UNH Director of Athletics Allison Rich announced March 14, 2023, that the contract of head men's basketball coach Bill Herrion will not be renewed.

"We wish Bill all the best and thank him for dedicating 18 seasons to UNH Men's Basketball. However, after careful consideration, I have determined that it is time for new leadership to continue advancing the program," Rich said.

Herrion, a graduate of Merrimack College ('81), went 227-303 (.428) at the helm of the Wildcats and set records for most career victories as an America East (formerly North Atlantic Conference) head coach (394) and most wins by a UNH head coach (227). From 2015-17, the team posted 59 wins to mark the three most successful consecutive seasons in the program's annals, which included a pair of 20-win seasons (2015-16, 2016-17) and the school's first-ever postseason win, 77-62 at Fairfield, in the 2016 CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT).

The Wildcats reached the AEC semifinals seven times (2006, 2009-10, 2015-16-17, 2023) under Herrion, who was a four-time America East Coach of the Year (1993, 1995-96, 1999) during his tenure at Drexel, guiding the Dragons to five regular-season titles and three conference championships (1994-95-96).

A national search will be conducted for the next Wildcat men's basketball head coach.

Herrion was named the 20th men’s basketball head coach in UNH history on May 26, 2005. He became the program's all-time wins leader Feb. 26, 2020, when the Wildcats were 77-70 victors at Maine for his 186th win at UNH.

He registered a mark of 464-472 over a 32-year head coaching career that spanned stints at Drexel (1991-99), East Carolina (1999-2005) and UNH (2005-23).

In 2022-23, Herrion guided UNH to a 15-15 record, which included 9-7 in AEC play and the No. 3 seed for the conference tournament for a program-record third straight season. The Wildcats defeated Bryant, 67-60, in an America East quarterfinal game at Lundholm Gym on March 4 before falling at UMass Lowell, 75-64, in the semifinal round March 7.

The Wildcats reached the AEC semifinals seven times (2006, 2009-10, 2015-16-17, 2023) under Herrion.

New Hampshire had one of the biggest turnarounds in program history in the 2019-20 season, when the Wildcats were one of seven teams in Division I men's basketball to increase their previous season's win total by double digits. Spurred by a four-game winning streak in February, the 'Cats finished the season with a 15-15 overall record. UNH was one of the best rebounding teams in the country at No. 2 in defensive rebounds per game (29.83) and No. 5 in total rebounds per game (41.30). Herrion was honored by Hoops HD as the America East Coach of the Year.

Herrion guided the most successful class in program history, as the Class of 2018 recorded 69 wins in a four-year span. That class included one of the best players in UNH history and all-time leading scorer, Tanner Leissner, and the all-time leading rebounder, Iba Camara, as well as another 1,000-point scorer, Jacoby Armstrong.

He led the Wildcats to a total of 59 wins spanning the 2015-17 seasons, which is the most successful three consecutive seasons in program history. UNH reached 20 wins in a single season for the first time in 2015-16 and matched that win total in ‘16-’17.

New Hampshire became only the third program in the Northeast to record 19+ wins in three straight seasons in 2016-17 with a program-tying 20 wins and a third consecutive home playoff game in Durham. The Wildcats won six straight games heading into the conference semifinals, which was the longest streak since Jan. 31-Feb. 18, 1995. The Wildcats fell to eventual America East champion University of Vermont in the semifinals. Junior Tanner Leissner was named to the All-Conference First Team while senior Jaleen Smith garnered Second Team honors. The team totaled 80+ points 11 times in the season, which is the second most all-time in a single season. New Hampshire had three players reach the 1,000-point milestone in '16-'17, which was a program first.

UNH earned a program-record 20 wins in 2015-16 and won a first-ever postseason game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament against Fairfield University. The Wildcats finished 20-13 overall, including 11-5 in America East, and were a few possessions away from heading to the conference finals but fell 63-56 to Vermont in the America East semifinals in Burlington, Vt. Herrion coached sophomore Tanner Leissner to an All-Conference First Team bid and junior Jaleen Smith to All-Conference Second Team recognition.

The Wildcats had their most successful season since the 1994-95 season in 2014-15, when they posted 19 wins to tie the program record (at the time), hosted their first playoff game in Lundholm Gymnasium in 20 years, and was selected to participate in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The 19-13 overall record was the first winning season since the historic 1994-95 squad went 19-9 overall. The team lost in the semifinals to eventual champion University at Albany, 60-58. The team also put together a five-game winning streak in the middle of the season. Herrion earned his 100th UNH victory against Boston University (Nov. 25) in a 75-68 decision.

Herrion ranks second for wins during a coach’s first five years at UNH, and he became only the second coach in program history to reach 50 wins in less than five full seasons.

