Valparaiso University Men's Basketball

Matt Gordon joined the Valpo men's basketball staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2023-24 season.    Year 3 of Gordon’s Valpo tenure in 2025-2026 saw the program record its best conference winning percentage and highest league win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017. The team went 11-9 in MVC play, nearly doubling its conference win total for a second straight season, and notching the team’s first-ever winning season in Valley play. Overall, Valpo won 18 games including 17 regular-season contests in 2025-26, the program’s highest regular-season win total since its final season in the Horizon League in 2016-2017. Year 3 of Gordon’s time on staff was Valpo’s first winning season overall since 2019-2020 and featured a 13-4 record at the Athletics-Recreation Center, the team’s highest home win total since 2016-2017.   Gordon’s third season on staff was an underdog story in the sense that Valpo finished tied for sixth in the MVC and just one game out of a tie for third in a tightly-packed league after being picked last in the 11-team league in the preseason poll. Valpo ranked 325th nationally in Division-I experience as only three scholarship members of the team had played a D-I game prior to the season. Valpo finished the regular season at 150 in the KenPom after starting the season at 283, moving up 133 spots in the rankings, tied for the fourth largest improvement nationally.   The 2025-26 season saw Valpo sweep the regular-season series from UIC for the first time since the Flames joined The Valley, sweep the regular-season series from Indiana State for just the second time since joining The Valley, win a first-round MVC Tournament game over Indiana State to advance to the league quarterfinals, end a 10-game head-to-head losing streak to Bradley and squash an eight-game head-to-head skid to Drake while notching a road victory over the Bulldogs for the first time since 2018 en route to sweeping Drake for the first time since 2017-18. In Gordon’s first two seasons in Northwest Indiana, the Valpo coaching staff recruited and developed back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference Freshmen of the Year, marking just the third time that the same team won that award in consecutive seasons since the honor began in 1986. In his second season on staff, Gordon helped Valpo over double its win total from the previous year as the Beacons recorded 15 victories in 2024-25, the team’s highest output since 2019-20. Valpo picked up numerous breakthrough triumphs in Gordon’s second season on staff en route to an MVC Tournament semifinal appearance. The team won a season series against Missouri State for the first time in 16 seasons of shared conference affiliation, defeated UNI in back-to-back matchups for the first time in 40 all-time meetings and beat Belmont for the first time since the Bruins joined the Missouri Valley Conference thanks to a 101-point output, Valpo’s highest in league play since 1998. Gordon came to Northwest Indiana after a stint in the Big 12 Conference as he spent the last two years at Oklahoma as Director of Recruiting and Special Assistant to head coach Porter Moser. He joined Moser in Norman, Okla. after they previously worked together for a decade at Loyola Chicago. Gordon was an assistant coach for his last seven seasons with the Ramblers after spending the first three as Director of Basketball Operations. Gordon knows what it takes to win in the Missouri Valley Conference from his time at Loyola, as he played a key role in a turnaround that saw the Ramblers post a 156-80 (.661) record during his seven seasons as an assistant coach. The team won 18 or more games in each of his last five years on staff and had a 56-16 (.778) conference record over the last four seasons. Loyola picked up a dozen wins over power conference opponents during Gordon’s time in Rogers Park. Gordon was part of a historic run of dominance during his time on Chicago’s north side, playing an instrumental role in the team’s two Sweet Sixteen appearances in a four-year period including the program’s first Final Four berth in over 45 years in 2017-18, a season that featured a school-record 32 wins. The Ramblers won the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship in three of his final four seasons on staff and finished as the runner-up in the remaining season. While with the Ramblers, Gordon coached three Missouri Valley Conference Players of the Year.   Before arriving at Loyola, Gordon worked under Rick Majerus at Saint Louis as Director of Basketball Operations from 2008-2011. He gained experience in the NBA as a basketball operations intern with the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2007-2008 season, when he assisted the Grizzlies’ coaching staff with multiple projects in the video department. A 2006 Illinois State graduate, Gordon began his basketball career with three seasons as the head student manager for the Redbirds when Moser was the head coach in Bloomington-Normal. He also served as ISU’s video coordinator. Gordon is married to his wife, Kate. What They’re Saying About Coach Gordon Drew Valentine, Loyola Head Coach: “Flash is a basketball lifer. He is incredibly meticulous with his everyday approach and his attention to detail is as complete as I’ve ever seen. But it’s his loyalty and values as a person that make him who he is. He is incredibly high character and is wired to win. I loved working alongside him as assistants at Loyola, and he knows exactly what it takes to win championships in the MVC.” Emanuel Dildy, Oklahoma Assistant Coach: “Matt is one of the hardest-working people who I have ever encountered. He has a tremendous dedication to developing student-athletes both on and off the court. Matt’s tireless drive to build relationships with student-athletes and in the community is an asset to any university.” David Patrick, Sacramento State Head Coach: “Coach Powell has hired a fantastic human being and basketball mind who encompasses and understands