UMKC Roos men’s basketball coach Billy Donlon steps down, reportedly taking new job
UMKC men’s basketball coach Billy Donlon has stepped down from his position, the school announced Thursday night.
Donlon’s next stop could be Clemson, where he would be reunited with head coach Brad Brownell. Donlon was part of Brownell’s staff at Wright State and became the head coach there when Brownell became the head coach at Clemson.
Donlon had led the Kangaroos’ program for the past three seasons, posting two winning records. The team’s 19-12 mark this season represented the second-most wins in UMKC’s 36-year Division I history.
“We began this journey three years ago and promised to put our heart and soul into making this basketball program something we would all take pride in,” Donlon said in a release. “I will always be grateful. Last, and most importantly, I want to thank the players and my coaches and staff over the past three years for all of their dedication and hard work.”
The Roos finished third in the Summit League but lost their conference tournament opener to South Dakota. Regular-season highlights included an 80-66 upset of the Missouri Tigers in Columbia.
Donlon’s record at UMKC is 46-39. He’s the only coach with a lifetime winning record there.
Before UMKC, Donlon had been an assistant at Northwestern and Michigan. He was Wright State’s head coach from 2010-16. His teams there went 109-94.
The coach whom Donlon succeeded at UMKC, Kareem Richardson, coached at Clemson last season. Richardson was hired as an assistant at North Carolina State this week.
This story was originally published April 21, 2022 at 1:35 PM.