Porter Named Blue Knight Men's Basketball Coach
URBANA, Ohio (March 21, 2008) – Urbana University Director of Athletics Doug Young is pleased to announce Jeff Porter as the Blue Knights’ next head men’s basketball coach.

“Coach Porter brings many great qualities that our program needs right now,” said Young. “He is very committed to academic excellence, knows how to get the get the most out of his student athletes, and has a very strong recruiting base in the areas that we need most.”

Porter, a native of Kittanning Pa., has posted a 58-30 overall record, and has taken the Saints two times to the NJCAA Region III Finals in three seasons as head coach at Mercyhurst North East, a two-year junior college in North East, Pa. where Young was athletic director prior to coming to Urbana.

“I would like to thank the administration at Urbana University for giving me the opportunity to coach its men’s basketball program,” said Porter. “Everyone I’ve met at Urbana has been very nice. I feel like this is a good fit for me and that this basketball program is a place where I can make a positive contribution toward developing the lives of Urbana’s student athletes for many years to come.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Doug (Young) again. It will make the transition easier as well,” he added. “Plus, I really like the direction Urbana is taking; going NCAA D-II is a big step for this program. I can’t wait to get started.”

Porter led the Saints to a 19-9 record in his first year as the head coach at Mercyhurst North East. Porter's Saints comprised of just two returning players, finished second in the Western New York Athletic Conference. That squad proved to be the highest scoring team in school history as it averaged 90.5 points per game. The Saints were rewarded with a second seed and first round bye in the NJCAA Region III Division II Tournament and advanced to the championship game where they fell to Monroe.

“My goal is to improve upon the graduation rate and bring quality student-athletes to Urbana University,” said Porter. “I want to bring in guys who are students first and athletes second. I want to lay the groundwork for a strong academic program and with those ethics I think we’ll build the foundation for a successful program.”

Before taking over as head coach of the Mercyhurst North East basketball program, Porter spent two seasons as the assistant coach for the Saints, and was also the head cross country coach at Mercyhurst North East. In 2003-04, MNE won its first ever men’s basketball WNYAC championship and finished the season 23-6. In 2004-05, the Saints finished with an overall record of 21-8.

Porter coached two current Urbana men’s basketball players, who transferred from Mercyhurst North East; David Brown and Milton Addison.

“My goal is to get the best from my players,” said Porter. “It will be nice to get reunited with Dave and Milt. They played very well for Urbana this year. I enjoyed coaching them at Mercyhurst North East and I look forward to the opportunity to coach them again.”

Prior to Mercyhurst North East, Porter served as an assistant coach at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa. during the 2002-03 season.

He has worked various summer camps in the state of Pennsylvania. Porter was also an adjunct professor for the sports management department at Mercyhurst North East.

Porter graduated from Geneva College in 2001 with a degree in psychology. While at Geneva, he played two years for the Golden Tornadoes and was part of the team that played in the championship game of the NCCAA national tournament. In 2000 he went on to earn his Master’s degree in sports studies/management at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is the son of Mark and Christine Porter of Worthington, Pa.

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