Eastern Michigan hires Billy Donlon, Clemson assistant, ex-Missouri-Kansas City, Wright State coach

By Canadian Press on March 17, 2026.

YPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — Eastern Michigan hired Clemson assistant Billy Donlon to coach its basketball team on Tuesday, a week after parting ways with Stan Heath.

Donlon will continue in his role a top assistant coach with the Tigers, an eighth-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament with a first-round matchup against ninth-seeded Iowa on Friday.

He previously led Missouri-Kansas City and Wright State with a 155-133 record over nine seasons.

Donlon, who is from Northbrook, Illinois, was also an assistant coach at Michigan, Northwestern and UNC Wilmington, where he was a standout guard in the late 1990s.

Eastern Michigan was 10-21 overall and 4-14 in the Mid-American Conference this year, tying Western Michigan and Northern Illinois for last place. Heath, a former Eastern Michigan player and Michigan State assistant under Tom Izzo, had a 57-99 record over four seasons with the Eagles.

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AP March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

The Associated Press

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