University Park, Pa. — New Penn State basketball coach Patrick Chambers completed his first Nittany Lion coaching staff by naming Brian Daly as an assistant coach. Daly, who previously worked with Chambers at Boston University, joins fellow assistant coaches Eugene Burroughs and Keith Urgo and director of basketball operations Ross Condon, all of whom have strong ties to the Philadelphia area.
"Coach Daly was instrumental in helping me build Boston University into a championship contender," Chambers said. "His recruiting prowess from Philadelphia to Boston will make an immediate impact on Nittany Lion basketball."
Daly joined the Boston University program for the 2009-10 season as assistant coach after working the sidelines the previous four years as the head coach of the Monsignor Bonner High School boys’ varsity team in Philadelphia. He was promoted to associate head coach at BU in May of 2011 after being involved in all of the program’s operations, including practice and game planning, academic advising and on-the-floor coaching, specifically with the post players.
"I am very excited for this opportunity and would like to thank Coach Chambers for welcoming me to the Penn State family," Daly said.
In 2010-11, Daly helped the Terriers recorded a total of 11 doubles-doubles, the most since posting 11 in 2001-02, as BU went 21-14, won the America East Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. Post player Jake O’Brien, the 2009 America East Rookie of the Year, recorded all seven of his career double-doubles during the season, including one against Indiana in a game in which BU out-rebounded the Hoosiers, 52-32. During the 2009-10 season, Daly helped BU advance to the College Basketball Invitational semifinals and post a 21-14 record overall. The Terriers posted a 49-46 edge in rebounding in a victory over the nation’s fourth-best rebounding team, Morehead State, in the CBI quarterfinals that year.
While leading Monsignor Bonner, his high school alma mater, Daly guided the team to the Catholic League playoffs in each of his four seasons and increased the team’s winning percentage in each of his first three seasons. The program had missed the playoffs in the previous five seasons before his tenure. During his tenure he was elected President of the Coaches Association for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
A four-year letterman at Saint Joseph’s from 1988-92, Daly played under then assistant coach and now Hawks head coach Phil Martelli. Daly graduated from Saint Joseph’s in 1992 with a degree in food marketing.
Daly was named the Philadelphia Player of the Year after posting better than 20 ppg during his senior season at Monsignor Bonner. He was subsequently inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame after finishing as the school’s second all-time scorer with 1,253 points in three years. Daly returned to coach at his high school alma mater between 1996-2002 before departing to serve as an assistant coach at Division III Arcadia University for the 2002-2003 season. While working at Arcadia, he continued his studies at Saint Joseph’s and earned a master’s degree in education in 2003.
Daly and his wife, Tracie, have three children – Ryan (13), Colin (12) and Keri (10).