The Vault Files: Bryant HC Phil Martelli Jr.
The son of a legendary coach will get his first HC opportunity in 2023-24
Martelli Jr.- the (interim) head coach at Bryant University and today’s featured subject on The Vault Files- wasn’t expecting to be in this situation.
He’s no stranger to Bryant University- in fact, he’s been a part of the program since April 2018, when he joined the staff of Jared Grasso, an up-and-coming young head coach who left his Associate Head Coach role at Iona behind in favor of the lead gig for the Bulldogs.
After five seasons as the team’s lead assistant- and being on a staff that helped Bryant achieve their first-ever regular season championship during the 2020-21 season and their first-ever conference championship a year later in 2021-22, resulting in the Bulldogs hearing their name called on Selection Sunday for the first time. Despite a 93-82 loss to Wright State in a play-in game for the 16 seed, things certainly looked up for the program, and there was even more excitement following a 17-13 record for the Bulldogs in their first season as a member of the America East Conference this past year.
But in late September, rumors began to surface that Grasso was in hot water due to undisclosed personal conduct violations. A statement was issued by the university shortly after rumors came to light, in which Bryant stated that Grasso was being placed on leave by the school with no timeframe for reinstatement.
A few days later, Grasso was arrested by North Smithfield police on charges of leaving the scene of an accident- an incident that was not grounds for his dismissal from the program, yet coming at an inopportune time.
And yet, the Bulldogs could not have handpicked a better interim coach.
If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Martelli is the son of Phil Martelli Sr., the legendary coach at St. Joseph’s who ran Hawk Hill in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for 24 years, amassing a career record of 444-328 (.575) with 7 NCAA Tournament appearances. The younger Martelli would appear in 34 contests under his dad from 1999-2003, serving as co-captain of the team in 2002-03 alongside Hawks star and future NBA great Jameer Nelson on a team featuring other future NBA players in Delonte West and Dwayne Jones.
Upon graduating in 2003, Martelli accepted a role at Central Connecticut State, and, at 22 years old, became the youngest full-time assistant coach in Division I (at the time). He joined Manhattan in 2005-06, taking on his first assistant coach position, and later accepting a similar role with Niagara College ahead of the 2006-07 season. Through his five years with the program (2006-2011), the Purple Eagles amassed an overall record of 95-69, with a MAAC Championship (and subsequent NCAA Tournament berth) coming in his first year on campus.
After an impressive five-year stretch in Lewiston, Martelli moved on to another assistant coach role at the University of Delaware. There, he had a similarly remarkable five-year stretch as the Blue Hens appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and amassed 52 wins in three years from 2011-2014.
In 2016-17, Martelli left the college ranks in favor of a coaching stint with the Delaware 87ers (now known as the Delaware Blue Coats) of the NBA G-League. He spent one season with the 76ers minor league affiliate before returning to his alma mater, working alongside his dad as Saint Joe’s Director of Program Administration in 2017-18.
When Grasso took over as the head coach of Bryant basketball, Martelli was one of the first people he called. Now, entering his seventh season with the Bulldogs, things will be much different. Obviously, the news surrounding Grasso- albeit most of it shrouded in mystery- looms large. The departures of several impact players for the Bulldogs last season, including Antwan Walker and Chauncey Hawkins IV (each to graduation), and program legend Charles Pride transferring to St. Bonaventure- also loom large.
And yet, despite the turmoil, Bryant should be competitive this upcoming season. The Bulldogs were picked third in the NEC Preseason Coaches Poll and return a talented core featuring Sherif Gross-Bullock, Earl Timberlake, Doug Edert, Kvonn Cramer, Miles Latimer, and Tyler Brelsford in addition to newcomers such as Connor Withers (formerly of Massachusetts-Lowell), Rafael Pinzon (St. John’s), and Daniel Rivera (St. Louis), amongst others.
And so, for all the turmoil that Bryant has faced in the month leading up to a new season, the Bulldogs still couldn’t have put themselves in a better position. With the son of a college basketball legend at the helm- and one who has forged his own path with over 13 years of coaching experience at the Division I level- Phil Martelli Jr. is the perfect person to help move Bryant forward.
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