A week-long men’s basketball coaching search has led Bryant back to an old conference foe.
The Bulldogs are expected to hire Jamion Christian to replace the departed Phil Martelli Jr., according to an early Wednesday report from The Field of 68.
Christian reached March Madness twice during his six years at Mount St. Mary’s from 2012-18, securing a pair of Northeast Conference tournament titles and corresponding automatic bids. He spent the next four seasons at Siena and George Washington before a surprise firing by the Revolutionaries at the close of the 2021-22 campaign. Christian was a combined seven games over .500 with the Mountaineers and Saints before closing just 29-50 in Foggy Bottom.
A source told The Journal earlier in the week that Christian had emerged as a potential candidate for the job. He most recently served as head coach for Pallacanestro Trieste, a Lega Basket Serie A club in Italy. The club earned promotion from the country’s second division after the 2023-24 season and counts former players with American ties like Providence legend Marvin Barnes, Ed O’Bannon and Scoonie Penn.
Who is Jamion Christian?
Christian, 42, is a Virginia native who played at Mount St. Mary’s before starting his coaching career in 2004. He was on staffs at Emory and Henry, Bucknell, William & Mary, and VCU, joining the Rams after their stunning Final Four run in 2011. Christian spent a lone season in Richmond with Shaka Smart before he was hired away to his alma mater.
Christian borrowed from VCU’s trademark Havoc playing style under Smart and implemented his own brand with the Mountaineers. Mount Mayhem placed an emphasis on scoring from 3-point range and forcing opposing turnovers. Mount St. Mary’s was a top-25 team nationally four times in percentage of points scored from beyond the arc and a top-70 team nationally five times in defensive turnover ...
