University of Massachusetts men’s basketball head coach Matt McCall announced today two new assistant coach hires, the promotion of Lucious Jordan to assistant coach, and several staff reorganizations. Tony Bergeron and Tyson Wheeler have both been hired as the two new assistant coaches.
“We have been very fortunate to add people like Tony Bergeron and Tyson Wheeler to our staff,” said McCall. “They have tremendous basketball backgrounds and have been successful at every point in their careers. Both bring a passion for UMass that will help build and develop a new culture for our program.”
Jordan was promoted to assistant coach after spending the prior two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations.
“Lucious knows basketball and has a great ability to relate to and develop players,” said McCall. “As a standout guard in his playing days, he can provide a wealth of knowledge throughout the course of their careers while also being a recruiter who understands all aspects of the process.”
Additionally, McCall added former Dartmouth head coach Paul Cormier as the Special Assistant to the Head Coach/Chief of Staff which is a non-coaching position.
“To have someone like Paul in our program is a true advantage for our staff and student-athletes. As a long-time college basketball head coach, who also has over a decade in the NBA, Paul brings an all-around perspective that will help us culturally while also providing unique insight to our players,” said McCall.
Organizationally, Brian Grossman will take over Jordan’s former role as Director of Basketball Operations, while Jacob Kurtz will move into the role of Director of Scouting/Video.
“I’m excited to put Brian and Jake in these new roles,” said McCall. “Brian has done a terrific job over the last two years as our Director of Video Operations and has a full understanding of what this program needs logistically. Jake has a very high basketball IQ and takes great pride in everything he does – his ability to delve into scouting will help not just prepare us for games but in the development of our student-athletes.”
The announcement of the coaching staff follows the completion of the 2019-20 recruiting class which is currently the No. 2 ranked incoming class in the Atlantic 10 and ranks in the top-50 nationally.
“We were very intentional with building this staff and I thank our Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford for his support throughout this process,” said McCall. “Each individual adds something to our program from the basketball perspective, but also enhances all the areas in how we are building our culture – a passion to be at UMass, a desire to develop student-athletes, and a commitment to building success each and every day.”
Season ticket renewals for the upcoming season will begin July 9 while single-game ticket sales will start on Oct. 1. Flex plans, group tickets, and additional single-game tickets for season ticket holders will go on sale on Sept. 24. Tickets can be purchased by calling Tim Linnartz at 413-545-8592 or by visiting www.UMassAthletics.com/tickets.
Tony Bergeron, Assistant Coach
Won over 400 games coaching prep and high school basketball … Coached Woodstock Academy to a 38-2 record in 2018-19, jumping out to a 25-0 record and a No. 2 national ranking … Led the Centaurs to the National Prep Tournament semifinals with a 35-5 record in 2017-18 … Coached at Commonwealth Academy from 2012-17 … Guided East Longmeadow to its only Western Massachusetts Championship in 2010 … Spent two years at the helm of the American Christian Academy in Pennslyvania … Coached at Wings Academy in the Bronx for four years … Guided both the American Christian Academy and Wings Academy to top-25 national rankings according to USA Today … Guided MacDuffie School to a NEPSAC Class E title.
Lucious Jordan, Assistant Coach
Joined the UMass basketball staff in 2017-18 as the Director of Operations … Spent three seasons as assistant coach for Siena (2013-16) before serving as the Director of Operations at his alma mater, Albany, during the 2016-17 season … Also served a season as a Director of Operations at James Madison (2012-13) … As a player, Jordan was a two-time co-captain at Albany helping the Great Danes with its first-ever America East Tournament in 2005-06 … Finished his career between Albany and Loyola (Md.) scoring 1,418 points … Played professionally in the Netherlands and for the Albany Patroons of the CBA following graduation.
Tyson Wheeler, Assistant Coach
Wheeler completed his 10th season at Fairfield in 2018-19 which included eight as an assistant coach and two as the Director of Operations … Wheeler was a standout at the University of Rhode Island as a player where he was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection as a junior and senior … He led URI to the Elite Eight during the 1998 NCAA Tournament … As a collegiate player, he won the New England Coaches Association Bob Cousy Award and was a candidate for the John Wooden Award … In 2005, he was named to the Rams’ All-Century Team … Professionally, Wheeler was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the 1998 NBA Draft and played for the Denver Nuggets (1998-99) … In addition to the NBA, Wheeler played in the CBA, the ABA and oversees from 1998-2008.
Paul Cormier, Special Assistant to the Head Coach/Chief of Staff
Cormier has 20 years of experience as a Division I basketball head coach including 13 years at Dartmouth (most recently 2015-16) and seven years at Fairfield … He also holds 12 years of experience in the NBA as a scout and coach for several organizations including the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors … Cormier was an assistant coach under the legendary Rollie Massimino at Villanova from 1980-84 – Massimino was also his high school coach at Lexington (Mass.) … He recruited the entire squad that won the 1985 NCAA Championship for the Wildcats … Cormier began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Bently College for two years which including a No. 1 national ranking … A 1974 graduate of New Hampshire, Cormier was a standout student-athlete in Durham where he play both basketball and baseball – he was drafted by three different MLB clubs and pitched for two years in the Cleveland Indians organization.
Brian Grossman, Director of Baketball Operations
Grossman began his career at UMass as the Director of Video Operations in 2016-17 as part of Matt McCall‘s first staff … Prior to UMass, he was a graduate assistant at Arizona State for two seasons and earned a master’s degree in 2017 … Before beginning his career in Tempe, Grossman played at Bridgewater State University helping the Bears win the 2014 MASCAC Championship to reach the NCAA Tournament … He is a native of Duxbury, Mass.
Jacob Kurtz, Director of Scouting/Video
Kurtz enters his third season as a member of McCall’s staff after beginning his tenure in 2016-17 as the Assistant Director of Operations/Assistant to the Head Coach … He also served two seasons with McCall at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga as the Moc’s video coordinator … During those two years, he was responsible for the breakdown of team video and assisted with scouting … Kurtz was also a member of the Florida basketball team during McCall’s tenure in Gainesville … His career started as a team manager in 2010-11 before he earned a walk-on spot and was eventually a part-time starter as a senior. In 2015, he was named to the SEC Community Service Team.
University of Massachusetts Staff Update
