Pete Gillen
Encyclopedia
Pete Gillen is an American former college basketball
head coach of the Division I Xavier Musketeers
, Providence Friars
and Virginia Cavaliers
and is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Gillen is currently a college basketball analyst with the CBS College Sports Network.
where he received his bachelor’s degree in English Literature in 1968.
Rainbow Warriors
, with Rick Pitino
as one of his fellow assistants. Gillen followed that with subsequent assistant coaching stints at the Virginia Military Institute
; Villanova University
under Rollie Massimino
, and the University of Notre Dame
under Digger Phelps
from 1980 to 1985.
He was head basketball coach at Xavier University
from 1985 to 1994, Providence College
from 1994 to 1998, and the University of Virginia
from 1998 to 2005.
At Xavier
, Gillen compiled an impressive record, taking the Musketeers to the NCAA tournament seven times and to the NIT tournament once (1994). Gillen is still the most successful coach in school history at Xavier, having won 202 games in the third-longest tenure ever for a XU coach.
Following his success at Xavier, Gillen was hired at Providence
to replace Rick Barnes
, who had left to coach Clemson University
. He followed PC's 1994 Big East title with two trips to the NIT before the Friar's 1997 run to the Elite Eight
, upsetting Marquette
and Duke
and beating Chattanooga before losing in overtime to eventual national champion Arizona
.
Following a tough 1997–98 year, where he lost four starters (three to graduation, and one (God Shammgod
) to the NBA draft), Gillen moved on, replacing Jeff Jones
at Virginia, who resigned on March 15, 1998 after eight years as the Cavaliers’ head coach. Gillen's seven Virginia teams compiled an overall record of 118–93 and competed in five postseason tournaments. The Cavaliers participated in the 2001 NCAA Tournament
and in the National Invitation Tournament four times. He resigned after the 2004–05 season.
In September 2008, Gillen was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame along with NBA stars Kenny Anderson
, Sam Perkins
and Rod Strickland
, and pioneers Lou Bender
and Eddie Younger.
for the US national team during the 1994 FIBA World Championship
, winning the gold medal.
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
head coach of the Division I Xavier Musketeers
Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
The Xavier Musketeers team is the basketball team that represents Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference...
, Providence Friars
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
and Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball
The Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball program represents the University of Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA's Division I. The team is coached by Tony Bennett.-Statistics:-Retired numbers:-Retired jerseys:...
and is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. Gillen is currently a college basketball analyst with the CBS College Sports Network.
Playing career
Gillen was two sport athlete in baseball and basketball at Fairfield UniversityFairfield University
Fairfield University is a private, co-educational undergraduate and master's level teaching-oriented university located in Fairfield, Connecticut, in the New England region of the United States. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942, and today is one of 28 member institutions of the...
where he received his bachelor’s degree in English Literature in 1968.
Coaching career
Coach Gillen began his coaching career at his high school alma mater Brooklyn Prep where he was an English teacher. He soon moved to the collegiate level when he joined the coaching staff of the University of HawaiiUniversity of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
Rainbow Warriors
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA men's competition. The school's team currently competes in the Western Athletic Conference. The team's most recent appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was in 2002...
, with Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino is an American basketball coach. Since 2001, he has been the head coach at the University of Louisville. He has also served as head coach at Boston University, Providence College and the University of Kentucky, leading that program to the NCAA championship in 1996...
as one of his fellow assistants. Gillen followed that with subsequent assistant coaching stints at the Virginia Military Institute
Virginia Military Institute
The Virginia Military Institute , located in Lexington, Virginia, is the oldest state-supported military college and one of six senior military colleges in the United States. Unlike any other military college in the United States—and in keeping with its founding principles—all VMI students are...
; Villanova University
Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
This is the article about the men's basketball team from Villanova University. The team has competed since the 1920–21 season. Nicknamed the "Wildcats", Villanova is a member of the Big East Conference and the Philadelphia Big Five. The Villanova Wildcats have appeared in the NCAA...
under Rollie Massimino
Rollie Massimino
Roland V. "Rollie" Massimino is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at the Florida campus of Northwood University in West Palm Beach, a position he has held since 2006...
, and the University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The program competes in the Big East Conference of NCAA Division I. The school holds two national championships in...
under Digger Phelps
Digger Phelps
Richard "Digger" Phelps is a former American college basketball coach, most notably of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team from 1971 to 1991. Since 1993, he has served as an analyst on ESPN.-Career:...
from 1980 to 1985.
