Joe Reilly Named Division III National Head Coach of the Year
SAN ANTONIO, Tex. — Wesleyan's Joe Reilly is the recipient of the 2025 Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year award, which is presented annually to the top head coach in Division III college basketball.
Reilly led Wesleyan to a 30-2 record, a No. 1 ranking and the school's first-ever trip to the Division III Final Four. The Cardinals ran off 26 straight wins to start the season and finished a perfect 10-0 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).
Wesleyan became the first NESCAC team to complete an undefeated regular season since the league became a formal playing conference and championships began in the 2000-01 season. Reilly's squad won the Little Three Championship, sweeping Williams and Amherst for just the second time since 1947-48. For his efforts, Reilly was named the District 1 Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Region 1 Coach of the Year by D3hoops.com while Reilly and his assistant coaches Matt Bielenda and Noah Tyson were recognized as the NESCAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
"A legend in New England basketball, all Joe Reilly does is win," said Joe Dwyer, President of CollegeInsider.com. "The 2024-25 season is just the latest outstanding campaign turned in by Reilly. He has taken Wesleyan basketball to places it had never been before and there is a lot more to come. Joe Reilly is one of the best coaches in college basketball."
Now in his 17th season at Wesleyan, Reilly has led the Cardinals to a high level of success unmatched in the history of the program. He sports a career record of 264-152 (.636) at Wesleyan while his teams have achieved a winning record for 10 straight seasons. The Cardinals have won the NESCAC Championship twice (2015, 2022) and have qualified for the NCAA Tournament five times under Reilly. Prior to his arrival in 2008, Wesleyan had never played in the NCAA Tournament.
Reilly is a 1991 graduate of Trinity College, majoring in economics, and completed his MBA at the University of Rhode Island in 1994. Part of a rich basketball coaching family with deep roots in the state, Reilly's father Joe Sr. was the long-time head coach at South Catholic High School, where he won more than 500 games. His uncle Gene Reilly achieved similar success as the head coach of Portland High School, while brother Luke has captured five State Championships as the head coach of East Catholic High School in Manchester, Conn.
The Glenn Robinson Award is named in honor of the legendary Franklin & Marshall head coach. The winningest coach in Division III history, Robinson won his 900th game on Jan. 9, 2016. He's the second Division III coach to spend 1,000 games on the sidelines.
