Steve Donahue will visit an old haunt, the Palestra, when St. Joe’s plays Penn

He’s back.

Steve Donahue, who was dismissed as Penn’s men’s basketball coach in March after 10 years at the helm, is returning to the Palestra — this time as head coach of St. Joseph’s. The Hawks and Quakers will square off Monday at 7 p.m. (NBCSP+).

Hired as a Hawks assistant in May, Donahue was promoted after the departure of coach Billy Lange, who left to join the New York Knicks’ staff. After compiling a 131-130 record as Quakers coach, Donahue is now focused on one goal: beating Penn (1-2) to reach the Big 5 championship.

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“I think about the excitement of going to the Big 5 championship game if we win this,” Donahue said when asked if there’s any extra motivation in beating Penn. “I really mean that. A St. Joe’s-Villanova championship game at the Xfinity Mobile Arena for the Big 5 championship — that’s the motivation.”

Standing in Donahue and St. Joe’s way is a motivated roster of his former players who are looking to bring down the Hawks (2-1) after an 86-69 loss last season.

“A lot of guys on our team — transfers or not — that he recruited, have this game marked as ‘You’re going to play against your old coach,’” Penn guard Michael Zanoni said. “It’s just something a lot of people are going to do.”

After posting a Big 5 pod win against Drexel, the Hawks can secure a third straight trip to the Big 5 Classic championship with a victory.

If Penn wins, the Quakers can reach the final with a win Friday at Drexel. “I think the Big 5 is a good opportunity to assert ourselves in the city of Philadelphia,” Zanoni said.

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Donahue hopes the added drama surrounding the game will lead to a packed Palestra crowd — something he didn’t experience often in his later years at Penn.

“This could generate some interest on campus,” Donahue said. “You get more people in the building. I think it’s great for Penn. I think it’s great for St Joe’s. I think it’s great for the city of Philly.”

Penn coach Fran McCaffery’s style couldn’t be more different from Donahue’s when it comes to X’s and O’s.

The former Iowa coach’s fiery personality matches his playing style, looking to score as quickly as possible each time down the floor. While Penn is still adjusting, Zanoni believes the team’s new style lets the players find grooves that they couldn’t before.

“You’re playing so fast that you’re in flow state,” Zanoni said. “ … The biggest thing from last year was obviously more ball screens and slowing down and running more set plays. It’s a lot different.”

Donahue’s coaching approach shines through his set plays and player-specific tailoring, always coaching the man first and the game second.

“I got the chance to be an assistant and kind of get to know the guys,” Donahue said of the Hawks. “They let their hair down or tell you different things than the head coach because they think playing time’s tied to it, but I thought it helped us build relationships.”

Zanoni, who was recruited to Penn by Donahue through the transfer portal, is coming off his best collegiate performance. He scored 30 points in a loss to Providence on Tuesday. The former Mercer star said his new coach has shown a willingness to feed the hot hand.

“They do a great job of recognizing who’s hot and running actions for them,” Zanoni said of his teammates. “We have a lot of guys on our team that can do that on any given night, and I guess it just happened to be me.”

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For the Hawks, Deuce Jones, a transfer from La Salle and last year’s Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, has led the team in scoring. He finished with 29 points against Drexel. Donahue said he’s still tinkering with his new team.

“​​I also think we’re still learning each other,” Donahue said. “I’m still learning their strengths, and we’re not there yet, but I’ve enjoyed the process of figuring this all out.”