John Gallagher, head coach of the University of Hartford men’s basketball team, has made two changes to his coaching staff. Gallagher has promoted Chris Gerlufsen to associate head coach while newcomer Tom Devitt has been added to the staff as the director of operations.
Entering his eighth season as a member of the coaching staff at Hartford, Gerlufsen helped lead the Hawks to a Division I-best 17 regular season wins last year as well as the school’s first postseason appearance since making the jump to the NCAA’s highest ranking. Prior to the 2012-13, he was elevated to Gallagher’s top assistant.
"Chris has been with me from day one and has been instrumental in recruiting, coaching and in the day-to-day operations of the program," explained Gallagher when asked to comment on Gerlufsen’s promotion. "He has been a major part in every decision made in the program and will be a great head coach someday."
Working with both the perimeter and post players, Gerlufsen serves as the staff’s recruiting coordinator and is accountable for tapping into the Texas pipeline over the last few years, attracting several quality basketball players to Hartford from the Lone Star State. Among the student-athletes on the list are forward Mark Nwakamma, a 2012-13 America East All-Conference First Team pick, as well as backcourt members Wes Cole, Evan Cooper and Yolonzo Moore II.
Devitt arrives to Hartford by way of Wentworth Institute of Technology where he spent 11 seasons as the team’s head coach. During Devitt’s time as head coach, Wentworth, which posted just five wins in his first year as head coach, won the Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship four years later in 2007, making the program’s first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance since the 1997 campaign.
"Tom brings a wealth of experience at both the Division I and the Division III levels as a head coach," declared Gallagher. "Anytime you have the opportunity to bring in someone that not only has an extensive knowledge but also knows our system, it is a huge advantage."
A two-time CCC Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2010, Devitt brought his squad to eight consecutive CCC Tournament appearances while amassing a program-best 139 wins, including 66 over his final four seasons. The last four seasons also included four-straight ECAC Tournament bids for the Leopards.
"I am honored to be working with John Gallagher and such a distinguished group of professionals both on the coaching staff, and in the athletic department at the University of Hartford," declared Devitt. "I hope to assist the program and in particular, this collection of impressive student-athletes."
Devitt jumped into NCAA Division I men’s basketball early, working for the men’s hoops team at Boston College, his alma mater, as an undergraduate student assistant. Upon graduation, he stayed with the team for four more years after being hired as the Eagles’ director of basketball operations.
Devitt’s and Gallagher’s paths crossed several years before reuniting at Hartford. After winning the BIG EAST Championship in 1997, Boston College lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to Gallagher’s St. Joseph’s Hawks at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Following his stint at Boston College, Devitt, a Washington, D.C. native, returned to his hometown to take on his first assistant coaching job with the men’s basketball team at American University.
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