Sean Hanrahan has stepped down from his position as the head men’s basketball coach at NAIA Warner University to become the full-time AD at the school. He has hired Tabor College head coach Matt Warren as his replacement. Warren was the associate head coach at Warner for five seasons before taking over at Tabor. Both press releases are below.
Warner University Athletics Department has officially chosen Sean Hanrahan to be the new athletic director. Hanrahan brings a distinguished career in sports and education that spans more than two decades, a wealth of experience and expertise, and a track record of success.
Hanrahan previously served as the head men’s basketball coach for the past eighteen years which resulted in five conference championships, six national tournament appearances, regional and conference Coach of the Year awards. Hanrahan is the winningest coach in program history and has been an integral part of Warner University since he arrived in 2006.
The Cincinnati, Ohio native played, Hanrahan played basketball at Hanover College, where he graduated 1999 with a double major in psychology and physical education.
Prior to joining Warner, Hanrahan was heavily involved in all aspects of the Florida Southern College men’s basketball program from recruiting to speaking at the infamous 6th Man Club for five seasons. While at Florida Southern, Hanrahan was instrumental in five Conference Championships.
Prior to his time at Florida Southern, Hanrahan was on the staff of another local Division II power, Rollins College in Winter Park. He spent two years at Rollins, he played a major role in recruiting and ran the largest basketball camp in program history.
For the last fifteen years, Hanrahan has prepared himself for his new role by developing relationships and learning the athletic business in all sports. He became a mainstay in the athletic world by working with athletes and administrators from the NBA, WNBA, NFL, Major League Soccer, Women’s Olympic Soccer Team, and Women’s Lacrosse. He has directed community service projects and school activations for sports marketing companies like Pro camps and LEJ. One of his favorite experiences is working for Michael Jordan Flight School for eighteen years in Santa Barbara, California.
Coach Hanrahan had this to say about his new position. ” I am honored and grateful for the opportunity that Dr. Hoag and the Warner Leadership Team have given me. My wife and I love Warner; we have helped move students into the dorms for eighteen years. It is a special place. We have raised our children on this campus. There have been great examples to follow in this position. As the new athletic director, I will continue to hire Christ centered coaches that lead to glorify God in their sport, in the classroom and in the community. I believe sports are a vehicle that most students can relate to. It is a vehicle to help bring them closer to God and empower them to be more than athletes. The ball stops bouncing for everyone. It is our mission to equip them spiritually and educationally. The best part about this new journey are the coaches on staff and the administration I get to work with everyday. It is a challenging and time consuming position, And my family and I are all In!”
Head Coach – Notre Dame Basketball – Micah Shrewsberry had this to say about Hanrahan
“Warner University Athletics is in great hands with the hiring of Sean Hanrahan as its next Athletic Director. Sean has guided the men’s basketball program to unprecedented heights during his tenure. He now gets the opportunity to put that same energy into all of the other athletic programs.”
GM – Boston Celtics – Brad Stevens had this to say about Hanrahan
Congrats to both Sean and Warner University on his transition to Athletic Director. Sean has always been most passionate about the people he gets to work and compete with. In this role, he’ll get an even greater chance to utilize his strengths to impact more people – all the coaches and athletes in the department. He brings so much to the table – and I know he is excited to continue at Warner with this new role.”
Warner University President – David Hoag is excited for Hanrahans new chapter at Warner saying,
“Sean has devoted 18 years of faithful service to Warner University. His unwavering commitment to our athletic programs has set a benchmark of excellence. On and off of the court Sean continues to be a Christlike example. I look forward to seeing what the next chapter looks like with Warner athletics.”
Warren named Head Basketball Coach
Warner University Athletic Director Sean Hanrahan has announced the hiring of Matt Warren as the next men’s basketball coach for the Royals. Warren returns to Warner University after a two-year stint as the head coach at Tabor College (KS).
Athletic Director Sean Hanrahan had this to say, “The Warner University men’s basketball program is part of my life’s work and family’s ministry. It is very important to our university and me that it is in great hands. There isn’t a better choice in the entire country than Matt Warren. He is familiar with the conference and the state. He recruited the class that helped us win two conference titles. He did it once, he will do it again. I have seen him care for his student-athletes up close for five years. He leads with Christ in his heart and will create a culture of discipleship and servant leaders. Coach Warren will continue the legacy that I tried to honor from the coaches before me. He will be another great coach that leads the Royals to victory on and off the court.”
In his two seasons at Tabor College, Coach Warren established a culture of toughness on and off the floor. The Bluejays showed drastic improvement from year one to year two while playing a plethora of underclassmen. Warren recruited and coached three all-conference selections as well as two all freshman team selections. Tabor also landed nine student athletes on the KCAC all-academic team as well as seven on the NAIA all-academic team.
“I am humbled and honored to be named the head coach at Warner University,” Warren said. “I would like to thank Dr. Hoag, the administration and Sean Hanrahan for entrusting me in being the leader of this storied program. My family and I are so excited to get to work!”
From 2017 to 2022, Coach Warren was a part of three Sun Conference regular season championships including back-to-back in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. The Royals saw fifteen players make the all-conference teams, six student athletes be recognized as on the all-academic team, and had four players earn NAIA All American honors in his time in Lake Wales, Fla
“It is a blessing that Coach Warren is able to come back to be the successor to Coach Han’s extraordinary career while continuing the legacy in his honor. Coach will also keep it unique to his coaching philosophies, goals and vision for the future. God is good and looking forward to Him revealing the rest of His plans in the near future for our Warner family,” senior Blaize Darling Jr said.
Fellow senior Logan West had this to say, “Coach Warren being back is great for the program! He is an experienced coach with a lot of energy towards winning games and titles, so it will be exciting to have him back in the TAC.”
Warren joined the Royals after serving as the General Manager of Combine Academy of Orlando, Fla., a post graduate basketball academy. Coach Warren also was heavily involved in Pro training during his summers at Combine including multiple NBA players and numerous euro league players.
Prior to Combine, Coach Warren was the top assistant at Indian River State College, a division one junior college in Fort Pierce, Florida, which was his second stint there. Warren worked for Coach Joe Sanchez at IRSC on two different occasions which included a 24-7 record and a trip to the region 8 tournament after a Southern Conference tournament championship.
Prior to his return to IRSC, Warren was a student manager at the University of North Florida under the tutelage of Head Coach Matthew Driscoll for two seasons. At UNF, Warren was able to learn a vast number of skills at the NCAA D-I level including video editing, player development, game preparation/scouting, academics, and the day-to-day operations.
Warren graduated from the University of North Florida in 2014 with a degree in Sports Management along with an Associate of Arts degree from Indian River State College. Coach Warren also received his Master of Science from Warner University in the fall of 2019.
Matt will be joined by his wife, Caitlin, and their three-year-old son, Mason.
