Tom Herrion
Encyclopedia
Tom Herrion is an American
college basketball
coach and the current head coach for the Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball
team. He previously served as associate head basketball coach at the University of Pittsburgh
and head coach at the College of Charleston
.
.
A native of Oxford, Massachusetts, Herrion was a three-year letter-winner in both basketball and baseball
at Oxford High School
.
Herrion hails from a coaching family. His father, the late Jim Herrion, was a successful high school coach in the New York City Catholic League before becoming an assistant coach at Holy Cross and later the head coach at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
. His older brother Bill Herrion
is currently the head basketball coach at the University of New Hampshire
(2005–present). Bill has also served head coaching stints at both East Carolina (1999–2005) and Drexel University
(1991–99).
(1999–2002), Providence College
(1994–98) and NCAA Division II Merrimack College (1989–94). He spent eight seasons under Pete Gillen
at both Virginia and Providence. In his four seasons at Virginia, Herrion helped Gillen orchestrate a 70–50 (58%) record and three postseason appearances. His main responsibilities included recruitment of student-athletes, scheduling and scouting of opponents and assisting with practice planning and game preparation. Additionally, the Cavaliers' recruiting classes were ranked among the nation's top-10 in three of his four seasons with the program. At Providence under Gillen, the Friars put together a 72–53 (58%) four-year record including a berth in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight and two NIT appearances.
Herrion also served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Merrimack College, from 1989 to 1994. During that time, he helped guide Merrimack to two NCAA Division II tournament appearances.
. From 2002 to 2006, Herrion compiled an 80–38 (68%) four-year record, earned a national top-25 ranking, guided his team to the 2003 National Invitation Tournament and achieved the best winning percentage in the Southern Conference during that period. His first Cougar team in 2002–03 finished 25–8, captured the Great Alaska Shootout
title and advanced to the NIT. His 25 victories marked the highest total of any first-year NCAA Division I head coach during the 2002–03 season. Herrion also guided the Cougars to a 20–9 finish in 2003–04, 18–10 performance in 2004–05 and 17–11 record in 2005–06.
as an assistant to head coach Jamie Dixon
. Tom was later promoted to the position of associate head coach at Pittsburgh where his main responsibilities included recruiting student-athletes, game preparation and on-floor coaching. Tom assisted head coach Jamie Dixon
in leading Pitt to the NCAA tournament during his three year stent that included a 2009 run to the "Elite Eight" in 2009, a year that saw the Panthers earn their first-ever no. 1 rankings in the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll, their first-ever victories over a no. 1 ranked team (UConn, twice), and their first ever no. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (East Region). During the 2007–08 season, Tom helped Jamie Dixon lead Pitt to win the Big East Tournament
. In the 2009–10 season, he aided Dixon in a solid season; losing to Notre Dame in their first Big East Tournament game, and then exiting the NCAA's in a second round loss to Xavier.
.
and Comcast
, providing analysis for Conference USA
games. He also worked as a collegiate player development consultant at the Nike
All-American Camp and Michael Jordan
Flight School before becoming the assistant head coach at Pittsburgh.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
coach and the current head coach for the Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball
Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball
The Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team is a basketball team from Marshall University in Huntington, West VirginiaNew head coach Tom Herrion will lead the Thundering Herd starting the 2010 season....
team. He previously served as associate head basketball coach at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
and head coach at the College of Charleston
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
.
Personal life
Herrion received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Merrimack in 1989. As an undergrad at Merrimack, he competed in both basketball and baseball and worked as a student assistant coach in 1986–87. He also served two seasons as the junior varsity coach at Cambridge Ridge and Latin High School in Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
A native of Oxford, Massachusetts, Herrion was a three-year letter-winner in both basketball and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
at Oxford High School
Oxford High School (Massachusetts)
-Levels:Oxford High offers four levels of courses to every student, ensuring that each student learns at their own pace, no matter how slow or fast. These are career, college preparatory, honors, and Advanced Placement.-Rules and Regulation:...
.
Herrion hails from a coaching family. His father, the late Jim Herrion, was a successful high school coach in the New York City Catholic League before becoming an assistant coach at Holy Cross and later the head coach at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester Polytechnic Institute is a private university located in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States.Founded in 1865 in Worcester, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities...
. His older brother Bill Herrion
Bill Herrion
Bill Herrion is an American college basketball coach. Since 2005, he has been the men's head coach with the University of New Hampshire. Prior to coming to UNH, he served as the head coach at East Carolina University and Drexel University. He has been an assistant with Boston University, George...
is currently the head basketball coach at the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
(2005–present). Bill has also served head coaching stints at both East Carolina (1999–2005) and Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
(1991–99).
