Fairleigh Dickinson head men’s basketball coach Greg Herenda announced the addition of Maurice Joseph to his staff on Wednesday afternoon. Joseph joins the Knights after a three-year stint as head coach at George Washington.
Joseph, who was known for his shooting prowess as a collegiate player at both Michigan State and University of Vermont, won 44 games across three seasons at the helm of the Colonials.
“I am very excited to have Maurice join our staff and become a member of our FDU basketball family,” said Herenda. “Quite honestly, I feel like we are signing a great player today. That is the kind of impact that I think Mo will have on our players and program. Mo is an extremely hard worker, a tremendous teacher of the game and an awesome recruiter as well. We are very fortunate to have a former Atlantic 10 head coach join our staff.”
In his first season as head coach of the Colonials in 2016-17, Joseph guided the team to 20 wins and an appearance in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
“I have followed the success that Coach Herenda has had in building his program up over the past six seasons and I have a great deal of respect for him,” said Joseph. “For these reasons, I am thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to serve on his staff as we continue to strive for excellence in the classroom, on the court and in the community. I am eager to get to work with our talented group of student-athletes and to help them reach their goals, while we chase another NEC Championship. Go Knights!”
Joseph joined the staff at GW in 2011 under the direction of Mike Lonergan and proceeded to advance to one NCAA Tournament, earn two NIT berths, and a CBI appearance, including the 2016 NIT Championship. Across his eight seasons at GW – including the last three as head coach – Joseph played a key role in developing three players who went on to earn roster spots in the NBA. He coached Olympian and NBA player Patricio Garino, as well as, Tyler Cavanaugh, who played for the Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz, and guard Yuta Watanabe who is a member of the Memphis Grizzlies organization.
A Montreal, Quebec native, Joseph began his collegiate playing career at Michigan State under Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo in 2005 and helped the Spartans make two NCAA Tournament appearances. He transferred to Vermont in 2007 and led the Catamounts to 24 wins in 2009 and 25 wins in 2010, including an America East Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. That season, Joseph was the team’s second-leading scorer (13.9 ppg) while shooting a career-best .374 (77-206) from three-point range. He also ranked second in the America East in free throw percentage (.848) in 2009-10. Joseph also had a decorated prep career at Champlain-St. Lambert in Montreal, where as a senior in 2005, he was named Canada’s National Player of the Year.
On the appointment of his former Spartan forward Izzo said, “I’m very happy for Maurice to get this opportunity to coach at FDU. Maurice came to Michigan State as a very smart young man who cared for his teammates and developed into a really tough player. I’ve watched him grow throughout his coaching career and he is the type of coach who can develop strong relationships with his players, other coaches, administration and alumni and understands the challenges that come with the profession. He is a terrific young coach with a great future ahead of him. Greg Herenda is a veteran coach and I have no doubt that Maurice has landed in a place where he can learn and he can grow, but also have an impact.”
Joseph, who is the older brother of former Syracuse forward and 2012 NBA draftee Kris Joseph, played professionally in Israel with Hapoel Afula, before entering the coaching ranks. Upon his arrival at GW, where he met his wife, Kristen, Joseph enrolled and earned a Master’s degree in Education and Human Development.
Herenda concluded, “As a head coach, I have been extremely blessed by having young coaches on my staff and Mo is cut from the same cloth as Dwayne Lee, Grant Billmeier and Pat Sellers. Mo is a basketball guy that has had so much success as a player, assistant coach and head coach. Today is a great day to be a Knight.”
Greg Herenda Adds Maurice Joseph to FDU Coaching Staff
