Steve Donahue was officially named the 16th head coach of St. Joe’s men’s basketball program Sept. 10 following the departure of former head coach Billy Lange, who accepted a player development position with the New York Knicks.
Donahue’s appointment was confirmed by Jill Bodensteiner, JD, vice president and director of Athletics, in a 2:31 p.m. email to the St. Joe’s community. The email was sent a little over two and a half hours after ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news of Lange’s departure. Lange was set to enter his seventh season with the Hawks, and his decision came seven weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 season.
“Back in May, Billy Lange called me and said, ‘We have a chance to add one of the best basketball coaches and one of my closest friends to our staff,’” Bodensteiner said in Donahue’s introductory press conference Sept. 11. “Honestly, I couldn’t believe our good fortune when we named Steve Donahue our associate head coach, and today, it’s with immense joy and pride that I announce Steve Donahue as the 16th head coach in St Joe’s men’s basketball history.”
Before coaching at St. Joe’s, Donahue was head coach of the University of Pennsylvania Quakers for nine seasons, leaving with a total record of 131-130. Lange’s six-season record at St. Joe’s was 81-104.
Donahue said Lange first mentioned his potential departure to him Sept. 7.
“He didn’t say it was 100%, but he wanted to let me know that he was thinking about this move,” Donahue said at the press conference.
Lange then told Donahue about his definite departure Tuesday, Sept. 9, the night before the news of his decision was leaked. The team, who found out about the news through social media Sept. 10, was spoken to later in the day. Donahue said the team was “really taken back by this late decision.”
“We ended up gathering the group as quickly as we could yesterday afternoon,” Donahue said. “[It was] as emotional locker room as you could imagine, with Billy, and the players, and us, honestly.”
Donahue said his vision for the team is the same and that he’s trying to help the players through the transition.
“I’m not going to assume that every single guy in that locker room likes what happened,” Donahue said. “I’m going to respect them and try to serve them and try to elevate them as Billy’s core values state to make sure we cover all that and move forward in the right direction.”
Surya Vaddadi ’27, a member of 54th Airborne, the official student section of SJU Athletics, said he’s excited about Donahue’s appointment because of his experience. However, a main concern of his is players transferring before the start of the season.
“My only concern is players having to leave or wanting to leave just because they were committed to the previous coach … We have no idea who’s staying or going,” Vaddadi said.
When asked about transfers, Donahue said he didn’t want to assume anything and that, in addition to speaking with many of the players individually, he’s spoken with many of their parents.
“I feel so strongly that they believe in this university, they love this school, they love what the basketball team does,” Donahue said. “The commitment that this place has for these guys, I think they believe in it.”
Vaddadi said he wished there was more transparency about Donahue’s opening presser and wished Donahue had the opportunity to introduce himself to St. Joe’s students.
“I was also kind of disappointed in how they handled the whole press conference situation with the Steve Donahue opening presser — it being only available to media personnel, being 25 minutes, then not posting it anywhere,” Vaddadi said.
Lange’s departure has already caused changes. A Sept. 13 statement posted on the SJU Athletics website announced the team would no longer be allowed to participate in the Players Era Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team’s invitation was contingent on Lange’s position as head coach, as Lange was friends with Seth Berger, one of the showcase’s organizers.
Bodensteiner said her message for fans was that the program and Donahue needs their support coming into the season.
“Our expectations for this year don’t change,” Bodensteiner said. “We think we can be a pretty good basketball team, and I think Steve can reach the expectations that we had going into the season.”
Donahue, who has multiple family members who are St. Joe’s alum, said he saw the enthusiasm of St. Joe’s basketball fans firsthand at the St. Joe’s vs. Virginia Tech at The Palestra Dec. 21. Donahue said he was “kind of jealous” of the energy of the fans and has always felt that “people care” at St. Joe’s.
“All I would ask you is to get behind a place that you love,” Donahue said. “I [saw] it front and center with that last year. Give us a chance to really show you what we’re all about this year.”
