In recent days, per media reports, two former Syracuse basketball assistant coaches from this past season have found new roles at other college programs, and I'm unbelievably happy for them.
Per ESPN's Jeff Borzello, in a post on X, former Orange assistant Brenden Straughn will become an assistant coach at fellow Atlantic Coast Conference school Boston College. The Eagles' new head coach is former UConn assistant Luke Murray, and I think that Murray and Straughn will work together extremely well.
Boston College’s Luke Murray is hiring Brenden Straughn as an assistant coach, sources told ESPN. Straughn spent the last three seasons at Syracuse and was at George Washington previously. Brings ACC experience and strong recruiting connections in the DMV area. pic.twitter.com/LP0Foiwzje
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) April 6, 2026
Boston College struggled in the 2025-26 campaign, going just 11-20 overall. The Eagles, though, did knock off the 'Cuse at home in overtime this past January. Straughn will provide valuable experience to the Boston College program, through his previous coaching within the ACC as well as his deep recruiting connections in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.
A huge congrats to Coach B!
Another former Syracuse basketball assistant is headed to the West Coast.
Dan Engelstad, a former SU assistant, will be the associate head coach at West Coast Conference member Pepperdine, according to a post on X from ESPN's Pete Thamel. Pepperdine is located in beautiful Malibu, Calif., and I've seen the Pepperdine campus before. It's gorgeous.
Sources: Former Syracuse assistant Dan Engelstad has accepted a job as Pepperdine’s associate head coach. He’s the former head coach at Mount St. Mary’s, which he led to the NCAA tournament in 2021. He went 104-34 as the head coach at DIII Southern Vermont. pic.twitter.com/QYmW18sCN3
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 5, 2026
I'm pumped for Coach Dan! This seems like a terrific opportunity for him. In 2025-26, the Waves went 9-23 overall. In late March, Griff Aldrich was named Pepperdine's head coach. Most recently, he served as the associate head coach at another ACC squad, Virginia.
Toward the beginning of April, former Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry was named an assistant coach at UVA under head coach Ryan Odom, a wonderful new gig for Red, in my opinion.
Here's the only caveat with these latest hires. Both Straughn and Autry are excellent, excellent recruiters, especially in the coveted DMV (my hometown region). Moving forward, we could see Syracuse basketball coaches engage in recruiting battles with Boston College and Virginia.
That would be fun - assuming the Orange prevails in those recruiting wars. Another former assistant coach at the 'Cuse this past term was Allen Griffin. I'm excited to see where he lands next.