Coaching career
Herrion's collegiate coaching experience includes assistant stints at the University of VirginiaUniversity of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
(1999–2002), Providence College
Providence College
Providence College is a private, coeducational, Catholic university located about two miles west of downtown Providence, Rhode Island, United States, the state's capital city. With a 2010–2011 enrollment of 3,850 undergraduate students and 735 graduate students, the College specializes in academic...
(1994–98) and NCAA Division II Merrimack College (1989–94). He spent eight seasons under Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen
Pete Gillen is an American former college basketball head coach of the Division I Xavier Musketeers, Providence Friars and Virginia Cavaliers and is a member of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame...
at both Virginia and Providence. In his four seasons at Virginia, Herrion helped Gillen orchestrate a 70–50 (58%) record and three postseason appearances. His main responsibilities included recruitment of student-athletes, scheduling and scouting of opponents and assisting with practice planning and game preparation. Additionally, the Cavaliers' recruiting classes were ranked among the nation's top-10 in three of his four seasons with the program. At Providence under Gillen, the Friars put together a 72–53 (58%) four-year record including a berth in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight and two NIT appearances.
Herrion also served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Merrimack College, from 1989 to 1994. During that time, he helped guide Merrimack to two NCAA Division II tournament appearances.
College of Charleston
As a head coach, Tom spent four seasons at the College of CharlestonCollege of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
. From 2002 to 2006, Herrion compiled an 80–38 (68%) four-year record, earned a national top-25 ranking, guided his team to the 2003 National Invitation Tournament and achieved the best winning percentage in the Southern Conference during that period. His first Cougar team in 2002–03 finished 25–8, captured the Great Alaska Shootout
Great Alaska Shootout
The Great Alaska Shootout is an annual college basketball tournament in Anchorage, Alaska that features colleges from all over the United States. The University of Alaska Anchorage hosts the tournament every Thanksgiving. Tournament games are played at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage...
title and advanced to the NIT. His 25 victories marked the highest total of any first-year NCAA Division I head coach during the 2002–03 season. Herrion also guided the Cougars to a 20–9 finish in 2003–04, 18–10 performance in 2004–05 and 17–11 record in 2005–06.
University of Pittsburgh
In the spring of 2007, Tom arrived at the University of PittsburghUniversity of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
as an assistant to head coach Jamie Dixon
Jamie Dixon
Jamie Dixon is an American basketball head coach. He has served as the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team since 2003. In 2009 he was the head coach for the FIBA Under-19 2009 gold-medal winning United States national basketball team for which he was named the 2009 USA...
. Tom was later promoted to the position of associate head coach at Pittsburgh where his main responsibilities included recruiting student-athletes, game preparation and on-floor coaching. Tom assisted head coach Jamie Dixon
Jamie Dixon
Jamie Dixon is an American basketball head coach. He has served as the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team since 2003. In 2009 he was the head coach for the FIBA Under-19 2009 gold-medal winning United States national basketball team for which he was named the 2009 USA...
in leading Pitt to the NCAA tournament during his three year stent that included a 2009 run to the "Elite Eight" in 2009, a year that saw the Panthers earn their first-ever no. 1 rankings in the AP Poll and Coaches' Poll, their first-ever victories over a no. 1 ranked team (UConn, twice), and their first ever no. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament (East Region). During the 2007–08 season, Tom helped Jamie Dixon lead Pitt to win the Big East Tournament
Big East Tournament
Big East Tournament or Big East Championship may refer to:*Big East Men's Basketball Tournament, the men's basketball championship*Big East Women's Basketball Tournament, the women's basketball championship...
. In the 2009–10 season, he aided Dixon in a solid season; losing to Notre Dame in their first Big East Tournament game, and then exiting the NCAA's in a second round loss to Xavier.
Marshall University
Tom was announced April 10, 2010 as the 28th head coach of men's basketball at Marshall UniversityMarshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
.
Brief TV Career
Herrion spent the 2006–07 year working as a television commentator for both ESPN RegionalESPN Plus
ESPN Plus, the popular name of ESPN Regional Television, is an American television program syndicator. ERT is based along with sister network ESPNU in Charlotte, North Carolina...
and Comcast
Comcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
, providing analysis for Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
games. He also worked as a collegiate player development consultant at the Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
All-American Camp and Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
Flight School before becoming the assistant head coach at Pittsburgh.