John Giannini
John Giannini | |
---|---|
Sport(s) | Basketball |
Current position | |
Title | Head coach |
Team | La Salle |
Record | 143β138 (.509) |
Biographical details | |
Born |
Chicago, Illinois | October 31, 1962
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1987-1989 1989β1996 1996β2004 2004βpresent |
Illinois (asst.) Rowan Maine La Salle |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 436β287 (.603) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships NCAA Division III National Championship (1996) |
Dr. John Giannini (born October 31, 1962) is an American college basketball coach and the current head coach of the La Salle University men's basketball team.
Early life
The son of Italian immigrants, Giannini grew up in Elmwood Park, a suburb of Chicago, and has 3 younger brothers. He attended Fenwick High School in Oak Park, and received a bachelor's degree in psychology from North Central College in Naperville. Giannini also holds a master's degree in physical education with a specialization in sports psychology from North Texas University, as well as a doctorate in kinesiology with a specialization in sports psychology from the University of Illinois.[1][2]
Coaching career
University of Illinois
From 1987 through 1989, Giannini served as a graduate assistant on coach Lou Henson's staff at the University of Illinois. In Giannini's final season on Henson's staff, the Fighting Illini, lead by Kendall Gill, Kenny Battle, Stephen Bardo, Tyler Cottingham, Lowell Hamilton and Marcus Liberty, made the Final Four.[2]
Rowan University
Giannini's first head coaching job came at Rowan University, a Division III school, when he was hired as the men's coach in 1989. His 1992-93 team, lead by Terrence Stewart, went to the Final Four. Two years later, Giannini's team was the favorite to win the national championship, but again lost in the final four. The following season, Giannini gambled in accepting two Division 1 transfers, a Division 2 transfer and added them to a team centered around Stewart. After a slow start to the season, Rowan caught fire and defeated Hope College to win the 1996 national championship.[3]
University of Maine
Following Rowan's championship season, Giannini accepted the head coaching position at the University of Maine, a position he held for eight years. His Maine teams made five trips to the America East Conference semi-finals or better, and made appearances in the conference championship game two of Giannini's last three seasons. Giannini's two 20-win seasons are the only two on record in program history, and his .530 winning percentage is the highest in school history.[4][5]
La Salle University
On August 23, 2004, Giannini was hired as the eighteenth head coach of the La Salle men's basketball team. He succeeded Billy Hahn, who was forced to resign that July, following a rape scandal. The university had originally sought to hire Penn head coach and La Salle alumnus Fran Dunphy, but settled on Giannini after Dunphy turned the school down.[5]
The 2005-2006 season, Giannini's second at La Salle, set records for most Atlantic 10 wins in a season (ten), most Atlantic 10 road wins in a single season (four) and was the program's first winning season since the 1992-93 season, when the school competed in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now known as the Horizon League). Giannini was named a Jim Phelan Award candidate for National Coach of the Year.[1] However, the 2005-2006 season would be one of only two seasons in which La Salle finished above .500 in Giannini's first seven seasons leading the program. Though Giannini recruited heavily in the Philadelphia area, his teams were plagued by poor chemistry and missed opportunities, and La Salle becme an afterthought in the Big 5.[6][7]
Postseason breakthroughs
The 2011-2012 Explorers won 21 games, the program's highest win total since 1992, and received an invitation to the 2012 NIT, the program's first postseason tournament appearance since 1992. La Salle lost its first round game at home to eventual tournament runner-up Minnesota.[1]