winning. Flash is a tremendous teacher on the basketball floor and has been a major contributor to winning at the highest level. I couldn’t be happier for Matt and his family to be back closer to home at a tradition-filled university like Valparaiso.” Daniyal Robinson, Cleveland State Head Coach: “Coach Powell knocked it out the park with this hire. Coach Matt Gordon is extremely detail-oriented and is great teacher of the game. He comes in every day highly prepared and has a long history of establishing genuine relationships with players. Coach Gordon joins Valparaiso with a sustained track record of transforming programs in the Missouri Valley, most notably playing an instrumental role in Loyola Chicago’s historic run to the Final Four in 2018. Coach has continuously impacted winning and played a key role in the individual success of so many student-athletes. Through his loyalty and tireless effort, Coach Gordon will continue to be an integral part of success in joining Coach Powell’s staff." 

Quintin Garrison arrived at Valpo as Special Assistant to the Head Coach prior to the 2023-24 season. He was promoted to his current position of Assistant Coach/General Manager prior to the 2025-26 season.   Following his first season with the Assistant Coach/GM title, Garrison was named a finalist for the 2026 Men’s Basketball GM of the Year by The College Front Office.   Year 3 of Garrison’s Valpo tenure in 2025-2026 saw the program record its best conference winning percentage and highest league win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017. The team went 11-9 in MVC play, nearly doubling its conference win total for a second straight season, and notching the team’s first-ever winning season in Valley play. Overall, Valpo won 18 games including 17 regular-season contests in 2025-26, the program’s highest regular-season win total since its final season in the Horizon League in 2016-2017. Year 3 of Garrison’s time on staff was Valpo’s first winning season overall since 2019-2020 and featured a 13-4 record at the Athletics-Recreation Center, the team’s highest home win total since 2016-2017.   Garrison’s third season on staff was an underdog story in the sense that Valpo finished tied for sixth in the MVC and just one game out of a tie for third in a tightly-packed league after being picked last in the 11-team league in the preseason poll. Valpo ranked 325th nationally in Division-I experience as only three scholarship members of the team had played a D-I game prior to the season. Valpo finished the regular season at 150 in the KenPom after starting the season at 283, moving up 133 spots in the rankings, tied for the fourth largest improvement nationally.   The 2025-26 season saw Valpo sweep the regular-season series from UIC for the first time since the Flames joined The Valley, sweep the regular-season series from Indiana State for just the second time since joining The Valley, win a first-round MVC Tournament game over Indiana State to advance to the league quarterfinals, end a 10-game head-to-head losing streak to Bradley and squash an eight-game head-to-head skid to Drake while notching a road victory over the Bulldogs for the first time since 2018 en route to sweeping Drake for the first time since 2017-18. In Garrison’s first two seasons in Northwest Indiana, the Valpo coaching staff recruited and developed back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference Freshmen of the Year, marking just the third time that the same team won that award in consecutive seasons since the honor began in 1986. In his second season on staff, Garrison helped Valpo over double its win total from the previous year as the Beacons recorded 15 victories in 2024-25, the team’s highest output since 2019-20. Valpo picked up numerous breakthrough triumphs in Garrison’s second season on staff en route to an MVC Tournament semifinal appearance. The team won a season series against Missouri State for the first time in 16 seasons of shared conference affiliation, defeated UNI in back-to-back matchups for the first time in 40 all-time meetings and beat Belmont for the first time since the Bruins joined the Missouri Valley Conference thanks to a 101-point output, Valpo’s highest in league play since 1998. Before coming to Valpo, Garrison served as the associate head coach at Trinity International University, where he had been part of the staff since 2018. Prior to that, he spent six seasons on the coaching staff at Bolingbrook High School in Illinois and helped the team to a 94-26 record over his final four seasons. Garrison has coached and developed two NBA players and five others who have gone on to play professionally in Europe. In 2014, Garrison founded Hoopers Basketball Club, a travel basketball organization. He operated as a coach and director of operations and recruiting. Garrison graduated from the University of Illinois in 2005 with a degree in finance. He and his wife Kay have two children, daughter Audrey and son Gavin. What They’re Saying About Quintin Garrison Todd Abernethy, FAU Assistant Coach: “Valpo made a great hire in Quintin. Not only is he a great coach and teacher of the game, but he has a unique ability to connect with players and gain their trust. He will be an amazing mentor to the young men on the team and will add value to the program because of his experience at the high school and college level. He was an invaluable resource in my first year as a college head coach, and I’m confident that he will do the same for Coach Powell and Valpo Basketball.” Greg Miller, Trinity International Head Coach: “Coach Q is excellence personified. The way he approaches his work on a daily basis is the same approach that every program in the country would be happy to have. He made our program better each day through building genuine relationships with our players, recruiting high character and high caliber players, helping each player to be the best possible version of himself on and off the court and all while being a man of integrity. Coach Q is a great hire for Valpo Basketball.”

