Story Courtesy: Maddie Omana, Dartmouth Athletics
Brett MacConnell, the head coach of Dartmouth men’s basketball, has announced the addition of Amir Bell and Eamonn Kearney as assistant coaches ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Bell joins the Big Green following a season with Stanford, where he served as the Assistant General Manager of the men’s basketball team. During his time with the Cardinal, his key roles included player development, scouting and game preparation, as the team found success with a 20-win season and an appearance in the College Basketball Crown.
“Amir Bell holds a special place for me as my first recruit at Princeton, and I’ve had a front-row seat to the person, player, and now coach he’s become. He’s had tremendous success as an Ivy League student-athlete and as a professional player, and he’s a rising star in our profession,” MacConnell said.
Hailing from East Brunswick, N.J., Bell had a highly successful collegiate career at Princeton, alongside MacConnell. During his time with the Tigers, Bell helped his team to a 2017 Ivy League Championship title and earned Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in the following season. He sits 35th on the Princeton career scoring list with 1,043 points and seventh in career assists with 313.
Professionally, Bell spent seven seasons on the court in Italy, Malaysia, Germany, Poland and Cyprus. In his career, he was named to the 2020 Asia-Basket.com All-ASEAN League second team, earned 2024 Polish League Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named to the 2025 Eurobasket.com Cypriot OPAP Basketball first team.
“Most importantly, Amir is a man of tremendous character. He cares deeply about student-athletes, understands what it takes to succeed at this level, and will be an incredible role model for the young men in our program.” MacConnell said.
Kearney began his professional career at Kenyon College, where he spent five years as an assistant coach. During his time with the Owls, he oversaw recruiting, game planning and operational program duties. He also helped Kenyon to its best non-conference record since 1996 and developed five All-NCAC athletes.
“Eamonn Kearney is exceptionally well-rounded and will make an impact in every area of our program, from on-court development to recruiting, scouting, and game planning. He’s humble, driven and committed to helping our student-athletes succeed.” MacConnell said.
He then spent a year alongside MacConnell at Princeton, serving as the video coordinator for the 2023-24 season. That year, the Tigers went 24-5 overall and 12-2 in conference play, clinching an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament.
The Toms River, N.J., native headed out west in 2024, taking on an assistant coach position at Air Force. While at the academy, Kearney took on the role of recruiting coordinator, scouting talent such as Kam Sanders, the program’s freshman points leader and assists record holder, and Lucas Hobin, the freshman three-point record holder.
Kearney played two years of basketball at Drew University, serving as a team captain before taking on a student-assistant role in his final two years. In high school, he played for his father, Mike, at Monsignor Donovan High School.
“Eamonn Kearney is someone I’ve known since he was a high school player, and it’s been impressive to watch his growth in the game. It’s no surprise he’s the son of a coach—he brings a uniquely mature and savvy perspective to our staff,” MacConnell said.
