New local men’s basketball coaches Donny Lind (Mount St. Mary’s) and Josh Loeffler (Loyola) are poised to make their mark at their programs, embracing the challenges and opportunities that come their way.
Lind was an assistant coach at the Mount (2013-2016), Radford (2016-2021) and UNC Greensboro (2021-2024) prior to this. He was part of the Mount’s 2014 Northeast Conference championship and helped shape the roster ahead of the program’s 2017 NEC crown.
Former Mount head coach Dan Engelstad departed the program to step into a new role as an assistant coach at Syracuse University. Lind was hired as head coach in April and is ready to kick off the season given the potential of his team, which is coming off a 13-19 season.
Lind is excited about returning big men Dola Adebayo (6.7 points, 4.5 rebounds in 2023-24), Jedy Cordilia (6.6, 4.5) and Terrell Ard Jr. (5.9, 3.7).
“With the experience they have and the versatility they have and the fit for what we are trying to do for those guys, I’m really excited for what we can do,” Lind said on Glenn Clark Radio Oct. 30. “The hard part about having really good bigs is that you got to have good guards to get them the ball. We’ve been working with those guys to try to make sure we can take advantage.”
Lind prioritized reinforcing the backcourt with skilled shooters and playmakers. The coach brought in transfer guards Carmelo Pacheco (UVA Wise), Arlandus Keyes (Ellsworth Community College) and Javon Ervin (Peninsula College) this offseason.
“I was fortunate, the guys that were here all wanted to stay and play for us that had not already gone to the portal,” Lind said. “We had some really good bigs returning and then a couple guards that had some experience. We knew we needed to add some shooting and then some playmaking in the backcourt. Those were the biggest priorities.”
Lind knows that Mount St. Mary’s basketball has a special place in the hearts of basketball fans in Maryland, with a legacy that inspires genuine passion and pride. The community’s unwavering support energizes the team as it looks to honor its history and forge a successful future.
“I knew it but I didn’t appreciate how much the people of this part of the state love Mount St. Mary’s basketball,” Lind said. “The energy and enthusiasm that they have for our players, for what we have done in the past and obviously what we are trying to build on and continue to build here, it’s remarkable, honestly, for this level.”
Loeffler became the head coach at Loyola after Tavaras Hardy stepped down from the position in March following a 7-25 season. Loeffler was an assistant at Loyola from 2013-2017, then served as the head coach at Division III Johns Hopkins from 2017-2023. He was an assistant at Cincinnati last season.
“I will say the real nice thing that we feel like we find out a little bit every day is we have a good group of young men,” Loeffler said on GCR Oct. 30. “We have 16 guys who, in general, they’re very easy to work with every day. They come in eager. They work hard.”
The Greyhounds’ top returners include big man Milos Ilic (7.6 points, 5.1 rebounds in 2023-24) and wings Tyson Commander (5.5, 2.4) and Jordan Stiemke (5.3, 2.2), creating a foundation for the team. The Greyhounds’ ability to retain players is what Loeffler believes will help the program in the future.
“Hopefully, the continuity and the ability to retain players will allow us to improve at a pretty rapid pace and allow guys to get better because they also have good chemistry with each other,” Loeffler said. “We’ve seen over the years since the portal has become a thing that teams that can retain people sometimes surprise the public in their performance. That’s the hope for any team that brings back a solid group of their roster from the previous year.”
For more from Lind, listen to the full interview here:
For more from Loeffler, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credits: Mount St. Mary’s Athletic Department and Ivan Korsakov