Phil Martelli Jr.

Phil Martelli, Jr.

Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	Bryant
Conference	America East
Record	20–13 (.606)
Biographical details
Born	(1981-08-02) August 2, 1981 Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Playing career
1999–2003	Saint Joseph's
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2003–2005	Central Connecticut (assistant)
2005–2006	Manhattan (assistant)
2006–2011	Niagara (assistant)
2011–2016	Delaware (assistant)
2016–2017	Delaware 87ers (assistant)
2018–2023	Bryant (associate HC)
2023–present	Bryant
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2017–2018	Saint Joseph's (Director of Program Administration)
Head coaching record
Overall	20–13 (.606)

Phil Martelli Jr. (born August 2, 1981) is an American college basketball coach and is currently the head men's basketball coach of the Bryant Bulldogs in the America East Conference.

Playing career

Martelli Jr., an alumnus of Saint Joseph’s University class of 2003, participated as a four-year player for the Hawks. He was a key member of the teams that achieved NCAA Tournament appearances in both 2001 and 2003. Serving as a team co-captain alongside Jameer Nelson during the 2002-03 season, Martelli earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from SJU.

Coaching career

Martelli Jr. began his coaching journey in 2003 at Central Connecticut, becoming the youngest full-time assistant coach in Division I at the age of 22. From 2006 to 2011, Martelli served as an assistant coach at Niagara, contributing to the Purple Eagles' 95-69 record over five years, including the 2007 MAAC Tournament title and a victory in the NCAA Tournament. He continued in a similar role at Manhattan in 2005-06.

Martelli Jr. spent five seasons on the coaching staff at the University of Delaware. During this time, the Blue Hens reached an NCAA tournament appearance in 2014 and set a program-best mark for conference wins over a five-year stretch (55). Martelli's tenure at Delaware saw the development of notable players, including guard Devon Saddler, who set a school record with 2,222 career points.

Martelli Jr.'s experience also includes a stint in the NBA G-League with the Delaware 87ers (now Delaware Blue Coats), an affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Martelli Jr. was tabbed as the associate head coach for Bryant when Jared Grasso took over for Tim O'Shea in 2018. Bryant achieved significant milestones while Martelli Jr. was on the sideline, including winning the 2022 NEC Regular Season and Tournament titles, leading to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The 2022-23 season saw the Bulldogs ranking in the top 75 nationally in field goal percentage defense and rebounding margin.

Martelli Jr. served as Bryant's acting head coach for two games to start the 2023-24 season amidst controversy over Grasso's future with the team; Grasso was placed on leave of absence by the school on September 29, then was arrested for hit and run on October 1. Just days after Grasso resigned, Martelli Jr. was named the Bryant head coach on November 15, 2023.

Personal life

Martelli Jr. is the son of Phil Martelli, who spent 24 years as the head coach of Saint Joseph's and 5 years as the associate head coach at Michigan.

Martelli Jr. and his wife, Meghan, have three children - a daughter, Marra, and sons Philip and Nathan.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Bryant Bulldogs (America East Conference) (2023–present)
2023–24	Bryant	20–13	11–5	3rd
Bryant:		20–13 (.606)	11–5 (.688)
Total:		20–13 (.606)
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion