Billy Lange Out as St. Joseph’s Head Coach; Steve Donahue Taking Over

St. Joseph’s Men’s Basketball head coach Billy Lange has departed Hawk Hill for a job with the New York Knicks, per a report from Pete Thamel of ESPN.

Steve Donahue, who coached Penn from 2015 until his firing in March 2025, will step into the vacant role. Following his departure from Penn, Donahue joined the Hawks as an associate head coach, providing much-needed continuity with the start of the 2025-26 season less than two months away.

Across stints with the Quakers, Cornell and Boston College in a head coaching career lasting a quarter century, Donahue, 63, possesses a 331-344 record, including a 2-4 mark in the NCAA Tournament.

Lange’s departure is a significant blow for the Hawks, who won a Big 5 Championship in each of the past two seasons and currently sit in a tie for third-best odds of winning the A-10. The Hawks made the semifinal round of the A-10 tournament last season and earned an NIT bid after a 22-13 record, losing to UAB in the first round. They also sent 6-foot-9 forward Rasheer Fleming, a second round pick who ended up with the Phoenix Suns, to the NBA.

As of now, Lange’s role on the Knicks’ coaching staff remains unannounced, although he’ll help coach Villanova products Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges in New York.

Lange’s departure marks the fourth for a Big 5 head coach this offseason, along with Donahue, Villanova’s Kyle Neptune and La Salle’s Fran Dunphy.