Steve Donahue named head coach of St. Joseph’s as Billy Lange heads to the Knicks
Donahue, the former Penn coach who was added to the Hawks’ staff as an associate head coach in May, was named the latest head of the program on Wednesday.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Steve Donahue has been named head coach at St. Joseph’s after Billy Lange’s departure.
Billy Lange is stepping down as St. Joseph’s men’s basketball coach and is expected to be hired by the New York Knicks to run their player development program.
The university confirmed the news Wednesday in a news release. Associate head coach Steve Donahue will become the program’s head coach.
Lange was set to enter his seventh season with the Hawks. He’ll depart with an 81-104 record (.438) and no NCAA Tournament appearances.
“Billy and I shared a vision for how to run a program in the new world of college sports,” said St. Joe’s athletic director Jill Bodensteiner. “He built that infrastructure from the ground up — people, culture, facilities, student-athlete development, and talent. We have all of the pieces we need to be successful as Steve Donahue leads us into our next chapter of Hawks basketball.”
Donahue joined the Hawks in May following a 10-season run as Penn’s coach. He guided the Quakers to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 but struggled in the last few seasons and was fired after Penn went 8-19 in 2024-25. He finished with a 131-130 record at Penn and also served as head coach at Cornell and Boston College. Donahue’s career record in 24 seasons as a head coach is 331-344.
“From the minute I arrived on Hawk Hill, I’ve been blown away by the state of the program,” Donahue said in a release. “I’m so thankful to [St. Joe’s president] Dr. [Cheryl A.] McConnell, Jill, and Billy for bringing me into the Hawk family.
“It is a program I watched closely from our great matchups in the Big 5 and I’ve long admired St. Joe’s for its legacy, tradition and dedicated fan base. But nothing prepared me for what I saw when I joined the team. We are athletic, deep, and talented; we have the people, culture, and first-class facilities. We have everything we need to win.”
As for Lange, he arrived in 2019 after the departure of longtime head coach Phil Martelli. Lange worked as an assistant on Brett Brown‘s coaching staff with the 76ers from 2013 to 2019.
The Haddon Heights native, who graduated from Bishop Eustace and played college ball at Rowan, also had coaching stints at La Salle, Villanova, Philadelphia University, Navy, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Lange had a 92-115 record in seven seasons as Navy’s head coach.
On the university’s athletics website, Lange gave a farewell statement in which he noted he’s leaving with “contentment and peace.”
“I leave Saint Joseph’s as its head men’s basketball coach to step into an opportunity made possible only through my time stewarding the program we all love,” the statement read. “With Steve Donahue moving into the head coach role, I confidently pass along a foundation and a structure that was built brick by brick, without compromise, and occupied by united competitors whose hearts are filled with a bold vision.”
The Hawks made the Atlantic 10 tournament semifinals each of the last two seasons. They played in the 2024 and 2025 editions of the NIT but lost in the first round both times.
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St. Joe’s also won its second straight Big 5 Classic championship last season.
During the offseason, the Hawks lost Xzayvier Brown (Oklahoma), Erik Reynolds, and Rasheer Fleming (Phoenix Suns) to the transfer portal and pro basketball. Senior Derek Simpson and junior Anthony Finkley are among top returning players.
St. Joe’s will tip off its 2025-26 season with an exhibition at home against Delaware on Oct. 25. The Hawks’ nonconference schedule begins with a home game against Lafayette on Nov. 3.