New McNeese men’s basketball head coach John Aiken on Monday announced his coaching staff that includes two new additions and a promotion.
 
Jalen Courtney, who has been on the Cowboys’ staff for three seasons, has been promoted as the program’s top assistant while Emmanuel Tommy will enter his second season as the team’s director of operations.
 
New to the staff will be Michael Moynihan, previously of Mississippi State, and Tevon Saddler who spent the last two seasons at Nicholls.
 
A Zoom press conference will be held on Thursday to introduce the staff. Time has yet to be determined.
 
“One of the goals I had when I began putting this staff together was to find a group of people that had a hunger, a drive, and an energy to propel this program forward,” said Aiken. “I wanted to find a group of coaches that I could grow with and that could help the young men in our program grow.
 
“I’m excited to get to lead this program and look forward to working alongside this great group of men.”
 
Courtney wrapped up his third season with the Cowboys, having coached some of the top big men in the Southland Conference during that span.
 
“Jalen is one of the best young coaches in the country,” said Aiken. “We are fortunate to have him here at McNeese. His is valuable in many roles, is a high-level recruiter, great skill developer, phenomenal game planner, and a huge asset to our program and campus. I’m excited to have him on staff and excited to continue building this program with him by my side.”
 
Moynihan spent the last two seasons at Mississippi State and was part of the Bulldogs’ program that finished as the runner-up in this year’s NIT. He quickly established himself as was recently named one of the Top 25 people to the Top Staffers list in Division I college basketball by CoachStat.net.
 
“Mike Moynihan comes to us from Mississippi State where he has been the director of basketball operations and a part of a very successful SEC program, working for a Hall of Fame level coach in Ben Howland,” said Aiken. “He adds a recruiting base in Atlanta for us and is an extremely versatile young coach that I am excited to bring into the program. He has a lot of ‘juice’ and will enhance our program in many ways.”
 
Saddler spent the last two seasons as the director of operations at Nicholls under head coach Austin Claunch and had a hand in helping the Colonels win the Southland Conference championship this past season.
 
“Tevon was a player that I recruited when I was at Nicholls, took a chance on me and our program, and ultimately helped us win a championship,” stated Aiken. “He has been a huge part of my life for the last five years as I’ve watched him grow as a young man. He’s great at developing perimeter players and he’ll bring an expectation to win to our program. He is the ultimate winning guy.”
 
Tommy will continue his role as the Cowboys’ director of operations for the second year.
 
“Emmanuel helped us keep the ship steady during a very turbulent year,” said Aiken. “He managed COVID, two hurricane relocations, and a variety of moving pieces here in Lake Charles. He’ll continue to be instrumental to our program and staff as he has a great amount of energy and organizational skills. He’s a connector, a grinder, and I am excited to watch him grow within our staff.”

https://mcneesesports.com/news/2021/3/29/mens-basketball-john-aiken-announces-coaching-staff.aspx