Merrimack College Men's Basketball

Burtnyk enters his 12th season on the men's basketball coaching staff following an illustrious career from 2004-08, in which he guided the Warriors to 54 total wins and a NCAA Tournament berth in his final year. With the help of Burtnyk, the Warriors won the 2019-20 NEC Regular Season Championship, becoming the first team ever to win a conference title in its first season of Division I membership. Burtnyk helped Merrimack to 20 victories last year, the programs third straight season with at least 20 wins. Burtnyk helped senior Juvaris Hayes to an All-American season that included an NEC Defensive Player of the Year Award, all-conference first-team selection, and the Lefty Driesell Award as the top defensive player in the country. The coaching staff also saw multiple student-athletes reach new heights as well. Idris Joyner established career highs in scoring. Devin Jensen set career highs in 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage. The long-time Warrior was part of his first-ever conference championship in 2018-19, assisting the program to its first NE10 Championship since the 1999-00 season and third conference tournament title in school history overall. Burtnyk helped Merrimack to a school-record 22 victories, a number the program has now reached five times overall, and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament's East Regional, the highest seed for the program ever. Burtnyk saw junior Juvaris Hayes earn All-American status for the second straight year as well as receiving NE10 Defensive Player of the Year and NE10 All-Conference First Team accolades. Senior Ryan Boulter also was an all-league selection, landing on the third team. In the regular season, Merriamck won 14 NE10 games and finished second in the Northeast Division. Both marks tied the second most since the NE10 moved to a divisional format.  The 2017-18 campaign saw continued excellence for the program. Burtnyk helped the program to its first 20-win season in nearly a decade and ninth overall, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second time in as many seasons. The assistant helped the Warriors to 14 Northeast-10 Conference wins, which were the most for the program since 2009-10. Merrimack finished second in the Northeast Division, the program's highest finish since the NE10 moved to a divisional format in 2013-14. In 2016-17, Burtnyk contributed to the development of seven returning players along with compiling an impressive recruting class that allowed the Warriors to shock many in the region. After being selected to finish second-to-last in the Northeast Division, the Warriors posted 12 league victories and 19 overall, earned a conference tournament berth and reached the program's ninth NCAA Tournament as an at-large selection. Merrimack went on to upset top-seeded Le Moyne as the No. 8 seed, the lone eighth seed to advance out of the regional quarterfinals nationwide.  Over the 10 years of Burtnyk's stint on the sidelines, the program owns a 162-125 record (.564) with four of the school's 10 NCAA Tournament berths in tow. The Warriors have finished above .500 in seven of his 10 seasons as part of the Merrimack staff.  Other highlights of Burtnyk's coaching resume include a debut season in 2009-10 that saw the Warriors win 21 games, reach the NCAA Tournament and total a program-record tying 16 NE10 wins. Merrimack also finished above .500 in 2011-12, 2014-15 and 2015-16.  In his playing career Burtnyk tallied 830 points and also holds the Merrimack standard for points in his collegiate debut with 26. Burtnyk lives in Worcester, Mass. with his wife Erin their daughters Ellie and Emma.

