Following up on something that HoopDirt first reported yesterday (D3 DIRT). Cabrini University has officially named Ryan Van Zelst as their new head men’s basketball coach. Here’s the release from the school:
Cabrini University, Cabrini University Athletics, and Vice President of Athletics and Student Engagement, Kate Corcoran are thrilled to announce the hiring of Ryan Van Zelst to be the seventh head coach in Cabrini University men’s basketball program history. Van Zelst will begin his tenure at Cabrini on Monday, May 8.
“I am excited for Ryan to take over the men’s basketball program here at Cabrini. His experience at high level DIII programs, connections in the Mid-Atlantic region and his proven ability to have immediate success as a head coach made him an ideal candidate to lead the program moving forward,” said Corcoran. “Throughout the process, his passion, vision, and commitment to the NCAA Division III student-athlete experience was palpable and will make him a great addition to the Cabrini community.”
Van Zelst comes to Cabrini after a year-long stint as the head men’s basketball coach at Penn State-Abington. While at Abington, Van Zelst set a new program record for single-season wins with 18 and tied a program record for conference wins with 11 on his way to an 18-9 season. This past season under Van Zelst, Abington’s 11-5 United East record secured the Lions the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament where they upset No. 2-seeded PSU-Harrisburg and advanced to the program’s first ever conference title game.
Prior to his tenure at Abington, Van Zelst spent one year as an assistant coach at both Albright College, his alma mater, and York College. After leaving York in May of 2015, Van Zelst was hired as the Associate Head Coach for University of Scranton’s men’s basketball program. Van Zelst spent seven seasons with the Royals and helped Scranton become one of the premier teams in both the Landmark Conference and in all of Division III men’s hoops, achieving a 113-55 record throughout his time in the Electric City. He helped the Royals to a Landmark Conference title in 2017 and back-to-back conference runners up in 2020 and 2021.
While with Scranton in 2017, Van Zelst was named to the NABC 30 Under 30 Coaches Team and in 2021, the Royals coaching staff he was named the Landmark Coaching Staff of the Year.
“First, I would like to thank the Vice President for Athletics and Student Engagement, Kate Corcoran and the entire search committee for the opportunity to lead the Cabrini University men’s basketball program. I am extremely excited to be joining the Cabrini University community,” Van Zelst said of his opportunity to be the Cavaliers next head coach. “Cabrini Men’s Basketball has a storied tradition, and I couldn’t be more humbled and honored to guide this program moving forward. I am eager to begin developing relationships with our student-athletes and supporting them throughout their college experience.”
Van Zelst graduated from Albright in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and was a three-year member of the Lions men’s basketball team. Following his time at Albright, he received his master’s in business administration from the University of Scranton.