In 2011-12, Herrion led the Wildcats to a 13-16 overall record, reaching double-digit wins for the fourth straight season. New Hampshire, propelled by a four-game winning streak late in conference play, secured the fifth seed in the America East tournament but fell to No. 4 Albany in the second round. Once again, the Wildcats were one of the strongest defensive teams in the country and finished the year ranked 13th nationally in 3-point defense, limiting opponents to 29.7 percent from beyond the arc.

In the season prior, Herrion guided New Hampshire to a 12-18 record, putting together another successful campaign despite a plethora of injuries, finishing with double-digit victories for the third straight year. UNH earned the No. 7 seed in the America East tournament, but fell to second-seeded and eventual conference champion Boston University in the quarterfinals. Despite the loss, the Wildcats made their mark as one of the country’s best defensive teams, ranking 18th nationally in scoring defense by holding opponents to 60.9 points per game.

In 2009-10, UNH posted a 13-17 record and achieved numerous accomplishments that had not been reached in 15-plus seasons, including best home record (9-4) and best non-conference record (7-7). The team yielded the fewest points per game (62.4 ppg) in at least nearly 50 years, reached New Year’s Day at .500 or better for the first time in 12 years and also reached multiple attendance achievements at Lundholm Gymnasium. Despite a 6-10 record in the conference, the Wildcats upset Maine in the quarterfinal round of the America East tournament with a 68-57 win to reach the semifinals, where they fell to Vermont.

In 2008-09, Herrion led the Wildcats to their most successful campaign in nearly 15 years. The ‘Cats finished 14-16, with 14 being their highest number of victories since a 19-win campaign in 1994-95. The Wildcats were 8-8 in the conference and grabbed the No. 4 seed in the America East tournament, their best seed since 2002. Herrion guided UNH to just its sixth semifinal appearance in school history and second during his tenure. The Wildcats nearly knocked off top-seeded Binghamton, coming within two minutes of making it to – and hosting – their first title game ever.

Although the 9-20 record may not show it, the 2007-08 campaign was a giant leap in the right direction for the future of the program. The Wildcats were picked dead last in the America East preseason poll, but ended up finishing seventh out of nine teams and nearly upset the second-ranked Hartford Hawks in the quarterfinal round of the tournament. UNH began the season with only five returners from the previous year and by the end of it, had only three of those players available to suit up. Six newcomers joined the program at the beginning of the year and all of them saw significant minutes, including three who were in the top five on the team in minutes per game.

Picked to finish last in the preseason America East poll in the 2005-06 season, New Hampshire rebounded in the second half of the season to finish in fifth place with a regular season record of 11-16. The Wildcats posted a conference record of 8-8 that included a regular-season sweep against UMBC, as well as conference champion Albany. UNH advanced to the semifinals of the America East Championship, its furthest advancement since 1995.

Herrion, who arrived at New Hampshire after a short stint as the associate head coach at the University of Arkansas, is best known for his outstanding accomplishments at Drexel where he posted an impressive 167-71 record from 1991-1999. During that period, Herrion led the Dragons to three NCAA tournament appearances in 1994, 1995 and 1996 and also led the school to its first-ever NIT appearance in 1991. The team finished first or second in conference play in seven of his eight seasons. Herrion also posted five consecutive 20-win seasons, including his best, a 27-4 campaign in 1996. That same year, Herrion led Drexel to its first-ever NCAA tournament victory with a first-round upset over Memphis.

In 1998, America East celebrated its 20th year of men’s basketball by naming the 20 individuals (players, coaches, administrators) who had been the most influential in the growth of the conference over the first two decades. Four coaches were named to that team: Jim Calhoun, Rick Pitino, Mike Jarvis and Bill Herrion. Herrion is still the only coach in America East/NAC/ECAC North history to earn four Coach of the Year awards (1994, 1995, 1996 and 1999). He also has a conference-record 24 tournament wins (24-20) and is tied for third with three conference championships.

Herrion also had America East ties as an assistant coach at Boston University from 1985-1990. During his stay in Boston, the Terriers posted a 101-51 record, made NCAA appearances in 1988 and 1990 and were invited to the NIT in 1986.

Bill Herrion by the Numbers – Ranked No. 1 in America East/UNH Coaching History

America East Games Coached	768
America East Games Won	394
UNH Games Coached	530
UNH Games Won	227
AE Seasons Coached	26
AE Tournament Wins	24

Name	Title	Email Address	Phone
Bill Herrion	Head Coach	bill.herrion@unh.edu	603-862-1844
Chris Mohr	Associate Head Coach	chris.mohr@unh.edu	603-862-3905
Ryan Herrion	Assistant Coach	ryan.herrion@unh.edu
Tyrece Gibbs	Assistant Coach	Tyrece.Gibbs@unh.edu

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