Mount St. Mary’s University named Jamion Christian as its new head men’s basketball coach on March 26.  A 2004 graduate of the Mount, Christian becomes the 22nd head coach in the history of the program.

“We are very pleased Jamion is coming home to lead our men’s basketball program,” said University President Thomas H. Powell. “Coach Christian comes to us with tremendous experience, and as a graduate of the Mount, he brings a distinct passion to our campus. We are very confident he will be successful in guiding our program and our student-athletes.”

“We are excited to welcome Jamion Christian back to his alma mater as the next head men’s basketball coach,” said Lynne Robinson, Mount St. Mary’s Director of Athletics.  “Jamion’s successful Division I playing and coaching experience perfectly positions him to guide our program. We are thrilled that Jamion has returned to the Mount and we look forward to his leadership in the years to come.”

Christian, 29, was an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth this season, helping guide the Rams to the Third Round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.  VCU won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title and finished with a school-record 29 wins this year.  VCU led the NCAA in steals and steals per game.

Christian worked hand-in-hand with VCU starting shooting guard Troy Daniels this season, who broke the school record with 94 three-pointers. 

”I am both thrilled and humbled to be returning to the Mount,” said Christian.  “I look forward to bringing energy and enthusiasm back to our historic program one passionate day at a time. I am so excited to work with our players currently here and with our incoming freshmen.  I truly believe they are not only talented, but have proven to have tremendous character by how they respond to adversity.  I believe in our leadership, our campus, and our community to help us return our program to prominence in the NEC.”  

Prior to his time at VCU, he spent three years at William & Mary.  In three seasons with the Tribe, he helped usher in a new era of basketball. The Tribe made their second postseason appearance in school history in 2010 and recorded the third most wins in school history with 22.

On the recruiting trail, he aided in the Tribe's 2010 recruiting class that was ranked among the best in "Mid-Major" classes in the country and the best in the CAA by ESPN.com and Scouts, Inc. During his time with William & Mary, Christian was responsible for recruiting in Virginia, Texas and the Washington, D.C. region.

Prior to his time with the Tribe, he spent two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations at Bucknell University and two seasons as an assistant coach at Emory & Henry.

As a player, Christian was a three-year captain at the Mount, scoring 581 points in 90 career games and 56 starts.  He led the Mount in scoring at 11.3 points per game in 2001-02 and averaged 8.2 points the following season. 

During his senior year at New Kent High School, Christian led his squad to an undefeated season and a VHSL State Championship.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT JAMION CHRISTIAN

SHAKA SMART, VCU Head Coach
“I think he’s got a great perspective on the game, and it’s different, much different than anyone else on our staff because of his background and who he’s worked for.  That’s always something you invite.  You don’t want to bring someone in that has the exact same views as you and knows the same things as you because then they basically become a ‘yes’ man.  Jamion’s brought up a bunch of interesting ideas that the rest of us haven’t thought of.”

TONY SHAVER, WILLIAM & MARY Head Coach
“Jamion’s work ethic and ability to relate to young people makes him a great recruiter.  He displays maturity beyond his years and contributed in every facet to our program.  Jamion has groomed himself by working and playing for a number of exceptional head coaches like Jim Phelan, Pat Flannery at Bucknell and Bob Johnson at Emory and Henry.”

MILAN BROWN, HOLY CROSS Head Coach
“Jamion is one of the young and talented coaches in our business.  I have always liked Jamion’s leadership qualities, basketball IQ and his passion for the game.  He is going to bring a ton of competitive energy to recruiting, practices and game preparation.  I am extremely proud of Jamion and can’t wait to see him walking the sidelines at the Mount.”

Wilkins is in his first season at the  Mount after spending the past six seasons as an assistant coach at William and  Mary.

Wilkins spent his six seasons on the staff at William and  Mary under the direction of two-time Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year Tony Shaver.  Wilkins was instrumental in implementing the offensive and defensive systems at William and  Mary.  His responsibilities included scouting, scheduling, recruiting, individual skill work and development of the perimeter players.

William and  Mary appeared in the CAA championship game in two of the past five seasons, and Wilkins was part of the staff that saw one of the best four-year stretches in school history that culminated with a 22-win season and a berth in the National Invitation Tournament in 2010.  Wilkins and Christian were on staff together at William and  Mary for three seasons.