Jimmy Langhurst is in his second season as an assistant coach at Merrimack, having helped the Warriors to a second-place finish and semifinal apearances in their first year in the MAAC. "I am thrilled to welcome Jimmy to our coaching staff," head coach Joe Gallo said upon Langhurst's hiring. "We always talk about how hard it is to win and Jimmy has been a part of a lot of winning in both his playing and coaching careers. He won two conference championships as a player at Robert Morris and then followed that up with four as a coach. I have known Jimmy for a long time. He will bring great energy to our gym everyday and will be a huge asset for our players. Langhurst came to Merrimack after two seasons at Stonehill College, where he played an integral role during the Skyhawks Division I transition. He helped Stonehill earn a 10-6 Northeast Conference record in their first year in Division I.  Prior to coaching with the Skyhawks, Langhurst spent four years as the director of operations at his alma mater Robert Morris University. During his time with the Colonials, Robert Morris won the 2020 Northeast Conference championship, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. This was his third time being a part of an NCAA Tournament berth at Robert Morris, after twice helping the Colonials to the Big Dance as a player.  Langhurst served as an assistant coach at Le Moyne College for three seasons. There he was named an Under Armor 30 Under 30 award recipient from the NABC and tabbed as the number nine ranked Division II Men's Assistant Coach by CoachStat.net. With the Dolphins, Langhurst had two 20-win seasons which were both capped off with Division II NCAA tournament appearances. Under his tutelage, the Dolphins went to the 2018 NCAA Division II Elite Eight.  Langhurst got this first coaching gig at Indiana University of Pennsylvania during the 2014-15 season. IUP earned an at-large berth in the 2015 NCAA Division II Tournament, claiming the Atlantic Region championship with a 77-74 victory over West Liberty. The Crimson Hawks eventually reached the title game of the 2015 NCAA Division II Tournament, falling to Florida Southern, 77-62, in Evansville, Ind.  A 2010 Robert Morris graduate, Langhurst was a four-year starter for the Colonials. He was a part of three 20-win seasons, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and one bid to the NIT. A career 40.6 percent three-point shooter, which ranks seventh on the Robert Morris all-time career list. He is one of five Colonials in program history to finish a game perfect from beyond the arc, going 5-for-5 from deep in an 88-61 victory at Florida International (11/29/07). Langhurst went on to play professionally in the British Basketball League for the Sheffield Sharks, leading the team and ranking sixth in league scoring after averaging 19.2 points per game. He was named to the All-British honorable mention team.  Langhurst currently resides in Plainville, Mass. with his wife Caroline, son EJ and daughter Jane.

The most decorated player in Merrimack men's basketball history, Juvaris Hayes is in his third season as an assistant coach for the Warriors.  In his first season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Hayes helped lead the Warriors to a 21-12 record, including a 13-3 mark in the NEC and a conference title game appearance. Last year Hayes helped Merrimack to a second-place finish in its first season in the MAAC, and the conference tournament semifinals. “It is great to have Juvaris back," Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo, who coached Hayes with the Warriors, said. “Nobody knows our program and what goes into winning at Merrimack more than him. He will be an invaluable resource for our players.” Hayes was a four-year starter for the Warriors, earning Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year after averaging 13.9 to go along with a NCAA Division II leading 9.3 assists per game as a freshman. The Warriors made it to the second round of the Division II East Regional during his freshman season. The Paterson, N.J. native averaged 17.8 points per game in his sophomore season and finished the year leading the entire NCAA in three categories: steals per game (3.9), total assists (255) and total steals (124). Hayes was named to the NE-10 First Team and Merrimack once again made it to the second round of the East regional. In his junior season, Hayes was named NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year and averaged a career-high 19.3 points, 6.6 assists, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.9 steals per game. He led the nation in steals at almost 4 per game and was once again named to the NE-10 First Team. The Warriors won 22 games during the 2018-19 season, including 14 in the NE-10. For his final season, Hayes was on the team that was the first to transition to Division I at Merrimack. In just his second game in Division I he was integral to one of the biggest wins in school history against Northwestern. Hayes averaging 10.7 points per game that season as the Warriors would win the Northeast Conference regular season title. He once again led the country in steals per game (3.9) and was named to the NEC First Team. He won NEC Defensive Player of the Year, as well as won the Lefty Driesell Award which is given to the nation’s most outstanding Division I defender. Others to win the award include, Anthony Davis and Kent Bazemore. Hayes would finish his career as the NCAA’s all-time leader in steals with 457 and finished his career at Merrimack as the all-time leader in assists with 952. He also holds Merrimack's record for most assists in a season with 287, ranks fifth in career rebounds (741) and seventh in career points (1,951). After graduation, Hayes played in Europe for two seasons. Playing with the Itzehoe Eagles in Germany and the BC TS Tbilisi in Georgia.  