The following season, La Salle again won 21 regular season games, including consecutive victories over ninth-ranked Butler at home, and nineteenth-ranked VCU on the road. The Explorers received their first invitation to the NCAA Tournament since 1992, when they received an automatic bid as MAAC conference tournament champions. The Explorers received an at-large bid as a thirteen seed. In the opening round, La Salle defeated fellow thirteen seed Boise State, before defeating fourth-seeded Kansas State in the second round. After defeating twelfth-seeded Old Miss in the third round, La Salle lost to Witchita State in the Sweet Sixteen. La Salle's appearance in the Sweet Sixteen made it only the sixth program seeded thirteenth or lower to advance that far, and its three tournament wins were the program's first since 1990. It was also the program's deepest tournament run since 1955, when the Tom Gola-led Explorer's lost in the national championship game.[6] The team's 24 overall victories were the seventh-most in school history, and its 11 victories in the Atlantic Ten were the most ever. The Explorers also finished ranked 24th in the nation in the final USA Today Coaches Poll of the season.[8]
Head coaching record
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
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Rowan (New Jersey Athletic Conference β Division III) (1989β1996) | |||||||||
1989β1990 | Rowan | 17β11 | |||||||
1990β1991 | Rowan | 20β8 | NCAA Division III Second Round | ||||||
1991β1992 | Rowan | 21β7 | |||||||
1992β1993 | Rowan | 29β2 | NCAA Division III Final Four | ||||||
1993β1994 | Rowan | 26β2 | NCAA Division III Sectional Semifinals | ||||||
1994β1995 | Rowan | 27β4 | NCAA Division III Final Four | ||||||
1995β1996 | Rowan | 28β4 | NCAA Division III National Champions | ||||||
Rowan: | 168β38 (.816) | ||||||||
Maine (America East Conference) (1996β2004) | |||||||||
1996β1997 | Maine | 11β20 | 6β12 | Tβ7th | |||||
1997β1998 | Maine | 7β20 | 4β14 | Tβ9th | |||||
1998β1999 | Maine | 19β9 | 13β5 | 4th | |||||
1999β2000 | Maine | 24β7 | 15β3 | 2nd | |||||
2000β2001 | Maine | 18β11 | 10β8 | 4th | |||||
2001β2002 | Maine | 12β18 | 7β9 | 5th | |||||
2002β2003 | Maine | 14β16 | 8β8 | Tβ5th | |||||
2003β2004 | Maine | 20β10 | 12β6 | 4th | |||||
Maine: | 125β111 (.530) | 75β65 (.536) | |||||||
La Salle (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2004βpresent) | |||||||||
2004β2005 | La Salle | 10β19 | 5β11 | 6th (West) | |||||
2005β2006 | La Salle | 18β10 | 10β6 | Tβ3rd | |||||
2006β2007 | La Salle | 10β20 | 3β13 | 14th | |||||
2007β2008 | La Salle | 15β17 | 8β8 | Tβ7th | |||||
2008β2009 | La Salle | 18β13 | 9β7 | Tβ5th | |||||
2009β2010 | La Salle | 12β18 | 4β12 | 13th | |||||
2010β2011 | La Salle | 15β18 | 6β10 | 10th | |||||
2011β2012 | La Salle | 21β13 | 9β7 | 6th | NIT First Round | ||||
2012β2013 | La Salle | 24β10 | 11β5 | Tβ3rd | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
La Salle: | 143β138 (.509) | 65β79 (.451) | |||||||
Total: | 436β287 (.603) | ||||||||
National champion
Conference regular season champion
Conference tournament champion
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Personal life
Giannini and his wife Donna have two daughters.[4][9]
References
- β 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Men's Basketball Coaching Staff: Dr. John Giannini". Team Profiles. La Salle University. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- β 2.0 2.1 Haugh, David (March 25, 2013). "La Salle coach Giannini enjoying the moment". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- β Prunty, Brandon (March 27, 2013). "La Salle coach John Giannini left a mark on Rowan that has not faded with time". The Cranford Chronicle. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- β 4.0 4.1 "La Salle Names John Giannini Head Men's Basketball Coach". Men's Basketball News. The Atlantic 10 Conference. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- β 5.0 5.1 Neff, Andrew (August 23, 2004). "Reports: La Salle tabs Giannini; Philadelphia school will announce hiring today". The Bangor Daily News. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- β 6.0 6.1 Wieberg, Steve (March 25, 2013). "Proud La Salle announces return with run to Sweet 16". USA Today. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- β Jensen, Mike (March 30, 2013). "La Salle and John Giannini are a perfect fit". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- β "La Salle Finishes Season Ranked #24 In Final USA Today/Coaches Poll". La Salle University Athletic Department: Men's Basketball. La Salle University. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
- β Jensen, Mike (February 18, 2013). "La Salle coach John Giannini enjoying the ride". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
External links
- Dr. John Giannini official university profile
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