“I have worked alongside Coach Wilkins and I know the value of person and coach he instantly adds to our program here at the Mount,” said Christian.  “His experience in program building and understanding of the team dynamic is second to none.  I look forward to him impacting our program in the same ways as he has done on every stop along his coaching journey.”

Before coming to William and Mary, Wilkins was the video coordinator at N.C. State. The Wolfpack advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2005-06, while amassing an overall record of 22-10. N.C. State also went 10-6 in ACC action. During the season, Wilkins was involved with various aspects of the Wolfpack program including film editing, player housing, player financial services and organizing a past player reunion. He also served as the liaison for sports marketing, handled office and player tickets and was an assistant camp director.

Wilkins served as the first assistant and recruiting coordinator for Barton College in Wilson, N.C., during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. The Bulldogs compiled a 35-21 mark over those two seasons, including a third-place finish in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference (CVAC) during his final campaign. In his time at Barton, Wilkins' primary responsibilities centered around recruiting, scouting reports, both practice and in-game coaching, development of the perimeter players and film exchange. Wilkin's final recruiting class at Barton finished their careers with a 68-12 CVAC record to go along with three regular season and three tournament championships. The group advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament on three occasions and tallied an Elite Eight appearance in 2006 to go along with its 2007 NCAA Division II National Championship.

During his time as the recruiting coordinator at Barton, the Bulldogs signed two-time CVAC Player of the Year, Anthony Atkinson, and CVAC Freshman of the Year, Bobby Buffaloe. A trio of Wilkins recruits, including Atkinson, Buffaloe and Brian Leggett, were two-time All-CVAC selections during their careers. Wilkins also assisted in the organization and operation of the Barton Basketball Camp and served as the game day manager during both men's and women's basketball games.

After graduating from N.C. State, Wilkins served as the junior varsity coach for Apex High School in Apex, N.C. He guided the Cougars to a 17-1 mark and a first-place showing in conference play. As an assistant for the boys' varsity squad, Wilkins helped guide Apex to the state playoffs.

Wilkins graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in history in December of 2001. During his time at N.C. State, he was also a team manager.   

Darryl Bruce begins his first season on the Mount coaching staff.  Bruce comes to the Mount after serving the past six years as an assistant coach under former Mount St. Mary’s player Cliff Warren (C’ 90) at Jacksonville University.

Bruce, a DeMatha High School graduate, brings a wealth of Division I coaching experience to the Mount as he will be entering his 21^th season as a Division I assistant.  While at Jacksonville, he was responsible for working with the post players, recruiting, game preparation and coaching while also coordinating scheduling.  The Dolphins won back-to-back regular season championships and have advanced to the postseason in each of the past three years.

Prior to his time at Jacksonville, Bruce was an assistant coach at Hampton, where the team advanced to a pair of MEAC championship game appearances.  In addition, he helped coach seven All-MEAC players in his time at Hampton, including Devin Green, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Rashad West and Jazz Cowin.  Also under his tutelage, Hampton had the 2005 NCAA Division I individual leader in field goal percentage.

Prior to Hampton, Bruce spent a pair of seasons at Northeast Conference rival Wagner College.  He helped guide the Seahawks to the NIT in 2002, the school’s first postseason appearance in 23 years.  He also helped develop Jermaine Hall, who was the NEC Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year during his time at Wagner.

Before coaching at Wagner, Bruce spent three years as the top assistant at Howard University. At Howard, Bruce's responsibilities included recruiting prospective student-athletes, scheduling, academic counseling, team travel and acting as a liaison with on-campus departments.  While there, he coached an all-conference and two all-rookie team selections. He also recruited Ron Williamson, who went on to become the MEAC Player of the Year and one of the top scorers in school history.

Prior to Howard, Bruce assisted then head coach Mike Brey and the Blue Hen staff at Delaware with game day coaching, practice coordination and acted as the academic liaison. He also was heavily involved in the recruitment and development of one of the most successful classes in Delaware history. A class that would produce four starters on back-to-back conference championship and NCAA Tournament teams, including Mike Pegues, who would go on to become a one three-time all-league player, a conference player of the year, and the school's all-time leading scorer.

