Saint Louis University Men's Basketball

Sam Mervis was named a Graduate Assistant on the Billikens’ staff in the summer of 2025. Mervis was a basketball student-athlete at the University of Southern Indiana for three seasons from 2022-25. He spent two seasons at Indiana State under SLU head coach Josh Schertz as well. A three-year member of the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Mervis appeared in 56 games for the Screaming Eagles. In 2023-24, he played in all 31 games with nine starts. Mervis played 16 minutes against the Billikens at Chaifetz Arena in the season opener that year. Mervis was at Indiana State for two seasons from 2020-22. He played in six games for the Sycamores his freshman campaign. A native of Indianapolis, Mervis played high school basketball at University High School. He graduated from USI in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in management.

Zak Boisvert is in his first season at Saint Louis, as he was hired as an assistant coach by Josh Schertz in April 2024.   Boisvert (pronounced Bo-VAIR) has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at George Washington. He previously worked for Schertz at Indiana State as an assistant coach in 2021-22.   "I am thrilled to welcome Zak to our staff," Schertz said at the time of Boisvert's hire. "I have known Zak for more than a decade and was fortunate to work with him for a year at Indiana State. He is as well-rounded an assistant coach as I've ever worked with. From recruiting, to player evaluation, to on-court development, to building relationships with players, to scouting and schematics – Zak is elite in every area. He was a no-brainer first hire for us here at SLU."   "I am extremely grateful to join Coach Schertz's staff at Saint Louis University," Boisvert said at the time of his hire. "Coach Schertz has been remarkably successful at every level of basketball, and I could not be more excited about the opportunity to play a role in bringing Coach's vision to life not only at Chaifetz Arena, but also in the St. Louis community. I believe in Coach Schertz as both the preeminent offensive mind in all of basketball and one of the greatest relationship and community builders in college sports. I am excited to build lifelong relationships and help our student-athletes develop their craft. I cannot wait to get to work!"   At George Washington, Boisvert was part of head coach Chris Caputo's staff for two years. In 2022-23, the Revolutionaries posted their most overall and Atlantic 10 Conference wins since 2016-17. He worked primarily with the offense, helping GW rank in the top two in the Atlantic 10 in scoring and set a school record for 3-pointers made. James Bishop was second in the A-10 in scoring last season and was a two-time All-Conference selection.   Boisvert was hired at Indiana State in 2021-22 and worked with Schertz in his first season with the Sycamores.   Prior to that, Boisvert was an assistant coach at Army West Point for five seasons from 2016-21. It was there that Boisvert cut his teeth as an elite developer of point guards. The Black Knights ranked 12th in the country in assists per game in 2019-20. He guided Tommy Funk into becoming one of the program's all-time great point guards, as Funk shattered the Patriot League record with 728 career assists.   A native of Portland, Maine, Boisvert spent two seasons as an assistant at the University of Maine. He was tabbed the Black Bears' offensive coordinator and oversaw the largest scoring jump in NCAA Division I – 60.4 ppg to 76.6 ppg – from 2014-15 to 2015-16.   Boisvert also coached at Iona and Fairleigh Dickinson early in his career. He served as an assistant coach on Iona's 2012-13 squad that won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and reached the NCAA Tournament.   Boisvert has additional A-10 experience as a team manager at Fordham University during his undergraduate years. He graduated from Fordham in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in English.

