Head men’s basketball coach Greg Gary announced the promotion of Luke Brenneman to Director of Basketball Operations on Wednesday morning.
“I am thankful to Coach Gary and the Mercer athletic department for this opportunity,” said Brenneman. “It is an honor to be chosen for this role. After working with coach Gary as a manager at Purdue for four years and this last year as a graduate assistant, I know what he expects of our players and wants for our program. I am excited for this new endeavor and look forward to working with our players and staff.”
Brenneman’s elevation to DOBO is the second promotion within the program this summer. D.J. Byrd, who spent the 2019-20 season in charge of operations, was named an assistant coach on Jul. 31.
“Luke has been a great asset to our program, and I am excited for him to take on a new role,” said Gary. “He is a driven, hardworking individual; I know he will do great job.”
Brenneman spent the past season as a graduate manager for the Bears with his primary focus being serving as the video coordinator. He coordinated film exchange and supplied the coaching staff with game film and other video needs.
During Brenneman’s first season in Macon, the Bears compiled a 17-15 record and secured the No. 4 seed for the Southern Conference tournament. Mercer embarked on a six-game winning streak from Jan. 15 – Feb. 1 with all victories coming against conference teams. The Bears were named the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ (NABC) Team of the Week for their efforts.
The Rossville, Ind. native spent the 2018-19 season on the bench of the men’s basketball team at Goshen College. Brenneman helped the Maple Leafs win nine contests and was in charge of the program’s scouting and recruiting. Additionally, he assisted with player development through video and individual, on-court training sessions.
For two seasons (2016-18), Brenneman was a graduate manager for the Indiana State Sycamores. The Sycamores picked up a pair of marquee wins during his tenure – knocking off No. 15 Butler on Dec. 7, 2016 by one point, 72-71 and soundly defeating Indiana on the road, 90-69, the following season.
In 2012, Brenneman enrolled at Purdue University and spent four seasons as a student manager for the Boilermakers. During that time, Greg Gary served as an assistant coach under Matt Painter. The duo of Brenneman and Gary spent four years together in West Lafayette before reuniting in Macon upon Gary’s hire.
During the four-year stretch when Brenneman served as a manager, the Boilermakers went 78-57 overall and 37-35. Purdue defeated seven teams in the top-25 during his time with the program, including a pair of top-10 teams – No. 8 Michigan State (82-81) and No. 10 Maryland (83-79) during his senior year. That year, the Boilermakers amassed a 26-9 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed.
Brenneman earned his Bachelor of Science in organizational leadership from Purdue in 2016 and a Master of Science in sport management from Indiana State in 2018.
