Featured in the photo on the right: Brandon Rosenthal, Kyle Schwan, Jesse Pruitt and Angela Munger
On the eve of the 2012-13 tip-off to college basketball's opening practice on Friday, the Santa Clara men's basketball program is proud to welcome assistant coach Jesse Pruitt and director of basketball operations Kyle Schwan this season. In addition, Brandon Rosenthal has been hired as the video coordinator for the Bronco men's and women's basketball programs. Angela Munger has joined both programs as the new Academic Support Manager.
Pruitt has worked the past four years as the men's director of basketball operations (three years) and video coordinator (first year). He is beginning his fifth year on the Bronco staff and his first year as an assistant coach with the men's team. A native of Pomona, Calif., Pruitt graduated from UC Davis in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in Sociology-Organizational Studies after two years of playing for the Aggies.
"We are excited to be able to promote Jesse to the role of assistant coach," said Bronco head men's basketball coach Kerry Keating. "He has been in our program for four years, first as the video coordinator and then the operations director the last three years. He knows all the intricacies of our program and will be able to help us move foward to another championship at Santa Clara."
"As a member of Coach Keating's staff for the past four years it's been a wonderful experience working at Santa Clara University," said Pruitt. "I'm thrilled for the opportunity this season to coach our outstanding student-athletes; and contribute to the continued success of recruiting top-level talent to our program."
Schwan is a native of Aberdeen, S.D. and graduated in 2008 with a Bachelor's Degree in History with a minor in Coaching from Northern State University. Schwan was a member of the legendary coach Don Meyer's program at NSU for six seasons (two redshirt years due to injury). He also worked on his Master's degree in Educational Studies while playing his final two years at NSU. Prior to coming to Santa Clara, Schwan worked as an administrative assistant at Arizona State University under head coach Herb Sendek for two years. Schwan was the video coordinator at Northern Illinois University from 2009-10.
"Kyle comes to us from a great coaching background having played for one of the all-time greats in Don Meyer and having worked on Herb Sendek's staff at Arizona State," said Keating. "He brings a tremendous amount of energy and willingness to succeed. We are excited to have Kyle and his wife Kayla in our family."
"It is an honor to join Coach Keating's staff as the director of basketball operations," said Schwan. "The opportunity to work at such a highly regarded university is a true blessing, and I am excited to become a contributing member in a total-package basketball program. During this transition, the Santa Clara coaches, administration and our student-athletes have been unbelievably supportive and engaging. We can't wait to make the year ahead a great one! Let's Ride!"
Rosenthal comes to Santa Clara this season after completing his Master's in Arts in Teaching at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas in 2012. While at St. Edwards, he served as a graduate assistant under 2008 National Junior College Coach of the Year Andre Cook.
In addition to his work with the St. Edwards University men's basketball program, he served as an adjunct instructor in the Kinesiology Department for one year. From 2006-10 Rosenthal played for two years and then served as an undergraduate assistant at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y. He received a degree in Sports Management from St. John Fisher in 2010. He played under 2005 DIII National Coach of the Year Rob Kornaker while at St. John Fisher.
"Along the lines of our former video coordinators, Brandon brings an incredible amount of energy and passion to our daily preparation," said Keating. "His youthful energy is a welcome addition and having come highly recommended, he will be ready to take this position to even greater heights."
"We are excited to have Brandon on board and continue to help our program with our video needs," said Bronco head women's basketball coach Jennifer Mountain. "I feel he is a great fit with both staffs and is willing to help us grow as a program."
"I'm grateful for the opportunity to join both Coach Keating and Coach Mountain's staffs and be part of the Santa Clara University community," said Rosenthal. "I look forward to working with our student athletes and helping sustain the basketball programs long standing championship traditions."
Munger, who had a record-setting career playing at Idaho State, earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology from ISU in 2000 and Master's degree in Athletic Administration in 2002. She spent three total years on the Idaho State basketball coaching staff, including the last two as the associate head coach. Prior to coming to Santa Clara, Munger worked in the private sector in the Bay Area as a territory representative for Lifefitness and Hammer Strength in the vertical market which included schools, police and fire, corporations and hospitality.
"We are really excited to have Angela join our program as she brings a unique perspective and knowledge to the recruiting component of the position," said Mountain. "Having someone who has coaching experience meet with our recruits is going to be a huge asset as well as her knowledge in the field of academics. I feel she is a great fit to the university and that she will work hard to put the student athletes academic needs first. We are all excited to work with her. "
"We are happy to have Angela join our staff," said Keating. "Similar to her other new counterparts, she too has a passionate energy towards success that will surely resonate with our players. Being a former coach will give Angela an even more unique prospective into the support that the academic coordinator provides for our team."
"We're thrilled to add Angela as a member of our academic support and student services staff," said Bronco Associate Athletic Director Jeff Mitchell. "She has a proven record of successfully working with basketball student-athletes, and we'll benefit from her leadership in this role."