Joe Gallo '04 begins his 11th season as the head coach of the Merrimack College men's basketball program in 2026-27.
During his first decade leading his alma mater, Gallo won nearly 60 percent of his games as he compiled a 184-124 overall record. And in seven seasons at the Division I level, including five seasons in the Northeast Conference (NEC) and two in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), Gallo won 71 percent of his games with a 89-37 record.
Gallo is coming off a historic 2025-26 campaign in which he guided the Warriors to a program-record 23 victories and a 17-3 mark in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play. Merrimack finished the season with a perfect 12-0 record on its home floor, and Gallo was named the MAAC Coach of the Year. The Warriors' 17 conference victories brought their two-year record against league opponents to 31-9, the best two-year stretch by any program in MAAC history.
The individual recognition was the latest in a long list of coaching accolades for Gallo, who previously earned NEC Jim Phelan Coach of the Year, HoopDirt.com NCAA Division I Coach of the Year, ECAC Coach of the Year, NABC District Coach of the Year and USBWA Coach of the Year honors, all during Merrimack's nationally recognized 2019-20 campaign.
Gallo wasn't the only Warrior recognized for the team's success in 2025-26. Kevair Kennedy made conference history by becoming the first player to earn both Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season, KC Ugwuakazi was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and Ernest Shelton joined Kennedy as an All-MAAC First Team selection.
That success was hardly new for Gallo and the Warriors.
Merrimack enjoyed immediate success upon joining the MAAC in 2024-25. Gallo’s group posted 18 victories and a 14-6 conference record during its inaugural season in the league. The Warriors finished second in the regular-season standings and advanced to the MAAC semifinals, where they fell by just two points to eventual champion Mount St. Mary's. Individual accolades followed the team's success, as Adam "Budd" Clark earned All-MAAC First Team honors and Bryan Etumnu was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.
Following the season, Gallo signed a 10-year contract extension to remain at the helm of his alma mater.
The eighth head coach in program history, Gallo has played an instrumental role in Merrimack's evolution from a successful Division II program into a perennial Division I conference championship contender. Under his leadership, the Warriors have continued to win through multiple transitions, first from Division II to Division I and later from the Northeast Conference (NEC) to the MAAC.
During five seasons in the NEC, Gallo and the Warriors captured three regular-season championships (2019-20, 2022-23 and 2023-24) and the 2023 NEC Tournament title. The tournament championship would have earned Merrimack a berth in the NCAA Division I Tournament, but the Warriors were ineligible due to the NCAA's reclassification process. Merrimack's exclusion garnered national attention and added to the broader conversation surrounding the NCAA's reclassification rules.
Merrimack's first season at the Division I level (2019-20) remains one of the most impressive campaigns in program history. Picked to finish last in the NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Warriors defied expectations by winning 14 of their 18 conference games en route to the regular-season championship. Merrimack became the first program in NCAA history to capture a conference regular-season title in its first season of Division I membership.
Gallo's team also established an NCAA record for victories by a program in its first season of Division I reclassification. The historic campaign included a road victory over Northwestern, marking Merrimack's first-ever Division I win and just the second victory by an NEC program against a Big Ten opponent. The Warriors also put together a nine-game winning streak during conference play before they clinched the NEC regular-season championship with a victory over Central Connecticut in their regular-season finale.
Before guiding Merrimack through its transition to Division I, Gallo helped close out the program's Division II era with an impressive run of success. The Warriors made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 2017-19, culminating in the 2018-19 Northeast-10 Conference championship during their final season at the Division II level.
Player development has been another hallmark of Gallo's tenure. During Merrimack's five seasons in the NEC, he coached three Defensive Players of the Year, two Players of the Year, two All-NEC First Team selections, three Second Team selections, two Third Team selections and four All-Rookie Team honorees. That success has continued in the MAAC, where the Warriors have produced multiple major award winners and All-Conference selections during their first two seasons in the league.
Before returning to Merrimack, Gallo spent four seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Robert Morris University (2012-16). During his time in Pittsburgh, he helped guide the Colonials to 76 victories, an NEC Tournament championship, two regular-season titles and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Robert Morris also recorded the second NCAA Tournament victory in program history during his tenure.
A native of New Jersey, Gallo graduated from Merrimack in 2004 after a successful playing career with the Warriors. He earned a bachelor's degree in business with a concentration in management before receiving his master's degree in organizational leadership from Robert Morris University in 2019.
Coaching Experience:
Merrimack College (2016-Present)
Robert Morris University (2012-16)
Dartmouth College (2010-12)
Merrimack College (2005-09)
