Rob Clune - Head Coach
Contact: robert.clune@allegheny.edu
814-332-2819
In September of 2002, Rob Clune had some pretty big shoes to fill when he replaced Allegheny’s all-time wins leader Phil Ness, who resigned as the Gator head coach to become a major gifts officer in the College’s Office of Development. It was Ness, the program’s all-time leader in coaching victories, who hired Clune as a Gator assistant in October 1989.
The new head coach wasted no time in getting familiar with his surroundings, leading the Gators to a 16-12 overall record, a third-place finish during the conference regular season, and the NCAC Tournament title game. Allegheny knocked off nationally ranked Wittenberg University twice during the season, including a 73-72 decision in the semifinals of the league tourney, before succumbing to The College of Wooster, a national semifinalist, in the title game.
More recently, Allegheny posted a mark of 12-13 during the 2006-07 season, including going 8-8 in the NCAC for a fourth-place finish and a first-round home game in the league tournament. The Gators played five games against top-25 teams, and topped sixth ranked Wittenberg University 62-57 in the regular season finale.
In his four years at the helm, Clune has posted a 58-71 overall record and a 38-43 mark in the NCAC. Moreover, the Gator coach has turned the offense into one of the best in the conference, finishing among the top four each season and scoring more points over the last four years than all but two schools (Wittenberg, Wooster). Allegheny led the NCAC in scoring during his first season, netting an average of 81.8 points per game, while the following year, forward Matt Magnusen became the first Allegheny player ever to lead the league in scoring, notching 547 points for a 21.0 scoring average.
Prior to his appointment at Allegheny, Clune was the head coach at Bethany College (W.Va.), where he turned a struggling program into an NCAA Tournament team. In his seven seasons as the Bison mentor, his teams won two Presidents’ Athletic Conference championships and made two postseason appearances, while he was twice named PAC Coach of the Year. Clune’s best campaign came in 2001-02, when Bethany went 21-7 and won its first NCAA Tournament game since 1978.
During his time at Bethany, Clune’s teams were usually near the top of Division III in several offensive categories. During his final season with the Bison, his team was ranked in the top 21 nationally in scoring offense, three-pointers per game, and three-point percentage and he had players ranked in the top 10 in scoring, assists, and three-pointers per contest.
As an assistant coach under Ness, Clune spent six seasons at Allegheny, helping recruit a core of players that went on to win the NCAC Championship and earn an NCAA Tournament bid. He also served as an assistant coach at Plattsburgh State for one year before his arrival at Allegheny.
As a player, Clune helped guide Albany State to three NCAA Tournament appearances and earned First Team All-SUNYAC honors as a senior. He was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
Clune continued his playing career overseas following his graduation from Albany State. He played from 1981-83 for Club Polisen in Stockholm, Sweden, and led his team to a playoff spot in the Swedish First Division.
After graduating from Albany State in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Clune earned his master’s in athletic coaching education from West Virginia University.
Clune and his wife Linda reside in Meadville and have two sons, Trevor (11) and Jason (9).
Years at Allegheny: Four
Record at Allegheny: 58-71
NCAC Record: 37-43
Overall Record: 127-182 (12 seasons)
Born: 8/17/59
Hometown: Oneonta, NY
Alma Mater: Albany State, 1981
Degrees: B.A., Business Administration; M.Ed., Athletic Coaching Education
Collegiate Coaching Experience
Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa.
Head Coach (2002-), Named September, 2002
Bethany College, Bethany, W.Va.
Head Coach (1995-2002)
Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa.
Assistant Coach (1989-95)
Plattsburgh State, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Assistant Coach (1988-89)
 Matt Drahos - Assistant Coach
Contact: matt.drahos@allegheny.edu
814-332-2810
Matt Drahos begins his second season as the assistant men’s basketball coach following an outstanding player career at his alma mater, Bethany College.
Drahos established a legacy that will be hard to match at Bethany, garnering multiple awards and setting new standards on the basketball court during his four years. His best season was arguably his senior year as the 6-6 center was tabbed honorable mention All-America by D3hoops.com as well as second-team All-America by DIII News — the highest honor ever bestowed upon a Bison basketball player. To top it off, Drahos was just one of five players across Division II and III, as well as the NAIA, to be named an ESPN the Magazine First Team College Division Academic All-American.
Following the 2005-06 season, Drahos was tabbed a finalist for the Jostens Trophy, which is awarded to the Division III Player of the Year, selected to the All-Great Lakes Region Third Team by D3hoops.com, named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Player of the Year, and garnered his fourth straight All-PAC First Team honor. Statistically, he led the PAC in both scoring (22.8 ppg) and field goal percentage (.588), while finishing second in both rebounding (8.3 rpg) and blocks (47).
For his career, Drahos finished second in school history with 1,930 points and first with 926 rebounds. He also set Bethany single-game scoring and rebounding records against Westminster College in 2005-06, tallying 49 points on the road against the Titans and ripping down 26 boards at home.
Drahos, along with his twin brother Mike, led the Bison to consecutive PAC regular season and tournament titles in 2005 and 2006 as well as consecutive bids to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Bethany won 18 straight games during his senior year en route to a 23-5 record, including a perfect 12-0 mark in league play. All told, the Bison finished 76-33 overall and 31-11 in PAC competition over his four seasons.
Drahos, a native of Wheeling, W.Va., graduated from Bethany in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in biology.
|
