Eastern Michigan hires ex-Missouri-Kansas City, Wright State coach Billy Donlon

Eastern Michigan hired Clemson assistant Billy Donlon to coach its basketball team on Tuesday, a week after parting ways with Stan Heath.

Donlon will continue in his role as a top assistant coach with the Tigers, an eighth-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament with a first-round matchup against ninth-seeded Iowa on Friday.

He previously led Missouri-Kansas City and Wright State with a 155-133 record over nine seasons.

"Billy quickly separated himself. He has won at every level, developed high-level talent, and led teams to postseason success on the national stage," said EMU Vice President/ Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee. "His experience in elite conferences, along with his ability to build a strong culture and connect with student-athletes, made him the clear choice to lead our program. We are excited for the future of Eastern Michigan basketball under his leadership and look forward to our community embracing him and this team."  

Donlon, who is from Northbrook, Illinois, was also an assistant coach at Michigan, Northwestern and UNC Wilmington, where he was a standout guard in the late 1990s.

"At Eastern Michigan, we will be a program that prioritizes the transformational over the transactional," said Donlon. "We're committed to developing young men of character, fostering a family atmosphere, and creating an environment where players grow on and off the court. Our community and alumni will be proud of the product we put on the floor: tough, disciplined, unselfish, and relentless in pursuit of excellence. Most importantly, to the Eastern Michigan community and our proud alumni: You are the heartbeat of this program. Your passion, support, and unwavering loyalty fuel everything we do. Together, with your energy behind us, we'll build something special that makes every Eagle proud and brings championships back to Ypsilanti."  

Eastern Michigan was 10-21 overall and 4-14 in the Mid-American Conference this year, tying Western Michigan and Northern Illinois for last place. Heath, a former Eastern Michigan player and Michigan State assistant under Tom Izzo, had a 57-99 record over four seasons with the Eagles.