Dear SJU Community,

Following a thorough and expedient national search process, Billy Lange has been named head coach of our men’s basketball program. He succeeds legendary head coach Phil Martelli, becoming the 15th head coach in the program’s 110-year history.



Coach Lange brings more than 23 years of sideline experience to the Hawks, most recently as assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. Since joining the Sixers in 2013, the team has rebuilt its culture, emphasized player development and implemented a process that has led to their current success. Lange was previously the associate head coach at Villanova University under Jay Wright and, before that, the head coach of the U.S. Naval Academy, leading the Midshipmen to their first winning season in seven years (2007-2008). He has also served as an assistant coach at La Salle University and started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Philadelphia University under Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach Herb Magee.



Our goal was to find a leader who would build on and add value to the rich history and tradition of our program. It was also very important to provide our student-athletes with a clear vision for the future of the program as quickly as possible. Luckily, Billy Lange emerged as the right leader and coach for the job. He has learned from the best, is deeply rooted in the spirit of Philadelphia basketball, shares family connections on Hawk Hill, and has a proven track record of developing young men on and off the court.



As we look to the future, we also recognize and honor Coach Martelli’s important legacy. As head coach of men’s basketball for 24 of the last 34 years of his career at St. Joe’s, Coach Martelli has made a lasting impact in the Big 5, Atlantic 10 and NCAA, and on Saint Joseph’s University, our men’s basketball program, our players and our community.



Coach Martelli is the Hawks’ all-time leader in career victories. His record in Atlantic 10 play is the most conference wins for any active coach and ranks second all-time in the league. Seven of his players reached the NBA, three as first-round picks, including Jameer Nelson, who graduated from the University in 2018. In the 2003-2004 season, Coach Martelli guided a focused and unselfish squad that became one of the most compelling stories in college basketball, now known as the University’s “Perfect Season.” That year, the Hawks went undefeated in the regular season as the top-ranked team in the nation, earning the University’s first-ever No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advancing to the Elite Eight. That stands among the greatest achievements in Hawk basketball.



Building on this strong foundation, Billy Lange is well positioned to lead Hawk basketball into its next era. Coach Lange, who has been an instrumental leader in the 76ers’ recent success and was initially hired to serve as a player development coach for the team, brings multidimensional experience to the Hawks as a coach and former player.



Born in Haddon Heights, N.J., Coach Lange played high school basketball at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken, N.J., and then played collegiately at Rowan University. He started his coaching career with a single season as head coach at Bishop Eustace, replacing his father, Billy Lange, Sr. ’70, a former history teacher and basketball coach, in the role. His mother Kathryn is also a graduate of the Class of 1970, and his brother Mark is a 1997 alumnus.



Coach Lange is honored and humbled to stand among the many greats who are associated with Hawks’ basketball, and he is ready and eager to lead this storied program.



In closing, I thank Coach Martelli for a remarkable career, and congratulate and welcome Coach Lange to Saint Joseph’s. Go Hawks.