46-39 (.541) record, including a 27-20 (.574) record in Summit League play. Donlon’s third year leading the Roos was his most successful. He finished 19-12, including a 12-6 mark in league play. Of the 19 wins, one included an 80-66 victory on the road at SEC foe Missouri.
The 19 victories were the most in program history since the program joined a conference.
In Donlon’s second year at the helm during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season, he led the Roos through their return to the Summit League, guiding them to a .500 record in conference play. In the Summit competition, the Roos swept Omaha and Denver, splitting decisions with North Dakota, North Dakota State, and Oral Roberts, who later qualified for the 2020-21 NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Buying in to Donlon’s hard-nosed defensive style, the Roos were the top-rated defensive team in the Summit, allowing just 62.6 points per game, the 17th-best mark in Division I. KC also ranked first in the conference in three-point percentage defense (.325), rebounding defense (30.0), turnover margin (3.21), assists (14.79) and steals (7.92).
Donlon’s 2020-21 squad was led by Brandon McKissic, who earned Second Team All-Summit, Summit League Defensive Player of the Year, and Lefty Driesell Defensive All-American honors. Additionally, the Roos’ Josiah Allick was named Second Team All-Summit.
Donlon made amazing strides as he took over the Roos men’s basketball program at the start of the 2019-20 season. He recorded the second-most wins (16) as a first-year head coach in school history, ending with a 16-14 overall mark. He led the Roos to a 7-3 stretch to end the season, cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
When looking at the numbers across the board, the 16-14 overall record marked the most wins in three years, and the .533 win percentage was the highest since 2010-11. In conference play, the Roos posted eight victories, the most in their Western Athletic Conference history. Playing in the renovated Swinney Center, Kansas City went 9-4 at home and tied the second-best home start in school history at 6-0.
Under Donlon’s guidance, the Roos had a positive start to the season. Kansas City won its ninth game in the 16th overall contest to begin the year 9-7. That start marked the fastest nine-win output since the 2010-11 program. Additionally, with five wins prior to Dec. 1, the Roos collected the most victories before the calendar flipped into December since 2016-17. A non-conference highlight was advancing to the championship game of The Island of Bahamas Showcase on Nov. 24. The Roos lost to Liberty, a team that advanced to the Round of 32 in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, but proved to the world they were a team to be reckoned with.
Donlon preached team defense, and his team demonstrated it – Kansas City ranked 23rd in the country in three-point field goal defense (29.7%), 33rd in steals per game (8.1), and 47th in turnovers forced (15.2).
In his first KC recruiting class for 2020, he brought in five decorated recruits, including two local Kansas City prospects from Truman High School and North Kansas City High School.
After spending the last three seasons as an assistant coach (2016-19) in power five conferences, Donlon arrived at Kansas City. Prior to KC, Donlon joined the Northwestern men’s basketball program as an assistant coach in June 2017. During Donlon’s time as an assistant coach at Northwestern, the Wildcats went a combined 28-36.
Donlon’s lone season in Ann Arbor saw Michigan post a 26-12 record, including a run of four wins in four days to capture the Big Ten tournament title. The Wolverines went on to advance to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament.
Donlon made the move to Michigan after spending a decade at Wright State, including the final six years as the program’s head coach. In those six seasons (2010-16), Donlon compiled a 109-94 record with three 20-plus win seasons and helped the Raiders reach the Horizon League Tournament title game three times (2013, ’14, ’16). In addition, Donlon’s squads tied the program marks for wins with 23 in 2013, and conference wins with 13 in 2016.
After his 2013 squad was picked to finish last in the preseason, Donlon went on to be named the Horizon League’s Coach of the Year. He guided the Raiders to a 10-win improvement, tying the school record with 23 wins, a No. 3 seed, a championship game appearance in the Horizon League Tournament, and a semifinal appearance in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). He was also named a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award and the Hugh Durham Coach of the Year Award, given to the nation’s top mid-major coach.
During his tenure, he coached five players to All-Horizon League honors — Vaughn Duggins (2011, 1st), N’Gai Evans (2011, 2nd), Julius Mays (2012, 2nd), Cole Darling (2013, 2nd), and A.J. Pacher (2014, 2nd). In 2012, Mays was also named the Horizon Newcomer of the Year and was a member of the All-Newcomer Team. Known for his defensive strategies, Wright State’s defense ranked as high as 16th nationally in 2013, and he had two players selected as the Horizon League All-Defensive Team — Matt Vest (2014) and Joe Thomasson (2016).
Before his promotion to head coach in 2010, Donlon served as the associate head coach under Brad Brownell for four seasons (2007-10). He helped Wright State to four straight 20-plus win seasons, the 2007 Horizon League regular-season and tournament title, and an automatic bid to the 2007 NCAA Tournament, where the Raiders lost in the first round to Pittsburgh.
Before joining Wright State, Donlon was an assistant at his alma mater, UNC Wilmington, for four seasons (2002-06), coaching under Brownell again. Donlon assisted the Seahawks to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances (2003, ’06) and two Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular-season and tournament titles (2003, ’06).
Following his collegiate playing career at UNCW, Donlon began his coaching career as an assistant at American University (1999-2000) before moving on to Saint Peter’s for a season (2000-01). Following the 2001 season, Donlon spent a year playing professionally overseas with the Irish National Team, including stops in France and Germany.
As a collegiate player, Donlon was a star guard at UNC Wilmington for four seasons (1996-99), playing in 118 career games. He finished with 901 points, and at the time of his graduation, he was the Seahawks’ all-time assist leader with 456, a mark that currently ranks third in UNCW history. He was a member of the Colonial Athletic Association’s (CAA) All-Rookie Team in 1996 and led the team in assists as a junior (5.6 apg) and senior (5.2 apg).
Donlon, who earned a history degree in 1999 from UNCW, received one of the CAA’s most prestigious honors in his senior year. He was selected as the recipient of the Dean Ehlers Award for Leadership, presented annually to the player who embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity, and sportsmanship through academic and athletic achievements.
