On Monday, Aug. 5, Penn State Harrisburg Athletic Director Rahsaan Carlton announced that Don Friday, a former NCAA Division I head coach and Division III national championship-winning assistant, has accepted the men’s basketball head coaching position at Penn State Harrisburg. Friday takes over the program with nearly 25 years of coaching experience under his belt, nine of which were spent as a head coach.
From 2008-2012, Friday was the head coach at Division I Saint Francis (Pa.). Under Friday’s watch, the Red Flash competed against some of the nation’s most storied programs, including North Carolina, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. During his four-year stay at Saint Francis, Friday led the Red Flash to back-to-back Northeast Conference (NEC) playoff appearances in 2010 and 2011. The 2010 postseason berth was the team’s first since 2005.
Prior to his time at Saint Francis, Friday was the head coach at Lycoming, where he manned the program’s helm from 2003-2008. In 2004, Friday’s squad won the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Tournament title and ranked second in the nation in rebounding amongst Division III teams. He was named the MAC Coach of the Year in 2006 and again two years later when he led the Warriors to the 2008 MAC Commonwealth regular season championship.
Friday also has over a decade of assistant coaching experience to his credit, including stops at Bucknell from 1994-2003, where he served under highly respected head coach Patrick Flannery , and Lebanon Valley, his alma mater, from 1989-1994. Friday was a member of the Dutchmen staff that led LVC to an NCAA Division III national championship victory in 1994.
"(Penn State Harrisburg) is really getting one of the good guys," said Flannery when asked about his former assistant’s move to Middletown. "Coach Friday will run a successful program in every aspect of higher education – players’ experience, community outreach, department support and an exciting product. He really understands the true student-athlete and the desire to compete will follow his kids for a lifetime. He is a teacher who will raise his players’ expectations in and out of the classroom. All will appreciate this talented and dedicated coach. I am happy for him and proud of him."
Friday takes the reins of Penn State Harrisburg’s men’s basketball program following a brief stint as an assistant at Susquehanna a year ago. He earned his MBA and his Bachelor’s of Science in Management from Lebanon Valley.
Stay with HoopDirt for the latest college basketball coaching news and rumors.
