Joe Gallo (basketball)
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Merrimack |
| Conference | MAAC |
| Record | 161–113 (.588) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | February 8, 1980 New Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 2000–2004 | Merrimack |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 2005–2009 | Merrimack (assistant) |
| 2010–2012 | Dartmouth (assistant) |
| 2012–2016 | Robert Morris (assistant) |
| 2016–present | Merrimack |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 161–113 (.588) |
| Tournaments | 2–3 (NCAA Division II) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Northeast-10 tournament (2019) 3× NEC regular season (2020, 2023, 2024) NEC tournament (2023) | |
| Awards | |
| |
Joe Gallo (born February 8, 1980) is an American college basketball head coach and former player for the Merrimack Warriors men's basketball team. He was previously an assistant coach for Dartmouth and Robert Morris before he was hired as head coach at Merrimack in 2016.[1]
Playing career
Gallo, a native of Milltown, New Jersey, played high school basketball at Princeton Day School before playing college basketball at Merrimack College.[2]
Coaching career
Gallo began his coaching career in 2005 as an assistant at Merrimack, one year after he finished playing for the Warriors. In 2010, Gallo was hired as an assistant under head coach Paul Cormier at Dartmouth before joining Andy Toole at Robert Morris 2012. In 2015, Gallo was a key component in helping the Colonials win the Northeast Conference tournament and reach the NCAA Tournament, where Robert Morris lost to eventual national champion Duke.[3]
The following year, Gallo was hired as head coach at his alma mater, Merrimack, replacing Bert Hammel.[4] He led the Warriors to the NCAA Division II tournament in each of his first three years at the helm, and would also lead the program to its first Northeast-10 championship in 19 years during the 2018-19 season. He finished his time coaching at the Division II level with an overall record of 61-34 and a conference record of 40-23.
The Warriors transitioned to Division I in 2019, joining the Northeast Conference. In the program’s first Division I season Gallo would lead Merrimack to a Northeast Conference regular season championship in 2020, receiving a plethora of coaching awards at the end of the season, including NEC Coach of the Year, HoopDirt.com NCAA Division I Coach of the Year, the John McLendon Award, ECAC Coach of the Year, NABC District Coach of the Year, and USBWA Coach of the Year.[5]
During the 2021-22 season, Gallo earned his 100th career victory with a win over Wagner on February 12. Gallo would go on to lead the Warriors to back-to-back NEC regular season championships in 2023 and 2024, and would even win the NEC tournament in 2023. However, Merrimack was ineligible to participate in the NCAA Tournament due to the five-year transition period having not completed. Gallo would return to the NEC championship game in 2024, but Merrimack fell to Wagner, 54-47. This would be his last season coaching in the NEC, finishing with an overall record of 82-64 and a conference record 58-28.
In 2024, Merrimack moved to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.[6] Gallo led the Warriors to a second-place finish in their first year in the MAAC.
Personal life
Gallo married his wife, Megan, in 2015.[3] The couple has two sons, Joey and Trey.[7][8]
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimack Warriors (Northeast-10 Conference) (2016–2019) | |||||||||
| 2016–17 | Merrimack | 19–12 | 12–9 | T–3rd (Northeast) | NCAA Division II Regional Semifinals | ||||
| 2017–18 | Merrimack | 20–12 | 14–7 | 2nd (Northeast) | NCAA Division II Regional Semifinals | ||||
| 2018–19 | Merrimack | 22–10 | 14–7 | 2nd (Northeast) | NCAA Division II First Round | ||||
| Merrimack Warriors (Northeast Conference) (2019–2024) | |||||||||
| 2019–20 | Merrimack | 20–11 | 14–4 | 1st | |||||
| 2020–21 | Merrimack | 9–9 | 9–9 | T–5th | |||||
| 2021–22 | Merrimack | 14–16 | 10–8 | 4th | |||||
| 2022–23 | Merrimack | 18–16 | 12–4 | 1st | |||||
| 2023–24 | Merrimack | 21–12 | 13–3 | T–1st | |||||
| Merrimack Warriors (MAAC) (2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024–25 | Merrimack | 18–15 | 14–6 | 2nd | |||||
| Merrimack: | 161–113 (.588) | 112–57 (.663) | |||||||
| Total: | 161–113 (.588) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
- ^ "Merrimack College introduces new Men's Basketball head coach Joe Gallo". Merrimack.edu. May 11, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ Joe Gallo. RMUColonials.com. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ a b https://rmucolonials.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/joe-gallo/706
- ^ Burt, Bill (May 9, 2016). "Gallo will replace Hammel as new men's basketball coach at Merrimack". The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ "Saint Francis U's Isaiah Blackmon Tabbed NEC Men's Basketball Player of the Year" (Press release). Northeast Conference. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ Merrimack joins the MAAC https://www.merrimack.edu/news/merrimack-college-accepts-invitation-to-join-metro-atlantic-athletic-conference/
- ^ https://merrimackathletics.com/news/2025/3/27/mens-basketball-joe-gallo-agree-to-new-10-year-contract.aspx
- ^ "Joe Gallo - Head Men's Basketball Coach - Staff Directory". Merrimack College Athletics. Retrieved August 6, 2025.