Ninth Season at FDU
Honors & Accomplishments
- 2008 Northeast Conference-10 (NEC-10) and NABC East Region Coach of the Year
- 2016 NABC District Coach of the Year
- Two-time NEC Champion (2016 & 2019)
- Won the first NCAA Tournament game in program history (2019)
- 12 seasons, five conference championship appearances, three championships
- Six NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 years of eligibility
- 200+ Career victories
- 2019 FDU Graduation Commencement Speaker
Coaching Experience
- Head Coach, Fairleigh Dickinson (2013-Present)
- Head Coach, UMass Lowell (2008-12)
- Head Coach, Cabrini (2007-08)
- Head Coach, Elgin Community College (2006-07)
- Associate Head Coach, East Carolina (2000-05)
- Assistant Coach, Yale (1997-99)
- Assistant Coach, Seton Hall (1994-97)
- Assistant Coach, Holy Cross (1989-94)
- Assistant Coach, Merrimack (1985-89)
- Assistant Coach, UMass Lowell (1983-85)
At FDU
2020-21 marked a milestone for Herenda as he garnered his 100th win at FDU on February 20 against Mount St. Mary's, a 76-71 conference victory in overtime. Additionally, Herenda's Knights during a unique season saw two student-athletes reach great milestones with Elyjah Williams eclipsing the 1,000 points scored mark and Jahlil Jenkins surpassing 1,500 points at FDU to move to tenth all-time on the Knights' scoring list.
Off the court in 2020-21, Herenda led the coaching staff and student-athletes to numerous community engagements, including the regionally-recognized Scouting and Scavenging intiative founded by Daniel Marks which provides unused hotel toiletries to those in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019-20, Greg Herenda completed his seventh season at the helm of the Fairleigh Dickinson men’s basketball program.
In the 2019-20 campaign, the Knights reached the NEC Tournament for the sixth time in seven seasons with a 9-9 record in NEC action. The Burgundy and Blue played non-conference opponents Depaul, Notre Dame, and Kentucky. FDU entered the NEC Tournament as the No. 5 seed and played LIU.
Helped coach Jahlil Jenkins to Second Team All-NEC, Kaleb Bishop to Third Team All-NEC, and Devon Dunn to the NEC All-Rookie Team.
During the 2018-19 season, the Knights (21-14) made history by winning the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament game, defeating Prairie View A&M in the First Four round.
More information on the team's historic run
The 2019 Knights captured a share of the NEC Championship for the first time since 2006 and enjoyed their fourth consecutive .500 or better season in NEC play as Herenda led the team to a 12-6 conference mark. With 21 total wins, the Burgundy and Blue registered the fifth-highest win total in program history.
Herenda, who registered career win No. 200 on February 23, 2019 against Wagner, guided the Knights back to the NEC Championship for the second time in his six seasons by earning wins over Wagner (84-46) and Robert Morris (66-62). Herenda improved to 7-3 all-time in NEC postseason games and boasts a perfect 4-0 mark at home.
This season, senior guard Darnell Edge garnered All-NEC First Team honors, while classmate Mike Holloway Jr. was named All-NEC Second Team. The duo concluded their careers ranked 12
thand 10
th, respectively on the Knights' all-time scoring list. In addition, Holloway capped his career fourth all-time in rebounding, while Edge is the Knights’ all-time leader in 3-pointers made.
In the 2017-18 campaign, the team garnered a program-record four All-NEC honorees: Mike Holloway (Second Team), Darnell Edge (Third Team), Jahlil Jenkins (Rookie Team) and Noah Morgan (Rookie Team).
The Knights defeated Saint Francis U in the NEC Quarterfinals before falling by one point at LIU Brooklyn in the semfinal round.
The 2016-17 Knights featured two All-NEC selections in Darian Anderson (second team) and Stephan Jiggetts (third team). Additionally, Anderson garnered NABC District 18 Second Team honors.
In 2015-16, featuring the third-youngest roster in the nation, Herenda guided one of the biggest turnarounds in the NCAA. The Knights finished with an 18-15 overall record, captured the NEC Tournament title and earned a berth in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The 18 victories marked a 10-win improvement from the previous season.
Furthermore, the 18 wins and 11 NEC victories were the most by an FDU squad since the 2005-06 season, while the NEC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berths were the first for FDU since the 2005 season. Additionally, the team posted its first winning road record in 19 seasons.
Sophomores Darian Anderson and Earl Potts Jr. garnered Second Team All-NEC honors following the season, while freshman Mike Holloway earned a place on the NEC All-Rookie Team. Potts also became the second FDU player in Herenda’s tenure to garner NEC Most Improved Player honors.
