Billy Lange to join New York Knicks coaching staff: Saint Joseph’s coach leaves after six seasons

We have our first coaching move of the 2025-26 college basketball coaching carousel, and it’s coming out of Philadelphia.

After six seasons and an 81-104 record, Saint Joseph’s coach Billy Lange has decided to step down from his post and pursue an opportunity to join Mike Brown’s staff with the New York Knicks, sources told CBS Sports. Brown was hired in July after Tom Thibodeau was fired following the best Knicks season in decades, which included a memorable run in the NBA Playoffs that ended with a loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. 

The 53-year-old Lange is no stranger to the NBA grind. He spent eight years as a 76ers assistant, from 2011-19, before getting the St. Joe’s job in 2019. From 2004-11, Lange was the coach at Navy, where his teams combined to go 93-114 over seven seasons. 

With Lange leaving Philly for New York, Saint Joseph’s has tapped Steve Donahue as its head coach for the upcoming season. Donahue, 63, was fired from Penn in March after a nine-year run. He has 23 years of head coaching experience, including stints at Boston College and Cornell. 

Ranking top 25 college basketball programs of last 25 years: Which teams have performed the best since 2000

Kyle Boone

The Hawks never caught on under Lange, finishing sub-.500 in his first four seasons and failing to secure a top-four spot in the Atlantic 10 standings in any of his six campaigns. Last season, Saint Joe’s went 22-13 and lost in the first round of the NIT, which was its best run in Lange’s tenure.

The program is aching for a return to relevance. The Hawks have made just two NCAA tourney appearances since 2008, the most recent coming in 2016 under the best coach in school history, Phil Martelli.