University of Richmond Athletics
Spiders Announce Changes To Coaching Staff
04/25/2019 | Men's Basketball
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond men's basketball head coach Chris Mooney announced three changes to the team's coaching staff on Thursday. Steve Thomas has been named Assistant Coach, Mark McGonigal has been promoted to Director of Basketball Operations, and Will Gipe has been named Director of Program Development.
"Steve, Mark, and Will have earned these new roles with their exceptional performance over the last few seasons. From managing our recruiting operations to assisting with our scouting efforts to making sure our players are meeting their commitments in the classroom, Steve, Mark, and Will have done so much to make sure we're operating at peak level behind-the-scenes. I'm very excited for them to play an even bigger part in our program moving forward and I'm confident they can help us return to the top of the Atlantic 10."
Thomas served as Richmond's Director of Basketball Operations for the last four years, managing player schedules, summer camp organization, and team travel while assisting in recruiting and game preparation. Prior to joining the Spiders, Thomas was Director of Student-Athlete Development at Virginia Tech under Buzz Williams in 2014-15 and a graduate assistant at Oregon under Dana Altman from 2012-14, helping the Ducks to the 2013 Sweet 16.
"I'm thankful to Coach Mooney, David Walsh, and John Hardt for this opportunity," said Thomas. "When I was offered the chance to come to Richmond three years ago both Coach Williams and Coach Altman insisted the chance to work for Coach Mooney would lead to great things. My goal is to take everything I've learned from these three coaches and do everything I can to get our team to perform at its highest level. Richmond is a special place for me and my family and we are excited to be here."
McGonigal first came to Richmond as a Spiders guard, playing four seasons for Coach Mooney from 2005 to 2009. He re-joined the program in May 2016 as the Spiders Director of Program Development and has overseen player logistics and practice preparations for the last three seasons while serving as a liaison between the team and the Spiders Academics and Compliance offices. Before joining Richmond's staff, McGonigal spent four years as a coach for the National Collegiate Scouting Association.
Gipe has served as the Spiders Video Coordinator for the last three seasons. In that role, he was responsible for all of Richmond's game film operations and assisted with scouting and recruiting. He joined the Spiders following five years with the Virginia Tech program, two as a graduate assistant and three as a student manager.
"Steve, Mark, and Will have earned these new roles with their exceptional performance over the last few seasons. From managing our recruiting operations to assisting with our scouting efforts to making sure our players are meeting their commitments in the classroom, Steve, Mark, and Will have done so much to make sure we're operating at peak level behind-the-scenes. I'm very excited for them to play an even bigger part in our program moving forward and I'm confident they can help us return to the top of the Atlantic 10."
Thomas served as Richmond's Director of Basketball Operations for the last four years, managing player schedules, summer camp organization, and team travel while assisting in recruiting and game preparation. Prior to joining the Spiders, Thomas was Director of Student-Athlete Development at Virginia Tech under Buzz Williams in 2014-15 and a graduate assistant at Oregon under Dana Altman from 2012-14, helping the Ducks to the 2013 Sweet 16.
"I'm thankful to Coach Mooney, David Walsh, and John Hardt for this opportunity," said Thomas. "When I was offered the chance to come to Richmond three years ago both Coach Williams and Coach Altman insisted the chance to work for Coach Mooney would lead to great things. My goal is to take everything I've learned from these three coaches and do everything I can to get our team to perform at its highest level. Richmond is a special place for me and my family and we are excited to be here."
McGonigal first came to Richmond as a Spiders guard, playing four seasons for Coach Mooney from 2005 to 2009. He re-joined the program in May 2016 as the Spiders Director of Program Development and has overseen player logistics and practice preparations for the last three seasons while serving as a liaison between the team and the Spiders Academics and Compliance offices. Before joining Richmond's staff, McGonigal spent four years as a coach for the National Collegiate Scouting Association.
Gipe has served as the Spiders Video Coordinator for the last three seasons. In that role, he was responsible for all of Richmond's game film operations and assisted with scouting and recruiting. He joined the Spiders following five years with the Virginia Tech program, two as a graduate assistant and three as a student manager.
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