After a successful two-year run as the head coach of the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods men’s basketball program, Jesse McClung joined the Valparaiso University men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach in March 2025.    Year 1 of McClung’s Valpo tenure in 2025-2026 saw the program record its best conference winning percentage and highest league win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017. The team went 11-9 in MVC play, nearly doubling its conference win total for a second straight season, and notching the team’s first-ever winning season in Valley play. Overall, Valpo won 18 games including 17 regular-season contests in 2025-26, the program’s highest regular-season win total since its final season in the Horizon League in 2016-2017. Year 1 of McClung’s time on staff was Valpo’s first winning season overall since 2019-2020 and featured a 13-4 record at the Athletics-Recreation Center, the team’s highest home win total since 2016-2017.   McClung’s first season on staff was an underdog story in the sense that Valpo finished tied for sixth in the MVC and just one game out of a tie for third in a tightly-packed league after being picked last in the 11-team league in the preseason poll. Valpo ranked 325th nationally in Division-I experience as only three scholarship members of the team had played a D-I game prior to the season. Valpo finished the regular season at 150 in the KenPom after starting the season at 283, moving up 133 spots in the rankings, tied for the fourth largest improvement nationally.   The 2025-26 season saw Valpo sweep the regular-season series from UIC for the first time since the Flames joined The Valley, sweep the regular-season series from Indiana State for just the second time since joining The Valley, win a first-round MVC Tournament game over Indiana State to advance to the league quarterfinals, end a 10-game head-to-head losing streak to Bradley and squash an eight-game head-to-head skid to Drake while notching a road victory over the Bulldogs for the first time since 2018 en route to sweeping Drake for the first time since 2017-18.   McClung posted a 53-15 overall record and a 30-4 mark in River States Conference (RSC) play in his two-year stint leading the Pomeroys program. Under his leadership, SMWC made back-to-back NAIA men’s basketball national championship appearances, the only two in school history, highlighted by a Round of 16 appearance in Kansas City.    The 2024 RSC Coach of the Year, McClung instructed the RSC Player of the Year that season, guiding a team that had finished in last place to the best season in school history. In 2025, he led SMWC to victories over two nationally-ranked opponents in the first and second rounds of the NAIA Championships. The Pomeroys secured the outright 2025 RSC regular season crown and went on to claim the conference tournament title. McClung departed as the program’s all-time leader in career wins, single-season wins, RSC victories and winning percentage in all three categories.    Before taking the helm at SMWC, McClung served as the associate head coach at Marian University from 2017-2023, leading the team to six straight NAIA national tournament appearances including a 2019 Elite Eight and 2020 Final Four appearance. The team owned a 124-38 record, winning 77 percent of its games with McClung on staff. He recruited and developed seven NAIA All-Americans and the Crossroads League Defensive Player of the Year.   McClung was on staff at Division-III Wabash College as an assistant coach from 2011-2014. He previously served as an assistant at Marian from 2008-2011.   McClung graduated from Ball State University with a degree in communication studies before going on to earn a master’s in applied sociology from the University of Indianapolis. He began his collegiate playing career at Barton County Community College from 2001-2003 before playing at Ball State from 2003-2005 and finishing his playing career at UIndy during the 2005-06 season.    