Antone Gray is in his first season at Saint Louis, as he was hired as an assistant coach by Josh Schertz in April 2024. Gray was an assistant coach for Schertz last season at Indiana State. He has also served assistant coaching stints at Niagara, Brown and Maine.   "I had the pleasure of working with Antone last year at Indiana State, and I'm excited to have him on my staff here at SLU," Schertz said at the time of Gray's hire. "Antone brings unbelievable energy to the program every single day. He is as good at connecting with players in the recruiting process and in their development as anybody I've ever been around. He's a dogged recruiter and has great relationships, particularly in the Northeast which is an area that we want to recruit at a high level here in the Atlantic 10."   "I am overjoyed for this great opportunity to join Coach Schertz, the staff, the players and administration at such a high-level institution here at Saint Louis University," Gray said at the time of his hire. "Coach Schertz is one of the best basketball minds in the world, and I am excited to continue to learn from him. St. Louis is such a great sports city with tremendous passion for Billiken basketball. I can't wait to hit the ground running and compete for A-10 championships!"   Gray was part of a magical season for Indiana State in 2023-24. The Sycamores finished with a 32-7 record and captured the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season crown. They were a No. 1 seed in the NIT and advanced to the championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.   ISU led the nation in effective field-goal percentage last year. The Sycamores were fourth in 3-pointers made per game and seventh in scoring offense.   Gray was at Niagara for the 2022-23 season and helped the Purple Eagles to their first winning season in several years. He mentored first-team All-Conference guard Noah Thomasson, who led the league in scoring.   Serving as an assistant coach at Brown for four seasons from 2018-22, Gray helped the Bears to a CBI appearance and a school-record 20 wins in 2018-19. He coached multiple players to All-Ivy League recognition and recruited back-to-back three-star recruits, the highest ever to commit to and attend Brown University.   Gray's first foray into the collegiate coaching ranks came at Maine, where he spent four seasons from 2014-18. There, he mentored two All-Conference performers and was critical to the on- and off-court development of Maine's student-athletes.   Gray coached high school basketball from 2011-14. He also gained valuable experience as a skills and fundamentals trainer at CAMP ERROL in Providence, R.I. He trained professional basketball players from the NBA and overseas, as well as college players who went on to play at Providence, Rhode Island, Brown, Yale, and Johnson and Wales.   Gray had a standout playing career at Rhode Island College from 2007-11. He helped the Anchormen to four NCAA Tournament appearances and three conference championships. Gray scored more than 1,000 points during his career and was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Rhode Island College in 2014.

Rob Gardiner is in his first season at Saint Louis, as he was hired as an assistant coach by Josh Schertz in April 2024.   Gardiner worked with Schertz at Indiana State as the Special Assistant to the Head Coach in 2023-24, as well as an assistant coach at Lincoln Memorial for one season in 2020-21.   “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Rob at LMU and at Indiana State,” Schertz said at the time of Gardiner's hire. “Rob is as smart, hard-working and organized a human being as I have ever been around. He impacts the program in every way for us to be successful. Rob is terrific on the court, understands basketball at the highest level, and does a great job with our guys.”   “I could not be more excited to get to work with our players, coaches and administration to build a program that Saint Louis University can be proud of on and off the court,” Gardiner said at the time of his hire. “Coach Schertz is a service-driven leader who is elite at building relationships with players, coaches and communities, and I look forward to helping him build a championship culture here at Saint Louis. When you combine Coach Schertz’s track record of success and program building with the history, tradition and support of Billiken Basketball and the St. Louis community, you produce great expectations for the future. SLU is a special place, and I am filled with extreme gratitude, joy and excitement to give everything I have to our players, program, University and the Saint Louis community. Go Bills!”   Gardiner was part of a magical season for Indiana State in 2023-24. The Sycamores finished with a 32-7 record and captured the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season crown. They were a No. 1 seed in the NIT and advanced to the championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.   ISU led the nation in effective field-goal percentage last year. The Sycamores were fourth in 3-pointers made per game and seventh in scoring offense.   At Lincoln Memorial in 2020-21, Gardiner assisted Schertz as the Railsplitters advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Gardiner was the team’s recruiting coordinator and oversaw opponent scouting.   Prior to his stint at Lincoln Memorial, Gardiner served eight years on the staff at Ashland University, starting as a graduate assistant in 2012 before rising to associate head coach. He helped the Eagles to their first conference championship in 2016 and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1991. Ashland also went to the NCAA Tournament in 2019.   Gardiner was the recruiting coordinator and was charged with coordinating the defense at Ashland. The Eagles ranked in the top 30 nationally in scoring defense in five of his last six seasons. Gardiner also recruited and developed six student-athletes who went on to enjoy professional careers.   From 2021-23, Gardiner was a senior recruiting coach for Next College Student Athlete (NCSA). He managed more than 1,200 high school basketball recruits in their pursuit to play college basketball.   A native of Dublin, Ohio, Gardiner also served as a graduate assistant at Wright State in Dayton, Ohio, from 2010-12. He earned a bachelor’s degree in education and history in 2010 from Ohio Wesleyan and a master’s degree in education technology from Wright State in 2012.      