  Merrimack alum Chris Mohr is in his second stint, and his ninth season as an assistant coach with the Warriors, after 18 years at New Hampshire, including the last seven as the associate head coach. Mohr rejoined the Merrimack staff for the 2023-24 season, and helped lead the Warriors to a 21-12 record, including a 13-3 mark in the NEC and a conference title game appearance. Merrimack then notched a second-place finish in its first season in the MAAC, advancing to the conference tournament semifinals. The 1997 Merrimack graduate was a a senior captain, finishing his playing career with 879 career points. As a Warrior, Mohr was a two-time recipient of the Gregory Newman Award, given to the team’s ultimate team player. At UNH, Mohr helped mold the most successful class in program history, as the Class of 2018 recorded 69 wins in a four-year span. The Wildcats recorded a total of 59 wins spanning the 2015-17 seasons, which is the most successful three consecutive seasons in program history. UNH reached 20 wins in a single season for the first time in 2015-16 and matched that win total in ‘16-’17. New Hampshire became only the third program in the Northeast to record 19+ wins in three straight seasons in 2016-17 with a program-tying 20 wins and a third consecutive home playoff game in Durham. The Wildcats won six straight games heading into the conference semifinals, which was the longest streak since Jan. 31-Feb. 18, 1995. UNH earned a program record 20 wins in 2015-16 and won a first-ever postseason game in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament against Fairfield University. The Wildcats finished 20-13 overall, including 11-5 in America East play. The 'Cats had their most successful season since the 1994-95 season in 2014-15, when they posted 19 wins to match the program record at the time, hosted their first playoff game in Lundholm Gymnasium in 20 years, and was selected to participate in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. The 19-13 overall record was the first winning season since the historic 1994-95 squad went 19-9 overall. The 2019-20 team had one of the biggest turnarounds in program history, when the Wildcats were one of seven teams in Division I men's basketball to increase their previous season's win total by double digits.  Before UNH, Mohr worked six seasons as an assistant coach at Merrimack College with longtime head coach Bert Hammel. In his first year as an assistant at Merrimack, Mohr helped guide the Warriors to a 22-9 record, the Northeast-10 Regular Season and Tournament Championships and the NCAA Division II Northeast Regionals during the 1999-2000 season. As a senior captain, he averaged 10.5 points per game and he received the Ray Gallant award in 1995-96 and the Most Improved Player award in his second year in the program. Prior to coaching at Merrimack, Mohr taught high school English and was an assistant basketball coach for the varsity program at Carmel High School in Mundelein, Ill. Mohr is an active member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).   Mohr lives in North Andover, Mass., with his wife, Meghan, son, Cooper and daughter, McKenna.  

Jared Czech is in his first season as an assistant coach at Merrimack, after serving one season as an assistant coach at Stonehill College.  "We are really excited to welcome Jared and his wife Kaitlyn to the Merrimack basketball family", said coach Gallo. "I have known Jared for over 10 years and have watched him work tirelessly at every stop he's been. Jared is smart, loyal, hard working and has great experience. The daily energy he brings will fit right into our program." Before heading to Easton, Czech was an assistant coach at the United States Air Force Academy for four seasons. While with the Falcons, he helped lead the Falcons to 39 wins, including 14 victories during the 2022-23 season. Prior to the USAFA, Czech was an assistant at Columbia University for four seasons. With the Lions, his primary responsibilities were player development and recruiting. During the 2014-15 season, Czech was the Director of Basketball Operations for NJIT. His first job in college coaching was as a graduate assistant at the University of Denver for Head Coach Joe Scott; who Czech would later work for at Air Force. In addition to his college coaching experience, Czech was named Director of Hoop Group Elite Camp in 2015 and coached AAU with the NY Gauchos while in college. Czech graduated from Manhattanville College in 2013 with his bachelor's degree in English. His first coaching job was with his father, Al Czech, a longtime New Jersey high school coach.