Arcadia University Men's Basketball

Adam Van Zelst enters his seventh season as the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Arcadia in 2025-26.  Van Zelst has led the Knights to the 2023 MAC Freedom Championship, one of five conference tournament appearances and two championship game appearances during his tenure, in addition to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in 2023. Van Zelst has mentored two D3hoops.com All-Region selections, two NABC All-District recipients, one All-ECAC honoree, and two City of Basketball Love All-Area selections. Van Zelst has coached two Conference Player Of the Year award winners, one conference Rookie of the Year, and 14 All-Conference selections during his tenure. Prior to coming to Glenside, Van Zelst spent one year at Millersville where he helped lead the Marauders to their most wins -- and first home playoff game - since 2014. Van Zelst also spent eight years as an assistant at fellow MAC Commonwealth institution Albright College. Van Zelst was an NABC Under Armour 30-Under-30 honoree in 2017-18 which is an award recognizing up-and-coming young coaches in men's college basketball, helping Albright to a 20-7 record and an NCAA Tournament berth. While at Albright, Van Zelst developed eight All-MAC Commonwealth players including a pair of MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year winners with two athletes playing professionally.  Van Zelst  earned a bachelor's degree in business administration/marketing from Albright in 2010. While with the Lions, Van Zelst was a four-year member of the men's basketball program, starting 53 consecutive games from 2008-10. As a team captain and senior in 2010, he helped his squad to a 21-6 record, a conference championship and a NCAA Tournament appearance. He ranks in the top 10 of the school's all-time assist leaders.

Phil Pierfy '19 enters his fifth year as an assistant on the Knights men's basketball staff in 2023-24. Pierfy specializes in working with the Knights' bigs on skill development, scouting, and creating game plans for opponents in addition to film study and editing and recruiting efforts. During the offseason, he serves as the head coach of the 17U East Coast Power AAU program, mentoring several college-bound athletes. Pierfy, a two-time All-MAC Commonwealth selection, led the Knights to the program's first-ever conference championship and NCAA Division III Tournament as a team captain in his senior season in 2019. The Knights also won the program's first NCAA Tournament game with an 80-60 victory over New Jersey City in the NCAA First Round. He finished his career fifth on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,191 points and averaged 13.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Following 2019's historical run to the NCAA Tournament, Pierfy was named an NABC First-team All-District selection, the first in the program's history. Pierfy was also a three-year member of the Arcadia baseball program, where he led the Knights to pair of MAC Commonwealth titles and NCAA Division III Tournament appearances in 2017 and 2018. A two-time All-MAC Commonwealth and 2018 ABCA First-team All-Region selection, Pierfy finished his career ranked in the top-five among the program's all-time in statistical leaders, including doubles (49), batting average (.376), slugging percentage (.557), runs batted in (126) and fielding percentage (.988).

Charles Brown enters his eighth season with the Arcadia men's basketball coaching staff in 2025-26.    Brown joined the Knights' staff after retiring from a highly successful 37-year teaching career at George Washington Carver High School for Engineering & Science (E&S). In 36 seasons as the varsity head coach at E&S, Brown amassed a 438-325 career record. His 438 wins are fifth most in Philadelphia Public League history.   From 1995-2012, E&S led the Philadelphia Public League with 18 consecutive winning seasons. Brown's coaching highlights include 26 Philadelphia Public League playoff appearances, Public League runner-up in 1997, PIAA District 12 AA Champs in 2005, Division Champs in 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2012, Philadelphia Tribune Public League Coach of the Year in 1997, Philadelphia Public League Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2006 and West Chester University Milton Blitz Award in 2007.   Brown has coached many standout players who went on to play at all levels of college basketball with eight going on to play professionally, most notably Michael Anderson and Lynn Greer. Anderson went on to star at Drexel University and was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 1988. He was the first Drexel player to make the roster of an NBA team (San Antonio Spurs) in 1989. Greer also starred locally at Temple University and is currently their 2nd all-time leading scorer. Greer enjoyed a very successful professional playing career overseas and with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks.   In addition to coaching, Brown taught health and physical education from 1979-2011 at E&S. He also served as the Director of Athletics and Chair of the Health and Physical Education Department from 1999-2011. Brown retired from teaching in 2011. A Philadelphia native, Brown attended Central High School and graduated in 1967. He went on to attend Cheyney State College majoring in science. Brown was a member of their PSCAC Championship team. Brown transferred to West Chester State College to pursue his degree in health and physical education and graduated in 1975. While at West Chester, he played basketball and baseball. Brown went on to receive a Masters of Arts degree in education from Beaver College (Arcadia) in 1978. Brown also had a career in broadcasting which lasted close to 25 years. He served primarily as a radio announcer and disk jockey at three local radio stations.

Eugene Garmon, M.S. is the Assistant Director of Counseling Services and Diversity and Inclusion Initatives. To view Eugene's University bio page, click here.