Bruce came to Delaware after a one- year stint as an assistant coach at University of Maryland-Eastern Shore where he served during the 1992-93 season under head coach Rob Chavez. He was responsible for scouting, recruiting and community relations.  While at UMES, Bruce was instrumental in improving the Hawks to a 12-15 mark in 1992-93, an improvement of nine wins from the previous season. The 12 victories were the most by the school in more than 10 seasons.

Bruce began his coaching career at his alma mater Towson as a student assistant under then head coach Terry Truax. He helped guide the Tigers to the East Coast Conference Title in 1989-90 and the school's first NCAA appearance in Division I.  The Tigers were led by Kurk Lee, a two-time conference player of the year who went on to play for the New Jersey Nets.

Following graduation in 1990, Bruce moved to Bladensburg (Md.) High School where he served as assistant varsity and head junior varsity boy's basketball coach for two seasons. While at Bladensburg, he helped lead the Mustangs to two Maryland state playoff appearances. During this time, Bruce also worked at the Mason Dixon basketball camps.

Former North Carolina State point guard Tony Bethel joined the Mount as an assistant coach this year.  He comes to the Mount after serving as the video coordinator at North Carolina State the past two seasons.

Bethel started 47 games in his two seasons (2004-06) at North Carolina State.  He helped the Wolf Pack to a 33-14 mark in those games, and posted a career three-point percentage of .416, the seventh-best mark in school history.

Bethel was the recipient of the first Bob Bradley Courage and Spirit Award by the ACC in 2006, which recognizes an individual from the sport of basketball who has overcome serious injury, illness or significant adversity in life to be a valuable contributor to his/her team and university.

He went on to play professionally in Sweden, Bosnia, and Belgium. He last played with the Erie Bayhawks of the NBDL in early 2009.

After playing two seasons at Georgetown (2001-03), Bethel transferred to N.C. State. While at Georgetown, Bethel started 52 of 58 games, averaging 10.5 points and 3.1 assists while averaging 30.8 minutes in his two seasons.

Bethel is quite familiar with the Mount as his older brother, Eric, was a Mountaineer from 1995-99.  Eric scored 689 points in 108 career games for the Mount, helping lead the team to the 1999 NCAA Tournament.

A graduate of North Carolina State with a degree in sociology in 2006, Bethel played earned Second Team All-Met honors by the Washington post as a senior at Montrose Christian.  As a junior at Bishop McNamara, Bethel was an honorable mention All-Met selection.

Bethel is married to the former Michele Lynn Frick of Erie, Pa.  Michele graduated from Edinboro University, where she played four years of soccer.  In 2009, she received her Master of Science in Special Education from North Carolina Central University.

Matturro is in his first season as the Mount's Director of Basketball Operations.  Matturro comes to the Mount after spending the past season as a graduate manager at Virginia Commonwealth University under head coach Shaka Smart.

Prior to his time at VCU, Matturro spent three seasons at Siena College as the Director of Basketball Operations from 2008-11.  Siena won consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles in his first two seasons with the Saint.  IN 2008-09, Siena advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament after posting a win over Ohio State.  While at Siena, Matturro assisted the coaching staff in all aspects of the program, playing a vital role in the oversight of the team's film exchange and coordination of travel.

"Dave was the first call I made when accepting the job here at Mount St. Mary's," said Christian.  "I want to be surrounded by those who will work tirelessly for our program and for its success. I knew that Dave would improve us each day not only through his work, but also through his desire to get us back into the top of the league. He provides us with a wealth of knowledge from previous successful programs as well."

Before arriving at Siena, Matturro served as the Junior Varsity Head Coach and Assistant Varsity Coach at the Boys' Latin School of Maryland for two years from 2006-2008.   During his senior year of college, he worked at Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester, N.Y. as the Head Coach of the Boys Freshmen team during the 2005-2006 season. He gained additional experience working for the Hoop Group at various high school, grassroots, and individual events.

Matturro graduated from St. John Fisher College in May of 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics.  He also is currently working towards completing his Master's Degree through VCU's Center for Sport Leadership.