Former Penn coach Steve Donahue hired by St. Joseph’s coach Billy Lange
Donahue brings decades of coaching experience to the Hawks’ bench.
Former Penn men’s basketball coach Steve Donahue is staying in the Big 5.
Donahue has been hired by St. Joseph’s coach Billy Lange and named associate head coach, the school announced Tuesday.
Donahue was fired in March after nine seasons at Penn. He fills a hole on the St. Joe’s bench vacated by former associate coach Justin Scott, who was hired at Oklahoma, where star Hawks point guard Xzayvier Brown, Scott’s stepson, transferred.
Donahue, who turns 63 next week, has been a Division I head coach for all but one year since 2000. He coached for 10 seasons at Cornell — where he reached the NCAA Tournament three times — before spending four seasons at Boston College.
“In the last 30 years, there is not a single person I have talked more with about basketball philosophies, the challenge of head coaching leadership, and the pursuit of daily improvement than Steve,” Lange said in a news release.
Staying in the Big 5 means staying home for Donahue, a Delaware County native whose coaching career began at Springfield (Delco) High School and followed a path that brought him to the benches of Herb Magee and Fran Dunphy.
Lange and Donahue both spent time with Magee. Lange’s first college job was under the longtime head coach at Philadelphia Textile (which turned into Philadelphia University, the school now called Jefferson University).
Donahue, who was the 2018 Ivy League coach of the year at Penn, has long had a connection to St. Joe’s. Multiple family members, including five siblings and his son, were Hawks.
“It’s more than a job, it’s home,” Donahue said in the statement.
St. Joe’s had a strong transfer portal cycle both in terms of recruitment and retention, even with losing Brown. The Hawks brought in St. John’s transfer Jaiden Glover-Toscano, a top recruit in the 2024 class who considered St. Joe’s as a high school prospect. Glover-Toscano will play in a backcourt with La Salle transfer Deuce Jones, the Atlantic 10 freshman of the year, who also has three seasons remaining.
St. Joe’s also picked up redshirt sophomore Marquette wing and Philadelphia native, Al Amadou, and Fordham freshman big man Jaden Smith.
That group adds to a returning roster that includes key players like Anthony Finkley, Derek Simpson, Justice Ajogbor, and Dasear Haskins, plus a handful of young players with potential, including big man Steven Solano.
“I have the chance to help build on two strong seasons and contribute to St. Joe’s winning the A-10 and making a deep NCAA Tournament run,” Donahue said. “I get to work alongside Coach Lange — someone I truly respect and can learn a great deal from and be part of a great university that fully supports basketball."