In his fourth season on the coaching staff at Robert Morris in 2015-16 is Joe Gallo.
Over the last three years with Gallo on the RMU staff, the Colonials have earned a pair of Northeast Conference regular-season championships, an NEC Tournament title, two bids to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
In his first season on the Robert Morris sidelines in 2012-13, the Colonials posted an overall record of 24-11 (.686), including a mark of 14-4 (.778) against league opponents. RMU advanced to the second round of the NIT thanks to a 59-57 win over Kentucky at the Charles L. Sewall Center.
During the 2013-14 campaign, the Colonials earned their second consecutive NEC regular-season title and bid to the NIT with an overall ledger of 22-14 (.611), including a mark of 14-2 (.875) against league foes. Robert Morris again advanced to the second round of the NIT thanks to an 89-78 victory at St. John’s, the program’s first win against a Big East foe.
Gallo was also a key component to helping Robert Morris earn its league-high eighth NEC Tournament title and subsequent bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2015. The Colonials finished with an overall record of 20-15 (.571), including a mark of 12-6 (.667) in the NEC.
Gallo, a native of Milltown, N.J., came to RMU after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., under head coach Paul Cormier from 2010-12. During his two seasons with the Big Green, Gallo played an instrumental role in recruiting a total of 11 student-athletes to the Dartmouth roster, including forward Jvonte Brooks, a four-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week during the 2011-12 campaign.
Gallo spent one year with The Hoop Group in Neptune, N.J., from August 2009 to August 2010, assisting in running the largest basketball exposure camp in the country for high school players. During his time with The Hoop Group, Gallo established and maintained relationships with various high school and AAU coaches along the East Coast.
Gallo started his coaching career at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., spending four years as an assistant coach with the Warriors from 2005 to 2009.
While at Merrimack, Gallo was instrumental in the recruitment of back-to-back Northeast 10 Conference Freshman of the Year honorees in Darren Duncan (2007) and Darin Mency (2008).
Duncan scored 2,049 points from 2006 to 2010, while Mency finished his four-year career with 2,039 points from 2007 to 2011. Duncan ranks third all-time in career points at Merrimack, while Mency ranks fourth. Both players went on to earn All-NEC 10 First Team accolades and were National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II All-Americans.
Gallo also helped recruit Wayne Mack at Merrimack, a member of the 2009 All-NEC 10 Rookie Team that went on to score 1,455 career points and earn All-NEC 10 First Team accolades in 2011-12.
A 2004 graduate of Merrimack, Gallo earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business with a concentration in management. During his four years with the Warriors, Gallo was a member of the men's basketball team.
Gallo and the former Megan Freedline of Pittsburgh, Pa., were married August 8, 2015, and the couple resides in the Pittsburgh section of Mount Lebanon.
THE JOE GALLO FILE
Birthdate: February 8, 1980
Year at RMU: fourth
Age: 35
Alma Mater / Year: Merrimack / 2004
Degree: Bachelor of Science (management)
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Robert Morris University
(Moon Township, Pa.)
- Assistant Coach (2012 – present)
Dartmouth College
(Hanover, N.H.)
- Assistant Coach (2010-12)
Merrimack College
(North Andover, Mass.)
- Assistant Coach (2005-09)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Merrimack College
(North Andover, Mass.)
- Guard (2000-04)
The Princeton Day School
(Princeton, N.J.)
- Guard (1995-99)
