ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure women’s basketball head coach Jim Crowley has announced the addition of new assistant coach Jim Brunelli.
Brunelli will return to the sideline for the first time since the 2019-20 season when he was the head coach at Division II Converse University in South Carolina, spending two seasons with the Valkyries.
A native of St. Marys, Pa., Brunelli brings 13 years of head coaching experience to St. Bonaventure.
Prior to his time down south, Brunelli served as the head coach at Division II Gannon University in Erie, recording 105 wins to rank tied for second on the program’s all-time victories list.
Brunelli guided Gannon to winning seasons in four out of six years at the helm, including back-to-back 20-win campaigns in his first two years while also leading the team to NCAA Tournament berths.
“I’ve known Jim for a long time,” Crowley said. “I’ve always respected him as a person as well as a coach and to have someone with his knowledge, experience and passion is a great thing for this program. He is someone who loves the game, knows St. Bonaventure and knows the area. He is going to be a tremendous asset to the program.”
During the 2013-14 season, Brunelli led the Golden Knights to a 28-4 record while guiding them to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championship game and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Before taking over the Golden Knights, Brunelli earned his first head coaching job at Anderson University in South Carolina, spending five seasons there and winning three conference tournament titles.
Brunelli and the Trojans began the 2012-13 season with a 72-65 win over Clemson, finishing the season with a 23-9 record and winning both the South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament championships.
Overall, Brunelli collected 82 victories with Anderson and has amassed 197 head coaching wins overall in 13 years.
Prior to becoming a head coach, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Kent State from 2006-08. Brunelli also spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Albany from 2000-06.
Brunelli earned his start in coaching at his alma mater Clarion as a graduate assistant from 1998-00. He was a member of the 1993-94 men’s basketball team and received his bachelor’s degree in education in 1996.
In 2000, Brunelli received a Master’s degree in communication education and mass media.
