Towson University head men’s basketball coach Pat Skerry has announced that Patrick O’Connell will join his staff as Director of Student-Athlete Development and Michael Swets has been promoted to Director of Basketball Operations.

Swets, who served as the Director of Student-Athlete Development for the Tigers last season, replaces Duane Simpkins as the Director of Basketball Operations. Simpkins recently accepted an assistant coaching position at UNC Greensboro.

Swets came to Towson from Providence College where he served as a graduate assistant from 2009-11. At Providence, he was responsible for breakdown of game and practice footage for player development and opponent scouting. Swets also coordinated film exchange and assisted with scheduling. He also performed similar duties at Towson last year.

A Baltimore native and a graduate of Johns Hopkins University, O’Connell was a four-year standout for the Blue Jays’ basketball team. He was a member of the 2007 Centennial Conference championship team that went 24-5. He was named team captain and earned all-conference honors in 2010. A first team All-Baltimore Catholic League guard at Loyola High School, O’Connell stands second all-time in career steals at Hopkins.

O’Connell has spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant at Florida State. He assisted 2012 ACC Coach of the Year Leonard Hamilton and his staff with both practices and individual workouts.

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