SMITHFIELD – Phil Martelli Jr. was thrust into a challenging situation last year when the Bryant University men’s basketball team, just before playing its first season in a new conference, needed a new leader because the former coach left the university.
A year later, the Bulldogs are now vying to be part of the NCAA’s “March Madness” and made program history to date. Now, the America East Conference has recognized Martelli for his efforts.
The conference on Friday announced that Martelli has been named the 2024-25 Coach of the Year after leading Bryant to a regular-season conference championship and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament that starts Saturday. Bryant will host the University of Maryland Baltimore County Saturday at 4 p.m.
The America East Conference said Martelli led Bryant to its first 20-win season since the 2021-22 campaign. That year, the Bulldogs, under then-coach Jared Grasso, qualified for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament for the first time ever after winning the Northeast Conference tournament.
This past season, the Bulldogs went 20-11 overall and 14-2 in the America East Conference, winning the regular-season conference title for the first time in program history. Bryant also ranked first in per-game scoring offense and third in points allowed per game under Martelli, the America East Conference said.
Martelli was
promoted to head coach in November 2023 after Grasso
resigned as coach before last season. Grasso was first suspended by Bryant in September 2023 for reasons that are still unknown.
On Oct. 8, Grasso turned himself into North Smithfield police on charges of an alleged hit-and-run incident he was involved with in town, according to reports from WPRI-TV CBS 12. Those charges were subsequently dropped.
Additionally, WPRI reported that the university was conducting an “external investigation” into the now former coach. It remains unclear why Bryant was investigating him and what the results of that investigation were.
Grasso in a post on X at the time cited his health, both physical and mental, and his family as to why he stepped down from his head coaching position at Bryant.
Martelli was one of three members of Bryant’s men’s basketball program to be honored by the conference for the 2024-25 season. Senior guard Earl Timberlake was named the conference’s Player of the Year after being the only player in the country to average more than 15 points per game, eight rebounds, four and a half assists per game and one and a half blocks per game.
Junior forward Barry Evans was named America East Conference Newcomer of the Year. He averaged 13.1 points per game and close to seven rebounds per game for the Bulldogs this past season, as well as shot 47% from the field.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
