October 29, 2015
In an era where college basketball coaches are seemingly on the move more and more frequently, Phil Martelli and Saint Joseph’s have been an outlier. Firmly entrenched as the face of the program, the 61-year-old is entering his third decade as head coach of the Hawks.
Martelli is the 12th-longest tenured coach in Division I basketball, and it looks like he will be sticking around for the foreseeable future. On Thursday afternoon, the school announced that Martelli has been given a contract extension:
Saint Joseph’s University and head men’s basketball coach Phil Martelli have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension, school officials have announced. The agreement comes as Martelli begins his fourth decade on Hawk Hill, having served 10 years as an assistant coach (1986-1995) and the last 20 seasons (1996-2015) compiling more wins than any coach in SJU history.
“We are excited and privileged to have stability in the continuing leadership of the men's basketball program, especially in this volatile time in college athletics,” stated SJU vice president and director of athletics Don DiJulia. “Phil has demonstrated a commitment to student-athlete, team success and the University community over his long and distinguished career. In doing so, Phil has earned a well-deserved place in the storied history of Hawks basketball.”
The length of the extension was not disclosed. The Hawks were picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic 10 preseason coaches’ poll, and Martelli has a potential NBA player in the fold in junior swingman DeAndre’ Bembry.
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