Following-up on something that HoopDirt first reported yesterday (D3 DIRT)…
Here’s the official release from Macalester announcing the hiring of Rich Glesmann as their new head men’s basketball coach:
Macalester College Vice President of Student Affairs/Director of Athletics Donnie Brooks has announced the hiring of Rich Glesmann as head men’s basketball coach. Glesmann has been a coach at the college and professional levels for over 20 years, most recently as an assistant at Ivy League-member Dartmouth.
“Rich is a tremendous addition to our program and our community,” Brooks said. “He’s gone into some tough places and helped transform them into winners. He’s smart, humble, and has a unique ability to connect with people while challenging them to embrace a growth mindset. His experiences as a Division III player, along with coaching internationally and in the Ivy League, will bring valuable perspective to our team. I’m excited for our players to learn from him and for all of us to benefit from his leadership and his basketball mind.”
In his one year at Dartmouth as the Big Green’s offensive coordinator, Glesmann revamped the team’s offense, overseeing an improvement from 61.9 points per game in 2023-24 to 77.4 this past season. This improvement was a significant part of the Big Green’s rise in the Ivy League standings from last place a year ago (6-21 overall, 2-12 Ivy) to third place with an 8-6 record in conference play (14-14 overall) in 2024-25. Dartmouth qualified for the Ivy League Tournament, Ivy Madness, for the first time in the program’s history.
Prior to joining David McLaughlin’s staff at Dartmouth, Glesmann spent seven years as a head coach in Japan’s B-League. In stints with the Ehime Orange Vikings and the Ibaraki Robots, he consistently coached teams that were among the highest ranked offenses in the league. In Glesmann’s first year with the Ehime Orange Vikings, he led the team to a franchise-record 33 wins while mentoring the B-League’s top-ranked offense. After coaching Ehime to its only three winning seasons in its history, Glesmann took over the Ibaraki Robots and led them to the championship finals in his first season. While in Japan, he coached professional players Luke Maye (North Carolina), Johnny O’Bryant (LSU), Cameron Krutwig (Loyola Chicago) and Eric Jacobsen (Arizona State), among others.
Before coaching in Japan, Glesmann spent five seasons at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for head coach Jim Ferry. He was the lead recruiter for two Atlantic-10 All-Rookie Team honorees Derrick Colter and Mike Lewis. Prior to his time with the Dukes, Glesmann was an assistant coach at Long Island University in Brooklyn, N.Y., also under Ferry, where he helped the team capture back-to-back Northeast Conference championships in 2011 and 2012 to advance to the NCAA Tournament both years. Among his early coaching positions was a stint at Division II Adelphi University from 2003-05 under head coach James Cosgrove, who recently coached Trinity (Conn.) College to the 2025 NCAA Division III national championship.
“Words cannot express how excited I am to become the next head men’s basketball coach at Macalester College,” Glesmann said. “Over the previous few weeks, I have had the opportunity to meet with various people within the Macalester community. After many conversations, it became clear that I wanted to be part of the Macalester family. Our coaching staff will work tirelessly toward building an unselfish and up-tempo style of basketball that will have sustained long-term success. Our team goals will be to compete for MIAC championships, while also making a positive impact within the entire Saint Paul community. Thank you, Donnie Brooks, I am overwhelmed with appreciation, and gratitude for this amazing opportunity. My family cannot wait to arrive on campus and hit the ground running. Go Scots!”
Glesmann was a member of the men’s basketball team at Division III Emerson College in Boston, Mass., where he helped the Lions register three winning seasons as a three-year starter. He also served as team captain as a senior and was named to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team in 1999 and 2001.
A native of Wayland, Mass., Glesmann graduated from Emerson in 2002 with a degree in media arts. He also earned a Master’s in childhood urban education from LIU-Brooklyn in 2008. Glesmann and his wife Sarah have twin boys Oliver and Simon.
Glesmann replaces Abe Woldeslassie ’08, who left Macalester after seven years to become an assistant at Division I Denver.
What they are saying about Rich Glesmann:
“Rich’s value system, work ethic, competitive nature, willingness to be part of a community, and desire to develop the young men he coaches will be on display the second he arrives at Macalester. He has a true and proven philosophy on both sides of the ball, which will help the men’s basketball program compete at a very high level. Rich will recruit talented young men that will be leaders in the community, and will excel on the court. Donnie Brooks hit it out of the park with the hiring of Rich Glesmann!” – David McLaughlin, head men’s basketball coach at Dartmouth
“I think the Macalester community is just going to love Rich. He has a great basketball mind and he’s been successful everywhere he’s been. Rich was such a vital part of our success at LIU and Duquesne. Just a fantastic coach, fantastic person, great family man. He’s going to be jumping in that place and really getting things going, that’s for sure. I think everybody at Macalester is going to enjoy the exciting style that he can bring to that program.” – Jim Ferry, head men’s basketball coach at UMBC
“Macalester hit a home run in hiring Rich Glesmann. Rich will bring Macalester to new heights. Rich is organized, competitive, and one of the best basketball minds I have been around in 30-plus years of coaching. Congrats to Rich and Macalester.” – James Cosgrove, head men’s basketball coach at 2025 NCAA Division III champion Trinity College