Phil Gaetano is in his first season at Saint Louis, as he was hired as an assistant coach by Josh Schertz in April 2024. Gaetano comes to SLU after six highly successful seasons at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass.   “I have known Phil for a long time, have tried to hire him previously, and I am thrilled to be able to hire him here at SLU,” Schertz said at the time of Gaetano's hire. “Phil brings so much to the table – he is incredibly smart, has great energy and is great on the court. He is an elite player-development guy, recruits at a high level, and is a basketball savant from an Xs and Os standpoint. Phil has a great work ethic and is a terrific connector and relationship builder. He is going to make a massive impact on our program and players.”   “My family and I are incredibly grateful to be joining the SLU and St. Louis communities,” Gaetano said at the time of his hire. “I can’t wait to work with Coach Schertz and the staff and experience the magic he created everywhere he has been. SLU is a first-class organization in every way, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be here, roll up my sleeves, and get to work.”   At Merrimack, Gaetano has been part of a coaching staff that has led the Warriors to three conference regular-season championships in the past five years. Merrimack went 21-12 overall and 13-3 in league play this past season before falling in the conference tournament championship game. The Warriors won the NEC Tournament title in 2023 but were not eligible to compete in the NCAA Tournament as they were transitioning from Division II.   Gaetano specializes in guard defense and has coached two NEC Defensive Players of the Year in Juvaris Hayes and Jordan Derkack. Additionally, Merrimack ranked among the top 100 in defensive efficiency at KenPom.com in four of the last five seasons.   Additional coaching experience for Gaetano includes a stint at Coppin State in 2017-18 and the Maine Red Claws (NBADL affiliate of the Boston Celtics) in 2016-17.   He served as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Sacred Heart, in 2015-16.   Gaetano was a point guard at Sacred Heart from 2011-15. He holds the school record with 730 career assists, which also ranks third in NEC history. Gaetano earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from Sacred Heart. He was the first-ever three-time NEC Scholar Athlete of the Year (2013-15).   A native of Wallingford, Conn., Gaetano prepped at Sheehan High School where he played for his father, head coach Joe Gaetano.      

Brett Putz was hired as recruiting coordinator for the Saint Louis men's basketball program in April 2024.  Putz joins the Billikens after serving last season as an assistant coach at Bryant University. He was also on Josh Schertz’s staff at Indiana State in 2022-23.   “I had the pleasure of working with Brett at Indiana State,” Schertz said at the time of Putz's hire. “Brett is as dogged and relentless a recruiter as I have been around in my 26 years of coaching. There is nobody more connected or who knows more people on the recruiting trail than Brett. He also brings head-coaching experience to our staff as he won a national championship at the junior college level and was a JUCO National Coach of the Year. If the lifeblood of a program is recruiting, there is not anybody I would trust more as our recruiting coordinator than Brett Putz.”   “I am ecstatic to be able to join Coach Schertz and his staff here at Saint Louis,” Putz said at the time of his hire. “This is an incredible place and a beautiful campus in a fantastic city, and I look forward to helping the University build a sustainable program that it can be proud of. My wife, Jen, and I are excited to get back to the Midwest and become connected to the Billiken fanbase and the city of St. Louis.”   Putz helped Bryant to a 20-13 record this past season, the Bulldogs’ second-most wins in the NCAA Division I era. One of the highlights of the season was an upset victory at No. 10 Florida Atlantic, Bryant’s first-ever win against a ranked opponent.   In 2022-23, Putz served as special assistant to the head coach at Indiana State. The Sycamores went 23-13 that year and were a top-five offensive efficiency team in the country.   Putz was head coach at Des Moines Area Community College from 2020-22, helping the team to a 49-13 overall record, an NJCAA Division II national championship in 2020-21 and a third-place finish at the national tournament in 2022.     While at Des Moines Area, he was NJCAA National Coach of the Year, NJCAA National Tournament Coach of the Tournament, NABC Two-Year College Coach of the Year and Iowa Community College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.   Putz also has experience as an assistant coach at Chicago State (2018-20), director of operations at Omaha (2016-18), assistant coach at Wayne State (2013-16) and assistant coach at St. Cloud State (2012-13).   In 2024, he was recognized by Silverware Media as one of the top 100 mid-major assistant coaches in the country.    Putz graduated with a bachelor’s degree in recreation and sports management from St. Cloud State in 2012. He earned a Master of Arts degree from St. Mary’s (Minn.) in 2016.