Amherst College Men's Basketball

Marlon Sears starts his sixth year and fifth season as head coach of the Amherst College men's basketball program in 2025-2026. In his first four seasons at Amherst, Sears's basketball teams have reached the NESCAC Quarterfinals three times. As well as reaching the NESCAC Semifinals in the 2023-2024 season.   Before rejoining Columbia in 2019, Sears served as the head coach at Division III Montclair State (N.J.) University from 2015-19, where he led the Red Hawks to some of the most successful seasons in the program's history. His teams compiled a 59-46 record (.561 winning percentage) and Sears mentored seven All-Academic honorees, six All-Conference players and a New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) and D3hoops.com Regional Rookie of the Year. The Red Hawks' 18 wins during the 2017-18 season marked the highest win total for the program in seven seasons, while its 79.1 points per contest was the program's highest single-season average in 24 years. In 2018-19, Sears guided MSU to the top of the Division III leaderboard in rebounding margin at 12.2 per contest. Prior to his time at Montclair State, Sears spent seven years coaching in the Ivy League, as an assistant at both Columbia University and Cornell University (2009-15). As a player, Sears was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American following his senior season in which he averaged 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists per game. Sears earned a bachelor of science degree in communications from Newman University in Wichita, Kan.   Marlon Sears' Coaching Career 2020: Amherst College (Head Coach) 2019-2020: Columbia University (Associate Head Coach) 2015-2019: Montclair State University (Head Coach) 2010-2015: Cornell University (Assistant Coach) 2009-2010: Columbia University (Assistant Coach) 2008-2009: High Point University (Assistant Coach) 2006-2008: Wagner College (Assistant Coach) 2001-2006: Binghamton University (Assistant Coach) What They Said "I am very excited to be the next head men's basketball coach at an incredibly prestigious academic institution in Amherst College. I would like to thank Athletic Director Donald Faulstick for the tremendous opportunity to lead a men's program with such a rich history of success. I will work hard to guide the Amherst program to a similar high level of achievement on and off the court to where our College and Amherst communities can continue to be proud." -Marlon Sears "I'm extremely excited  to have Marlon Sears on board as our next head coach of men's basketball. I am confident he'll continue the storied culture of winning on and off the court and provide our student-athletes with a championship-caliber experience. Marlon has all the right characteristics to be an outstanding head coach in the NESCAC: he's a tremendous recruiter, coach and educator and has genuine interest in all of his players' many successes." -Amherst College Director of Athletics Don Faulstic "Marlon is one of the most charismatic and energetic coaches you will come across at any level of college basketball. He coupled these attributes with a great understanding of the game while possessing a strong work ethic. Amherst and Marlon are a terrific match." -Joe Jones, head coach of men's basketball at Boston University "I am excited for both Marlon and Amherst College. This new partnership seems to be a perfect fit. Marlon's knowledge, work ethic, personality and commitment to student-athletes make him an excellent coach. He embraces the Division III philosophy and he will foster excellence on and off the court. Amherst men's basketball and Marlon Sears will thrive together." -Holly Gera, retired Director of Athletics at Montclair State.

Blake Waldron joined the Amherst College men's basketball staff in the summer of 2024.  Waldron comes to Amherst from Hofstra University, where he served to years as a men's basketball graduate assistant. Waldron's duties included using Synergy and Sportscode to break down both game and practice film; scout and break down opponent's film and evaluate and cut-up recruits from both the transfer portal and high school.  In addition, Waldron assisted and led on-court workouts for players; aided in recruiting visits; helped monitor the team's academic progress and led the coordination of team meals.  Waldron served as the head coach of two Long Island area AAU teams, the Empire Youth and Rising Stars, in the summers of 2022 and 2023.  Waldron completed his master's degree in business administration, with a concentration in sports and entertainment marketing, in 2024. He received his bachelor's degree in journalism from Hofstra in May of 2022.