Under Herenda’s guidance, the Knights have achieved tremendous success in the classroom. After earning the NEC Team GPA Award for the first time in program history in 2015, the Knights captured the award again in 2016. Additionally, the team’s work in the classroom last season also resulted in the program's first National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award.
Herenda was introduced as the seventh head coach in program history on Friday, April 26, 2013. He came to FDU after serving as the head coach at UMass Lowell from 2008-2013, where he posted a record of 95-56 (.629).
During his first year in Hackensack, Herenda returned the Knights to the Northeast Conference Tournament for the first time since 2010. He tripled FDU's conference win total during his first season and became the first head coach in the Garden State since December 1987 to defeat both Rutgers and Seton Hall in the same season. The only other coach to accomplish the feat was Pete Carril at Princeton.
Herenda also developed Sidney Sanders Jr. into the most improved player in the nation after the Knights' co-captain saw his scoring average rise from 4.6 points per game as a junior to 19.1 points per game, the second-highest increase in the NCAA. For his efforts, Sanders Jr. was FDU's first All-NEC First Team performer since 2007 and earned All-NABC and All-Met accolades. He was also the first FDU men’s basketball player to earn the NEC Most Improved Player Award before Earl Potts Jr. received the honor in 2015-16.
In his second season, Herenda and the Knights opened with an upset victory at Saint Joseph’s on a late basket by senior, and Philadelphia native, Mustafaa Jones. The team would follow with notable non-conference victories against intrastate rival Princeton and Colonial Athletic Association members Towson and Delaware.
Throughout Herenda’s time at FDU he has maintained a strong relationship with the Boys and Girls Club of Hackensack/Lodi. He has also worked hard to develop relationships with alumni and in association with an alumni commitment he began the Revitalization of the Alumni Basketball Suite in the Rothman Center.
“The Greg Herenda Show”
Off the court, Herenda developed and hosts
The Greg Herenda Show on WFDU which features premiere guests and sports personalities such as Hall of Fame Coaches Jim Calhoun and John Calipari, NFL coaches Bill Cowher and Dave Wannstedt, MLB Hall of Famers (Frank Thomas), former NBA players, and numerous other guests. The show, which airs on Saturdays at noon on WFDU 89.1 FM, celebrated its three-year anniversary on September 7, 2017.
Record at FDU:
Overall: 101-142 (.416)
NEC: 67-75 (.472)
Career Record: 227-223 (.504)
Quotable
Hiring Press Conference Photo Album - April 26, 2013
Upon his appointment as head coach of the Knights in 2013, Herenda said, “I cannot tell you how excited my family and I are to be coming back to New Jersey and to be the head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson University,” Herenda said. “This is a dream come true. This will be my 30
th year of coaching college basketball, and the road has taken me all over the country and the world. It's incredible that I start my Division I career at home.”
“I cannot thank
David Langford and (former Metropolitan Campus Provost) Dr. Joseph Kiernan, as well as the entire committee that selected me,” Herenda said. “Everyone cares so much about the University and the basketball program.”
“When I was a young boy I saw Al LoBalbo coach at FDU, and I remember just what a legend he was,” Herenda said. “I have known Tom Green for years and all the success he had. Now it is my turn to reenergize the program, and I cannot wait to get to work.”
Prior To FDU
Herenda, who is a native of North Bergen, N.J. and played for legendary coach Jerome Halligan at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City, N.J., has a coaching path that has taken him to the Big East, Conference USA, the Ivy League and the Patriot League though the years, and his teams have won multiple conference championships, as well as appearing in both the NCAA and NIT Tournaments.
In 2008, Herenda took over at UMass Lowell, inheriting a 12-win squad from the year before. In his first season, he was named the Northeast Conference-10 and NABC East Region Coach of the Year after leading the Division II school to a 21-8 record, which started a stretch of three straight 20-win seasons and four straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. During that time, Herenda led UMass Lowell to a NE-10 Tournament title in 2009-10, a semifinal appearance in 2010-11 and another championship game appearance in 2011-12.
Before leading UMass Lowell, Herenda was the head coach at Cabrini College for one season (2007-08), Division III school in Radnor, Pa. While coaching at Cabrini, Herenda doubled as a lead analyst and color commentator for YES Network's Ivy League basketball telecasts.
Herenda started his head coaching career at Elgin Community College in Elgin. Ill., in 2006. He turned around a six-win team from the previous year into a squad that finished 18-11, won the Skyway Conference championship and reached the Region IV District B Junior College championship game for the first time in school history during his only season at the helm.
Playing Career
A four-year player at Merrimack, Herenda still holds the school record for assists in a game (22) and shares the record for the single-season average (9.0).
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and Marketing, Merrimack College (1983)
Personal
Herenda currently resides in Bergen County with his wife, Jillene, and his son Trey.