He was head basketball coach at Xavier University
Xavier University (Cincinnati)
Xavier University is a co-educational Jesuit university in the United States located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and has an undergraduate enrollment of about 4,000 students and graduate enrollment of 2,600 students. Xavier is primarily...
from 1985 to 1994, Providence College
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
from 1994 to 1998, and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
from 1998 to 2005.
At Xavier
Xavier Musketeers men's basketball
The Xavier Musketeers team is the basketball team that represents Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference...
, Gillen compiled an impressive record, taking the Musketeers to the NCAA tournament seven times and to the NIT tournament once (1994). Gillen is still the most successful coach in school history at Xavier, having won 202 games in the third-longest tenure ever for a XU coach.
Following his success at Xavier, Gillen was hired at Providence
Providence Friars men's basketball
The Providence Friars men's basketball team represents Providence College in NCAA Division I competition, in which they are a founding member of the Big East Conference. They play their home games at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island...
to replace Rick Barnes
Rick Barnes
Richard Dale Barnes is the current head coach of the University of Texas Longhorns men's basketball team. He has coached Texas for the last twelve seasons, taking the team to the NCAA Tournament each year, including a Final Four appearance led by T. J. Ford in 2003...
, who had left to coach Clemson University
Clemson Tigers men's basketball
The Clemson Tigers men's basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA Division I. The current head coach is Brad Brownell.-Team history:...
. He followed PC's 1994 Big East title with two trips to the NIT before the Friar's 1997 run to the Elite Eight
1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1997, and ended with the championship game on March 31 in Indianapolis, Indiana...
, upsetting Marquette
Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball
The Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball team is the basketball team that represents Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school's 1977 team, coached by Al McGuire, won the NCAA championship. Currently the team competes in the Big East Conference. It last played in the NCAA Division I...
and Duke
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball
The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team is the college basketball program representing Duke University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I...
and beating Chattanooga before losing in overtime to eventual national champion Arizona
Arizona Wildcats men's basketball
The Arizona Wildcats basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The team competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of NCAA Division I. They are currently coached by Sean Miller.Arizona has a long and rich...
.
Following a tough 1997–98 year, where he lost four starters (three to graduation, and one (God Shammgod
God Shammgod
God Shammgod is an American professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association with the Washington Wizards during 1997-98 after being drafted by them in the 2nd round of the 1997 NBA Draft...
) to the NBA draft), Gillen moved on, replacing Jeff Jones
Jeff Jones (basketball coach)
Jeffrey Allen Jones is an American college basketball coach and currently the head coach of the American University men's basketball team. Jones took the helm of American basketball on April 17, 2000, becoming the 17th coach in the school's history...
at Virginia, who resigned on March 15, 1998 after eight years as the Cavaliers’ head coach. Gillen's seven Virginia teams compiled an overall record of 118–93 and competed in five postseason tournaments. The Cavaliers participated in the 2001 NCAA Tournament
2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 2001 with the play-in game, and ended with the championship game on April 2 in...
and in the National Invitation Tournament four times. He resigned after the 2004–05 season.
In September 2008, Gillen was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame along with NBA stars Kenny Anderson
Kenny Anderson
Kenneth "Kenny" Anderson is a retired American basketball player. After a college career at Georgia Institute of Technology, he played point guard professionally from 1991 to 2006, mostly in the National Basketball Association....
, Sam Perkins
Sam Perkins
Samuel Perkins is a retired American professional basketball player, also known by the nicknames "Sleepy Sam" and "Big Smooth." He attended Samuel J. Tilden High School, Shaker High School and the University of North Carolina, where he was a teammate of Michael Jordan...
and Rod Strickland
Rod Strickland
Rodney "Rod" Strickland is a retired American professional basketball player and currently in an administrative role for the University of Kentucky basketball team under head coach John Calipari. Strickland was formerly the director of basketball operations at the University of Memphis...
, and pioneers Lou Bender
Lou Bender
Louis "Lulu" Bender was an American basketball player who helped turn the sport into a popular success in New York City during the Great Depression and helped make Madison Square Garden a destination for the sport. Bender was a three-time All-Ivy League and two-time All-America in the early 1930s...
and Eddie Younger.
USA Basketball
Coach Gillen was an assistant coach under Don NelsonDon Nelson
Donald Arvid "Don" Nelson is a former NBA player and head coach. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors....
for the US national team during the 1994 FIBA World Championship
1994 FIBA World Championship
The 1994 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Canada from August 4 to August 14, 1994. The tournament was held at SkyDome and Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto as well as at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton...
, winning the gold medal.