Ed Conroy, a standout basketball cadet-athlete at The Citadel from 1985-89 and previous head coach of the Bulldogs from 2006-10, returned as sideline commander of his alma mater for the 2022-23 season. He was announced as the 31st head coach by Director of Athletics Mike Capaccio on March 23, 2022.
"We are very excited about welcoming Ed back to The Citadel and The Citadel family," said Capaccio. "Ed has had proven success at The Citadel and is very appreciative of this opportunity. I could tell from our first conversation how he felt and the drive that he had for this job, as well as his love and respect for The Citadel.
"We are looking forward to him building the program and having success in a very difficult job. As a cadet-athlete and former coach, he has a good understanding of the school and what it takes to win in the ever changing times of college athletics."
Conroy previously served as the head coach at The Citadel from 2006-10. He guided the Bulldogs to their first 20-win season in over 30 years and a postseason berth in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
The 2022-23 season saw Conroy lead the Bulldogs to four Division I wins in the month of November for the first time in program history. The Bulldogs also defeated a 20-win team for the first time since 2009 when they defeated Furman, 69-65, on Feb. 18.
Under Conroy's guidance, Stephen Clark was selected to both the All-Southern Conference Second Team and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Second Team while Madison Durr was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team.
The 20-win season of 2008-09 saw the Bulldogs amass a school-record 15 Southern Conference wins. The team was led by first-team all-conference selections Demetrius Nelson and Cameron Wells. Wells would go on to become a three-time all-conference selection after being tabbed the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year by the coaches and media in 2007-08.
Following the 2008-09 season, Conroy was selected as the SoCon Coach of the Year by the league's head coaches and media members. He was also named the NABC District 22 Coach of the Year, CollegeInsider.com Coach of the Year and the CollegeInsider.com Skip Prosser Man of the Year.
"I want to thank Gen. Walters and
Mike Capaccio for the tremendous opportunity to be the next head basketball coach at The Citadel," said Conroy. "Ginny and I are extremely excited to return to Charleston and be a part of a city, community and institution that means so much to our family.
"I look forward to building relationships with our current team and recruiting elite cadet-student-athletes to our basketball program. I cannot wait to get to work and have the incredible privilege of representing The Citadel and Citadel Basketball again!"
Conroy most recently spent the 2021-22 season as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt. In his one season with the Commodores, Conroy helped guide the team to 19 wins and the third round of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
The 19 wins marks the most for Vanderbilt since 2016-17, an improvement of 10 wins from the previous season.
Conroy went to the West End after spending the previous five seasons on staff at the University of Minnesota. He served as the team's associate head coach in his last season after serving as an assistant for the previous four seasons.
During his time with the Gophers, Conroy guided the Gophers front court to three straight seasons with the conference's leading rebounders in Jordan Murphy (2018, 2019) and Daniel Oturu (2020). The former left with the second-highest rebound total in Big Ten history, while Oturu earned the first Minnesota nod to an All-America team in 21 years.
During his tenure, the Golden Gophers made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a first-round victory over Louisville in 2019.
Conroy spent six seasons as the head coach at Tulane where he led the Green Wave to a pair of postseason berths and the school's first 20-win season in 13 years. The back-to-back trips to the postseason were the first appearances for the Green Wave in 1996-97, a span of 18 years.
Conroy's tenure at Tulane was marked by a number of signature victories, including the first win over Memphis since 1992 and the first over Cincinnati since 1991.
He guided Green Wave players to seven all-conference honors, including 2012 C-USA Freshman of the Year, Ricky Tarrant.
The Davenport, Iowa, native has served as an assistant coach at seven different schools throughout his career. Prior to landing the head job at The Citadel, he spent one season as an assistant at Coastal Carolina, following stints at Tennessee (2003-05) and Tulsa (2000-01).
