Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Men's Basketball

Scalmanini's contagious enthusiasm and vast knowledge of the game has led the Stags to unprecedented success. The program has finished first or second in the SCIAC league 14 times, highlighted by SCIAC Championships in 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015. Scalmanini's winning percentage places him among the top 50 of current DIII coaches. Coach Scalmanini has built the program on the foundation of intelligent, sound motion offense and relentless, suffocating man-to-man defense. The motion offense emphasizes reactionary cutting and reading, allowing players considerable freedom in the half court. This offensive philosophy has led the Stags to shoot over 50% in three out of the past four years. The tenacious Stag defense relies on man-to-man principles with great importance on help defense. Two years ago the defense was ranked in the top ten nationally in opponent field goal percentage and points allowed. Scalmanini credits the backbone of the program to its players. This past year, he recruited top basketball talent nationwide, from California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Nebraska, Illinois, New York, Florida and Texas. He searches for individuals who are both unselfish, passionate players and strong, student leaders. Not surprisingly, his recruits have been successful both on and off the court, as his players have received numerous First Team All-SCIAC awards and landed esteemed internships and careers. Coach Scalmanini has a rich basketball history. He began coaching in 1993 and served two years as an Assistant Coach at Cal Poly Pomona before joining the Claremont staff. After a four year stint as Assistant Coach at CMS, Coach Scalmanini took control of the reins in 1998. As a player, Scalmanini played two seasons at Cal Poly Pomona, where he averaged 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists per game at the off-guard and small forward positions. In high school, he was the 1986 Player of the Year in the Redwood Empire League at St. Vincent's High School. Ken Scalmanini, or "Coach Scali" as he is known, lives in Claremont with his wife Jeannie, son Kyle and daughter Emily. He is actively involved in the community as coach of Little League baseball, AYSO soccer, and All-Net middle school basketball.

Chanel Murchison enters her sixth season as the head coach of the CMS women's basketball program in 2025-26. During her career, Murchison has led the Athenas to a narrow runner-up finish in the SCIAC in 2019-20, resulting in an overtime defeat to Redlands in the league championship game. Murchison also guided CMS to a 12-4 SCIAC record in 2022-23.  Murchison came to CMS with six years of coaching experience since her 2013 graduation from William & Mary, where she was a student-athlete with the Tribe women's basketball program. She spent four seasons on the coaching staff at Division III John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, the first two as a graduate assistant before earning an assistant coach position in June of 2015. She then returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in 2017, a position she has held for the last two years. Murchison's efforts on the coaching staff helped William & Mary to 16 wins in her first season, matching the fourth-highest total in program history. She helped Tribe players earn five All-Colonial Athletic Association awards, including a first-team All-CAA selection from Bianca Boggs, the first such honor for the program in a decade. Murchison also worked closely with the post players, helping William & Mary set a school record with 7.3 blocked shots per game in 2017-18, which ranked third in the nation. In addition to her coaching tasks, she also served as the academic and career center liaison for the Tribe, organizing student-athlete academic schedules and assisting in career development endeavors. As the program's recruiting coordinator, she managed the recruiting budget and oversaw all aspects of the recruiting process. As an assistant at John Carroll from 2013-17, Murchison helped the Blue Streaks to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in program history. Her teams compiled a 64-41 record over her four seasons, including a pair of 22-win campaigns, and had nine players earn all-league honors, including one Player of the Year and one Rookie of the Year.  Murchison also served as a physical education instructor at John Carroll, while holding the role of academic and career advisor for the women's basketball program, creating academic plans for players to help monitor their personal and professional growth in preparation for graduation. In addition, she served on the John Carroll Diversity and Inclusion Committee, before assuming a similar role at William & Mary. During her playing days at William & Mary (2008-13), Murchison appeared in 88 games, including 45 starts, over three seasons with the Tribe. She was also involved in the athletic department off the court as an undergraduate, working with the marketing and sports information departments. A native of Stafford, Virginia, Murchison graduated from William & Mary with a degree in economics, and earned her MBA from John Carroll in 2016.

Michael Wells, a familiar face around Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for decades, will enter his fourth season with the CMS men's basketball program in 2025-26, and his first as the associate head coach.  In Wells' first season at CMS in 2022-23, the Stags went 21-5, were ranked in the Top 25 for most of the season and had one of their best offensive seasons ever, ranking No. 2 in NCAA Division III in field goal percentage. In Wells' second season, CMS won the SCIAC Tournament and captured an NCAA Regional title, advancing to the Round of 16 for the first time in program history. His third season saw the Stags win their second straight SCIAC Tournament, defeating both of the regular season co-champions (Redlands and Cal Lutheran) on the road with last minute wins.  Wells previously worked at Occidental, where he began as the sports information director and became the associate athletic director in 2015, before assuming a role as the associate head coach of the men's basketball program. During his coaching tenure, he helped the Tigers to back-to-back SCIAC Tournament appearances, including an appearance in the championship game in 2019. His primary responsibilities at Occidental were offensive fundamentals and as the defensive coach, helping the Tigers rank in the top 10 in the nation in points allowed, opponent field goal percentage, and three-point field goal defense in 2017-18, and in the top 25 in field goal percentage defense and points per game in 2018-19. He has also been a part of two different coaching staffs with point guards who have led the nation in assist to turnover ratio, Ryan Kaneshiro of Occidental in 2018-19, and Brian Kenyon of CMS in 2022-23.  When the SCIAC did not play in 2020-21 due to the pandemic, Wells was the head high school coach at the Villanova Preparatory School in Ojai, leading the Wildcats to their first winning season in a decade and their first playoff win in 15 years. In the offseason, Wells coaches club basketball with BTI. In 2023, his 17U team made the Elite Eight of the New Balance NXTPRO 16 National Circuit.  Wells is the son of Jodie Burton and David Wells, who were both longtime basketball coaches for CMS. Burton also led the women's golf program to a national title in 2018 and to top-10 finishes in each of their last five NCAA Tournaments. She retired in 2024 after 45 years with the athletic department after first taking over the women's basketball program in 1979-80. Wells graduated from Dominican University of California with a degree in communications in 2011 and added a masters in organizational leadership from Woodbury University in 2014. He served as a team captain with the men's basketball team at Dominican and helped lead the Penguins to a CalPac Championship in 2008.  Wells is married to Nika Wells who works at Claremont McKenna College in the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement.

Jim Hennacy enters his second season with the CMS men's basketball staff in 2024-25, after helping the Stags to a 2024 SCIAC Tournament title and its first-ever NCAA Regional championship in his debut season.  Hennacy was an assistant coach at Occidental for 12 years, helping the Tigers to three SCIAC titles, four NCAA bids, and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2003.  Prior to coaching at Occidental, Hennacy also helped La Verne achieve high levels of success, with three SCIAC titles in his six years, and an appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16.  Hennacy has also coached at LA City College for four years, which he helped to a 1997 state championship, and was the head coach at Blair High School for five years, which he led to two CIF Finals. He was named the CIF Coach of the Year in 1981 by the LA Times, and the CIF Coach of the Year in 1983 by the Star-News. Hennacy graduated from UCLA with a bachelor of science degree in 1978, and earned his master's in educational administration from Point Loma in 1993. He also earned a teaching credential from the Cal State Los Angeles in 1985.