Head men’s basketball coach Billy Donlon announced his coaching staff ahead of the 2026-27 season including Associate Head Coach Martin McGillan, in addition to assistant coaches John Bowler, Vince Fritz, Hassan Nizam, and Carlos McMath, as announced.
“I want to thank President Dr. Brendan Kelly and Vice President Scott Wetherbee for providing the resources necessary to attract this caliber of coaching staff,” Donlon said. “We have veteran coaches, coaches with Michigan recruiting ties, and a coach that has Eastern Michigan in his DNA.”
McGillan joins the Eagles as associate head coach, bringing over 30 years of coaching experience in the collegiate ranks. Donlon and McGillan have experience working together, coaching together at UNC Wilmington and Wright State University from 2002-07. McGillan brings plenty of experience at the Mid-Major level, having won over 500 games as an assistant coach, including six conference titles and nine NCAA tournament appearances.
“Martin and I worked together for five years, winning six championships, including three NCAA tournament appearances,” Donlon said. “I know firsthand the value he brings. He is one of the best coaches in the country. His wealth of experience, success with player development, recruiting ability, and track record of building winning cultures will strengthen our staff.”
McGillan, who was previously at Longwood University from the 2018-19 season on, served as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team at the University of Minnesota during the 2017–18 season after spending a decade as an assistant men’s coach at Winthrop University, along with a brief stint at Kennesaw State University. He also coached alongside Billy Donlon at Wright State in 2006–07, helping to lead the program to its first Horizon League regular-season and tournament championships and an NCAA tournament appearance. Before that, the pair spent four seasons at UNC Wilmington, where they won two conference titles and made two NCAA tournament appearances. McGillan began his coaching career with stops across the southeast from 1991–2001 and graduated from UNC Wilmington in 1990 with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation.
An Eastern Michigan legend, Bowler joins the Eastern coaching staff as an assistant coach. A former Eagles captain, Bowler most recently coached Parkland College as head coach, leaving with an impressive 109-29 record, including a 2026 NJCAA National Championship after finishing as runner up in 2024-25. He was named NJCAA Division II Coach of the Year following the Cobras’ national title. Bowler brings postseason experience to the Eagles, having helped coach three separate teams to the Sweet Sixteen or beyond since beginning his coaching career in 2013. Bowler was inducted into the Eastern Michigan’s E-Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 2025.
“I’m thrilled to welcome John Bowler and his wife, former EMU volleyball standout, Elizabeth, back to the George Gervin GameAbove Center,” Donlon said. “As one of the all-time greats in EMU basketball history and a national champion-winning head coach at Parkland College, John brings elite experience, a proven track record, and a deep passion for this program.”
Bowler served as an assistant coach at the University of Milwaukee from 2019–22, where he played a major role in recruiting, including signing three top-50 junior college players and helping secure a top-50 recruiting class in 2021. He was head coach at Des Moines Area Community College in 2018, leading the team to a 22–10 record, a top-10 national finish, and five All-Region selections. Before that, he spent 2014–18 as associate head coach at DMACC, contributing to a conference championship, a Final Four appearance, and the development of 16 players who advanced to NCAA Division I or II programs, after beginning his coaching career at Delta State in 2013 with a 26–7 season and Sweet Sixteen run. Bowler also played six professional seasons in Germany and holds degrees from Eastern Michigan and Delta State University.
Fritz brings experience in both coaching and administration to the men’s basketball program. Fritz served as director of basketball operations at Kansas City in 2020 under Donlon, who was head coach, and joined the coaching staff as an assistant for the 2021-22 season. Fritz most recently coached at the University of South Carolina-Upstate as an assistant men’s basketball coach.
“Vince and I worked together at Kansas City, and he played an instrumental role in our success,” Donlon said. “He is a tireless worker, excellent teacher of the game and evaluator of character and talent. Vince’s experience coaching at the high school, junior college and Division I level provides insight not many coaches have.”
Fritz served as an assistant coach at Hutchinson Community College in 2024 following a two-year stint at Southern Illinois University. With the Salukis, he worked as an assistant coach after previously serving as Director of Basketball Operations during the 2022–23 season. He began his basketball career at the University of Nebraska as a graduate manager for the men’s program from 2018–20. Fritz earned a degree in Health Promotions from Missouri Southern State University in 2018 and a master’s in Educational Administration from Nebraska in 2020.
Nizam joins the Eastern coaching staff from Cal State Fullerton, bringing over a decade of coaching experience in Michigan. He most recently served as an assistant coach at Central Michigan University from 2023–25, helping lead the program to its first winning season since 2019, along with a top-three defense in the MAC and its most conference wins since 2015.
“Hassan is a winner and has experience as a head coach. He has helped every program improve everyplace he has coached,” Donlon said. “Hassan has significant relationships with coaches at all levels in the state of Michigan. He has an effervescent personality that people gravitate toward.”
Before that, Nizam was a highly successful head coach at Macomb Community College from 2022–23, leading the program to a national runner-up finish and sending 12 players to four-year schools. He also served as head coach at Roseville High School from 2017–21, where he won two league titles and four district championships, and previously coached at the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Fordson High School. Nizam studied at Eastern Michigan University before earning a Business Administration degree from Capella University in 2020.
McMath is sticking in Ypsilanti after spending time as an assistant coach and the Director of Operations over the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons.
“Carlos has institutional knowledge of Eastern Michigan, and that has already proven to be fruitful,” Donlon said. “He has a strong work ethic, cares about the players, and, like John and Hassan, has experience as a head coach. Carlos grew up in Saginaw and will bring a Michigan-first mentality on the recruiting trail.”
McMath served as Associate Head Coach at Northwood University from 2022–24 after a season as head coach at Schoolcraft Community College, where he had previously been an assistant in 2020–21. He spent six years as head coach at Delta College, leading the program to a historic Final Four appearance in 2018 and earning District 10 and BCAM Coach of the Year honors. McMath began his coaching career at Detroit Osborn High School and later coached at Arthur Hill High School from 2009–15. A graduate of Wayne State University, where he was a football student-athlete, he went on to earn a Juris Doctor from Michigan State University College of Law in 2013.
https://emueagles.com/news/2026/4/24/mens-basketball-staff-additions-revealed