Conroy's first head coaching job came from 1997-2000 at Division II Francis Marion University, where he earned the Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year award in 1998. That was preceded by assistant coach stops at Furman (1994-97), VMI (1993-94) and N.C. State (1990-93).
A four-year letterwinner for the Bulldogs from 1985-89, Conroy still ranks among the all-time top 10 at The Citadel in career free throw percentage (.815) and career 3-point percentage (.395). A three-year starter, he served as team captain as a senior and held the rank of Lt. Colonel in the Corps of Cadets, the highest rank achieved by a basketball player in the modern era at The Citadel.
Conroy and his wife Ginny have three children: daughter, Hannah, and sons Riley and Hunt. He is also the cousin of The Citadel Hall of Famer, Pat Conroy.
Coaching Career
2022-Pres. The Citadel • Head Coach
2021-22 - Vanderbilt • Associate Head Coach
2020-21 - Minnesota • Associate Head Coach
2016-20 - Minnesota • Assistant Coach
2010-16 - Tulane • Head Coach
2006-10 - The Citadel • Head Coach
2005-06 - Coastal Carolina • Assistant Coach
2003-05 - Tennessee • Assistant Coach
2001-03 - Tennessee • Director of Operations
2000-01 - Tulsa • Director of Operations
1997-00 - Francis Marion • Head Coach
1994-97 - Furman • Assistant Coach
1993-94 - VMI • Assistant Coach
1990-93 - NC State • Assistant Coach
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT ED CONROY
“I am thrilled, both personally and professionally, for Ed and his family for the opportunity to return home and once again lead his alma mater. I know how special The Citadel and Charleston are to the Conroy’s, and it was inside McAlister Field House where Ed and I reconnected and built on a relationship that would lead to us working together.
“Ed is an experienced and talented coach who has proven he can win games and develop players on and off the court. He made great contributions to our program here at Vanderbilt. We will miss Ed, and we are excited to watch his success with the Bulldogs program.”
- Jerry Stackhouse, Former Vanderbilt Head Coach
“Ed Conroy is one of my favorite people in the profession. His mind for the game, his ability to recruit and his character set him apart. The best compliment I can ever give a coach is that I would want my son to play for him. Ed has always been an excellent resource for me in my coaching journey, and I am grateful. I am excited for him and The Citadel.”
- Tony Bennett, Retired Virginia Head Coach
“Ed Conroy is a terrific hire for The Citadel. He understands what it takes to win there. He was a loyal trusted assistant for me for five years. Ed is a relentless recruiter and is terrific at player development. He will win big!”
- Richard Pitino, Xavier Head Coach
“This is a great homecoming for Ed Conroy to coach at a place he truly loves. His success as a player and coach speaks for itself. I am thrilled for him, Bulldog fans and The Citadel community. His coaching ability is widely respected in college basketball. He will be a great mentor to Bulldog student-athletes.”
“I am thrilled that my Citadel Basketball teammate, Ed Conroy, has been selected to return to be the head coach. He is highly respected throughout college athletics and the basketball world. His blueprint for success there produced a 20-win season, and I believe under his leadership there are more to come.”
- John Hartwell, Louisiana-Monroe Director of Athletics
“Ed Conroy didn't just build a terrific team at The Citadel. He built a terrific program. He's not just a superb teacher; he's an equally a superb leader.”
- Bob McKillop, Former Head Coach, Davidson College (1989-2022)
“Ed Conroy is an outstanding basketball coach. He has a great feel, he is a skilled teacher, and he knows how to connect with players and get them to play hard and together. As good as he is as a coach, Ed is an even better person. He is bright, personable and, quite simply, he gets it.”
- Jay Bilas, ESPN Basketball Analyst
“Ed was tough to coach against. Before he got here The Citadel/College of Charleston rivalry was dead. He came in and turned The Citadel around and turned it back into a very competitive rivalry. He beat us three out of the last four times."
- Bobby Cremins, Former Head Coach, College of Charleston (2006-12)
