John Linehan (basketball)

John Lewis Linehan (born May 1, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player and currently an assistant basketball coach for the Saint Joseph's Hawks. At 5'9" and 165 lbs., he played at the point guard position. He was nicknamed, "Le Virus"[1][2] (English: "The Virus").

John Linehan
Saint Joseph's Hawks
PositionAssistant coach
LeagueAtlantic 10 Conference
Personal information
Born (1978-05-01) May 1, 1978
Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school
CollegeProvidence (1997–2002)
NBA draft2002: undrafted
Playing career2002–2013
PositionPoint guard
Coaching career2015–present
Career history
As player:
2002–2003Greenville Groove
2003–2004Dakota Wizards
2004–2006Paris Racing
2006SIG Strasbourg
2006–2007SLUC Nancy
2008–2009Kalev
2009–2010Cholet
2010–2013SLUC Nancy
As coach:
2015–2016Drexel (operations asst.)
2016–2017Brown (assistant)
2017–2019Hartford (assistant)
2019–2022Georgia (assistant)
2022–presentSaint Joseph's (assistant)
Career highlights and awards

High school

Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, Linehan played competitive high school basketball, first at Chester High School, and then at Winchendon School, in Winchendon, Massachusetts.

College career

Linehan played college basketball for Providence College's Friars, from 1997 to 2002. He led the Big East Conference in steals, in three different seasons, and also earned the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and second-team All-Big East honors his last two seasons. As a senior, in the 2001–02 season, he averaged 12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 4.5 steals per game, finishing second in the nation in steals.

As a result, he was awarded the Henry Iba Corinthian Award, as the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Defensive Player of the Year, for that season.[3] He finished his collegiate career as the NCAA Division I's all-time career leader in steals, with 385.[4] On December 5, 2021, Richmond's Jacob Gilyard broke Linehan's nearly 20-year old record after recording his 386th steal in a win over Northern Iowa.

Professional playing career

Linehan was not drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Greenville Groove, of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL). In the 2003–04 season, he played for the Dakota Wizards of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), and won the league's championship with the team.[5]

After winning the CBA championship, Linehan moved to Europe, and signed with Paris Basket Racing of the LNB Pro A in France, where he also played two years (2006–08) for SLUC Nancy. In the 2008–09 season, he played for Kalev/Cramo, in Estonia. With the team, he won the Estonian Cup and the Estonian League championship.

In July 2009, he signed a one-year contract with the French Pro A team Cholet Basket.[6] He won the 2009–10 season's French League championship with the team.

In July 2010, Linehan signed a contract with the French club SLUC Nancy, and in the 2010–11 season, he won the French League championship with them. Linehan at one time held the record for the most assists in a single EuroLeague game, with 15 assists. On the 3 November 2011, he delivered 15 assists, in a EuroLeague game against Fenerbahçe.[7] The record was later broken.

Coaching career

Linehan began his career as a basketball coach in 2015.[8]

In July 2017, it was announced that Linehan would join the coaching staff at Hartford.[9] In May 2019, it was announced that Linehan would join the coaching staff at the University of Georgia.[10] Linehan was named an assistant coach at Saint Joseph's University on April 22, 2022.[11]

See also

References
  1. Pantel-jouve, Gabriel (August 30, 2016). "John Linehan devient coach aux Etats-Unis". BeBasket. Archived from the original on January 18, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  2. "John Linehan : Le Virus est une légende". @cultureSPORT.
  3. "Division I Career Steal Leaders". Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2008-10-23.
  4. "Linehan Breaks NCAA Steals Mark". Associated Press Online. 2002-02-27. Archived from the original on 2012-10-22.
  5. "Dakota Wizards at CBA Museum". Retrieved on 2009-01-11
  6. "CHOLET BASKET inks John Linehan". Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved on 2009-07-21
  7. "Fenerbahce Ulker vs SLUC Nancy 3 November 2011 17:45 | Euroleague". Euroleague Basketball.
  8. "Ex-Providence star Linehan launches coaching career at Temple".
  9. "Hartford Dirt". 16 July 2017.
  10. "Georgia Dirt". 13 March 2018.
  11. "Linehan Named Men's Basketball Assistant Coach". Saint Joseph's University. 28 July 2023.
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