With 13 years of Division I collegiate coaching experience, John Gallagher enters the 2012-13 season in his third year at the helm of the University of Hartford men’s basketball team. Gallagher, who was named head coach by Director of Athletics Patricia H. Meiser in the spring of 2010, is the 10th coach in the 62-year history of the University of Hartford men’s basketball program.
“In John Gallagher we have someone whose passion for the game is unparalleled and someone who has devoted his life to the sport of basketball,” said Meiser. “He brings a high energy level, tireless work ethic and a set of values we believe our players will emulate. Coach Gallagher knows the University and believes in what we are trying to accomplish here. We are fortunate to be able to bring an individual of his character and basketball resume on board.”
Although the 9-22 record may not show it, the 2011-12 campaign was a giant leap in the right direction for the future of the program. The Hawks were picked to finish sixth in the America East preseason poll, but ended up nearly upsetting the second-ranked Vermont Catamounts, the eventual conference champions, in the semifinal round of the conference tournament.
As the youngest team in the America East, Hartford began that season with only six returners – and just one starter – from the previous year, a group that accounted for just 20 percent of the team’s scoring in 2010-11. Seven newcomers joined the program at the beginning of the season, including four who finished in the team’s top-five in points per game. Furthermore, for the first time in school history, a pair of Hawks earned spots on the conference’s all-rookie team as Mark Nwakamma and Nate Sikma each earned the distinction.
Gallagher made his return to the Hartford sidelines in 2010 after spending two seasons as the Hawks’ associate head coach from 2006-08. Following his first stint at Hartford, he served two seasons on Glen Miller’s staff at the University of Pennsylvania.
During his tenure as an assistant at Hartford, the Hawks compiled a 31-34 mark, including a Division I record 18 wins in 2007-08. That season, the Hawks went on to finish second in the America East regular season and made the program’s first trip to the America East Championship game.
Gallagher spent his two seasons at Hartford implementing a new motion offense for the Hawks. The result was a scoring average of 62.1 points per game in his first year and 70.8 points per game in his second year, leading to double-figure wins in each season. Hartford’s perimeter offense also accounted for 206 three-pointers in his first season and a school-record 312 in his second season, which set an America East Conference record.
Gallagher left Hartford to become the Associate Head Coach under Glen Miller at the University of Pennsylvania, a position he held for two seasons. After the 2010 Final Four, Gallagher left Penn to serve as the Associate Head Coach for Steve Donahue, who had recently been named the head coach at Boston College. Gallagher was released from that position when the opportunity to return to Hartford arose.
"I am delighted we have been able to attract John back to the University,” said University of Hartford President Walter Harrison at the time of Gallagher's hiring. “He is one of ours, and as associate head coach here he distinguished himself through his character, his leadership, his energy, and his infectiously positive spirit. A week ago I never would have predicted this turn of events, but all's well that ends well. I am looking forward to great success for Hartford Men's Basketball under John's leadership."
Prior to his first stint at Hartford, Gallagher was the top assistant for Fran O’Hanlon’s staff at Lafayette College. At Lafayette, he served as the program’s top recruiter and was responsible for developing the team’s guards.
Gallagher arrived at Lafayette by way of La Salle University where he coached five seasons, two of which came under Big 5 legend Speedy Morris and the final three under Billy Hahn. He jumped right into coaching upon graduating from Saint Joseph’s University in 1999.
His coaching tenure followed a successful playing career at Saint Joseph’s, where he was a guard for three seasons and a member of the 1996 squad that advanced to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
Gallagher is one of four siblings in a basketball-rich family, as his sisters Ann and Joan both played college basketball at La Salle and Boston College, respectively. Gallagher and his wife, Geneva, welcomed their first daughter, Kenna, in February of 2009 and their second, Alanna, in April of 2011.
