“At Eastern Michigan, we will be a program that prioritizes the transformational over the transactional,” Donlon said in a press release. “We’re committed to developing young men of character, fostering a family atmosphere, and creating an environment where players grow on and off the court. Our community and alumni will be proud of the product we put on the floor: tough, disciplined, unselfish and relentless in pursuit of excellence.
“Most importantly, to the Eastern Michigan community and our proud alumni: You are the heartbeat of this program. Your passion, support, and unwavering loyalty fuel everything we do. Together, with your energy behind us, we’ll build something special that makes every Eagle proud and brings championships back to Ypsilanti.”
Donlon will remain with Clemson through the NCAA tournament. No. 8 seed Clemson plays No. 9 seed Iowa in the first round at 6:50 p.m. Friday in Tampa, Fla. It’s the third straight NCAA tournament appearance for Clemson and the sixth in Brownell’s 16 seasons.
This is Donlon’s fourth stop since being fired by Wright State, where he was 109-94 in six seasons, in March 2016. He spent the 2016-17 season as an assistant coach at Michigan and then moved to Northwestern for two seasons.
In 2019, Donlon landed his second head coaching job at Kansas City. He was 46-39 in three seasons (2019-22).
Donlon stepped down at Kansas City to take the job at Clemson.
At Eastern Michigan, Donlon replaces Stan Heath, who was 57-99 in five seasons. EMU and Heath mutually agreed to part ways on March 8.
Donlon will take over a program that has suffered eight straight non-winning seasons. It last finished above .500 in the 2017-18 season. It has not played in the NCAA tournament since 1998.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
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