Phil Martelli Jr.

Philip Martelli Jr.
Born	(1981-08-02) August 2, 1981 Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation	Collegiate basketball coach
Years active	2003–present
Known for	Head coach of Bryant Bulldogs men's basketball team

Philip Martelli Jr. (born August 2, 1981) is an American collegiate basketball coach who currently leads the VCU Rams competing in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Playing career

A graduate of Saint Joseph's University (class of 2003), Martelli Jr. played four seasons for the Hawks, contributing to NCAA tournament berths in both 2001 and 2003. During the 2002–03 campaign, he served as co-captain alongside Jameer Nelson and earned a bachelor's degree in marketing from SJU.

Coaching career

Martelli Jr. launched his coaching profession in 2003 at Central Connecticut, where at age 22 he became the youngest full-time assistant coach in Division I history. He subsequently held assistant coaching positions at Manhattan (2005–06) and Niagara (2006–2011). While at Niagara, he contributed to a 95–69 team record, including capturing the 2007 MAAC tournament championship and an NCAA tournament victory.

During five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Delaware, Martelli Jr. helped guide the program to a 2014 NCAA tournament appearance and a school-record 55 conference wins over that span. He played a key role in developing players such as guard Devon Saddler, who set Delaware’s all-time scoring record.

Martelli Jr. also gained professional experience coaching with the Delaware 87ers of the NBA G League, an affiliate of the Philadelphia 76ers.

In 2018, he joined the coaching staff at Bryant as associate head coach under Jared Grasso. Bryant secured both the 2022 Northeast Conference regular-season and tournament championships, marking its inaugural NCAA tournament appearance. The Bulldogs’ 2022–23 squad ranked among the nation’s top 75 teams in field goal percentage defense and rebounding margin.

Following Jared Grasso’s leave of absence and subsequent resignation in late 2023 amid controversy, Martelli Jr. assumed the role of acting head coach before being officially appointed Bryant’s head coach on November 15, 2023.

In his debut season (2023–24) leading Bryant, Martelli Jr. guided the Bulldogs to a 20–13 overall record with an 11–5 mark in conference play—the first Bryant coach since the 1968–69 season to reach 20 wins in their inaugural year. The team advanced to its first-ever semifinals appearance in the America East tournament, ranking second nationally in blocks per game and ninth in field goal percentage defense. A highlight included a victory over then-10th-ranked Florida Atlantic, a recent Final Four contender. Martelli Jr. earned finalist honors for both the Hugh Durham Award (recognizing top mid-major coaches) and the Joe B. Hall Award (for outstanding first-year Division I head coaches).

In his sophomore season at Bryant, Martelli Jr. orchestrated a historic run: after starting non-conference play with a 6-9 record, the Bulldogs surged to a 14-2 conference record, clinching the #1 seed for the America East tournament. Bryant won all three tournament games to secure its second NCAA tournament berth as a #15 seed in 2025. The team finished with a program-best overall record of 23-12 but was eliminated by #2 Michigan State in their sole NCAA game. For this accomplishment, Martelli Jr. received both America East Coach of the Year and NABC Mid-Atlantic District Coach of the Year accolades.

Personal life

Martelli Jr. is the son of Phil Martelli, who held the position of head coach for the Saint Joseph's team for 24 years and spent five years as an associate head coach at Michigan.

He and his wife, Meghan, are parents to three children: a daughter named Marra and two sons, Philip and Nathan.