On Wednesday Director of Athletics Mary Ellen Gillespie announced that John Gallagher has signed a new contract that will keep him as the head coach of the Men’s Basketball team at the University of Hartford. “It is both very humbling and exciting to have the opportunity to continue to lead the men’s basketball program at the University of Hartford,” said Gallagher. Gallagher will be entering his ninth season as head coach. He was named the 2018 America East co-Coach of the year, for leading the Hartford Hawks to one of the best single season turnarounds in history in 2017-2018. The Hawks finished third in the America East with an 11-5 record, marking the best conference winning percentage in program history. Hartford advanced to the semifinals of the league tournament where they fell to eventual champion UMBC. In addition to all of the team’s successes, Gallagher also reached key milestones in his coaching career during the 2017-18 campaign. Three days after becoming the fifth coach in program history to reach 100 wins, Gallagher became Hartford’s winningest Division I coach after defeating Stony Brook, 73-64. The outlook for the 2018-19 season is also bright, as Gallagher returns the core of his team 11 players including all but one starter for his ninth season in West Hartford
