NJIT Names Grant Billmeier as Head Coach of Men's Basketball
New Jersey Institute of Technology has named Grant Billmeier as its new men's basketball head coach, Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Lenny Kaplan announced.
Billmeier, a native of Pennington, N.J., and graduate of St. Patrick High School and Seton Hall University, will be the 12th head coach in program history. He will be introduced at a press conference in NJIT's Wellness and Events Center on April 20 at noon.
"I am excited to welcome Grant to NJIT as our next Men's Basketball Head Coach," Kaplan said. "Grant is a tireless worker, great recruiter and very much a champion of student-athlete success on and off the court. His New Jersey roots, both as a student-athlete at Saint Patrick High School and Seton Hall University, along with his coaching experience for the Pirates and Terrapins, make him an ideal candidate for our coaching position. I hope Highlander Nation is as excited as I am for him to be the leader of our Men's Basketball program!"
"Grant Billmeier brings both Big East and Big 10 experience as well as extensive knowledge of the New Jersey and regional basketball landscape," added NJIT President Teik C. Lim. "He has been very successful and is held in high regard by his peers. We look forward to his impact on the NJIT men's basketball program and welcome him to Newark."
Billmeier comes to Newark after one season on the staff at Maryland, where he followed Kevin Willard from Seton Hall in April 2022. The Terrapins were 22-13 in 2022-23, and finished 16-1 at home and 11-9 in Big Ten play earning an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament where they defeated West Virginia in the first round, before bowing out to Alabama, the top overall seed.
Prior to Maryland, Billmeier served on Willard's staff at Seton Hall for seven seasons, culminating with the 2021-22 season when he was promoted to Associate Head Coach. Billmeier helped lead the Pirates to the 2016 Big East Tournament Championship and 2020 Big East Regular Season Championship during his second stint on the coaching staff in South Orange.
Billmeier's first collegiate coaching experience also came at Seton Hall from 2010-14 when served as the director of basketball operations. He then spent one season as an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson before returning to Seton Hall as an assistant coach prior to the 2015-16 campaign.
"I want to thank President Lim and Lenny Kaplan for the opportunity to return to my home state and become the head men's basketball coach at NJIT," said Billmeier. "My staff and I will strive daily for excellence in every aspect of our program, do things the right way, and compete for championships. My family and I look forward to becoming a part of Highlander Nation and can't wait to get started."
During his successful tenure coaching at Seton Hall, Billmeier played a large role in developing the Pirates' post players. Billmeier mentored 2018 Kareem Abdul-Jabaar National Center of the Year Award Winner Angel Delgado, who led the nation in rebounding (13.1 rpg) and earned a great deal of other accolades including All-America recognition in addition to being unanimously voted to the All-Big East team and named the MBWA Player of the Year.
Billmeier also helped develop Sandro Mamukelashvili, who went from playing less than 10 minutes per game as a freshman to being the Big East Player of the Year as a senior. Mamukelashvili was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft and currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs. Another Seton Hall big man that was molded by Billmeier is Romaro Gill, the 2020 Big East Defensive Player of the Year and Big East Most Improved Player Award winner. Gill finished third in the nation, blocking 3.2 shots per game and also was efficient offensively, shooting 63.5% from the field in league play.
The 2007 Seton Hall graduate played four seasons for the Pirates, serving as a captain twice and helping lead the team to a pair of NCAA Tournaments in 2004 and 2006. Billmeier played in 106 games during his career. Billmeier went on to play professionally in Germany and Portugal before beginning his coaching career.
Billmeier played for Kevin Boyle at St. Patrick High School, where his team won the 2003 New Jersey Tournament of Champions. Additionally, Billmeier's first coaching position came at St. Patrick where he served on Boyle's staff for the 2009-10 season.
Billmeier and his wife, Jennifer, were married in May 2017 and are parents to their daughter, Avery, born March 2018, and son, Luke, born June 2021.
What They're Saying
"This is a terrific opportunity for Grant who is so highly deserving of leading his own program. We've worked together for over a decade and he's been instrumental in so much of the success our programs have had. Grant cares deeply about his players and is a tireless worker to ensure they develop their full potential on and off the court."
- Kevin Willard, Head Coach, University of Maryland
"I think Grant Billmeier is a fantastic hire for NJIT. He is one of the most dedicated and loyal guys that I've come across in 35 years of coaching. Nobody will work harder than Grant Billmeier, he'll be incredibly loyal and a tremendous asset to NJIT."
- Kevin Boyle, Head Coach at Montverde Academy and former Head Coach at St. Patrick HS
"NJIT got itself a great head coach. I got to see Grant work up close here at Seton Hall, and he is a very hard worker, dedicated to developing and coaching players and getting them to be the best they can be. He's been a winner everywhere he's been, and I think he is the right coach to elevate NJIT basketball."
- Shaheen Halloway, Head Coach, Seton Hall University