Sean Taylor joined the Valpo men's basketball staff prior to the 2023-24 season as the program’s assistant player development coach.   Year 3 of Taylor’s Valpo tenure in 2025-2026 saw the program record its best conference winning percentage and highest league win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017. The team went 11-9 in MVC play, nearly doubling its conference win total for a second straight season, and notching the team’s first-ever winning season in Valley play. Overall, Valpo won 18 games including 17 regular-season contests in 2025-26, the program’s highest regular-season win total since its final season in the Horizon League in 2016-2017. Year 3 of Taylor’s time on staff was Valpo’s first winning season overall since 2019-2020 and featured a 13-4 record at the Athletics-Recreation Center, the team’s highest home win total since 2016-2017.   Taylor’s third season on staff was an underdog story in the sense that Valpo finished tied for sixth in the MVC and just one game out of a tie for third in a tightly-packed league after being picked last in the 11-team league in the preseason poll. Valpo ranked 325th nationally in Division-I experience as only three scholarship members of the team had played a D-I game prior to the season. Valpo finished the regular season at 150 in the KenPom after starting the season at 283, moving up 133 spots in the rankings, tied for the fourth largest improvement nationally.   The 2025-26 season saw Valpo sweep the regular-season series from UIC for the first time since the Flames joined The Valley, sweep the regular-season series from Indiana State for just the second time since joining The Valley, win a first-round MVC Tournament game over Indiana State to advance to the league quarterfinals, end a 10-game head-to-head losing streak to Bradley and squash an eight-game head-to-head skid to Drake while notching a road victory over the Bulldogs for the first time since 2018 en route to sweeping Drake for the first time since 2017-18. In Taylor’s first two seasons in Northwest Indiana, the Valpo coaching staff recruited and developed back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference Freshmen of the Year, marking just the third time that the same team won that award in consecutive seasons since the honor began in 1986. In his second season on staff, Taylor helped Valpo over double its win total from the previous year as the Beacons recorded 15 victories in 2024-25, the team’s highest output since 2019-20. Valpo picked up numerous breakthrough triumphs in Taylor’s second season on staff en route to an MVC Tournament semifinal appearance. The team won a season series against Missouri State for the first time in 16 seasons of shared conference affiliation, defeated UNI in back-to-back matchups for the first time in 40 all-time meetings and beat Belmont for the first time since the Bruins joined the Missouri Valley Conference thanks to a 101-point output, Valpo’s highest in league play since 1998. Taylor joins Valpo’s staff after serving as SIUE’s graduate assistant/video coordinator from August 2021 to May 2023. He handled all video responsibilities and assisted with team travel and operations duties. Prior to his tenure at SIUE, Taylor served as a student manager at Marquette from September 2018 to April 2021. Before his time at Marquette, Taylor spent the 2017-18 season as a men’s basketball student-athlete at Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minn. Taylor is a native of Homewood, Ill. and a product of Marian Catholic High School. His father Mike Taylor spent 20 years as the head boys basketball coach at Marian Catholic, where he compiled 357 career wins, nine regional titles, three sectional championships and five conference crowns. Taylor graduated from Marquette in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies before going on to earn his master’s in applied communication studies from SIUE in May 2023. What They’re Saying About Sean Taylor Brian Barone, SIUE Head Coach: “Sean is somebody who will give everything he has to the program he is part of. In this business, it is a luxury to have somebody who thinks of the team first and himself last. We had the most wins in school history with Sean as part of my staff. He was heavily influential in our process, and I expect him to be the same for Roger at Valpo.” Dwayne Killings, Albany Head Coach: “I am super excited to see Sean join the staff at Valpo. He is a tireless, dedicated and loyal worker. The staff, players and community will love the heart and effort that Coach Taylor puts into the program.” Terrance McGee, Wabash Valley College Head Coach: “Sean is a pure joy to work with; as someone so young, he has a good eye for talent, is a hard worker and is dedicated to his craft. Whenever Sean is needed, he will go above and beyond the call of duty. Coming from a family of good coaches, Sean is next in line to carry the torch. Most important, Sean is an awesome person.” Rob Judson, Illinois State Assistant Coach: “Congratulations to Sean Taylor on his new position and congrats to Coach Powell and Beacon Basketball for hiring a terrific young coach. Sean is a high-energy person with a fantastic feel for the game. He will no doubt add great value to Valpo basketball.”

Julie Vick joined Valpo Athletics in October 2015 as the administrative assistant for Men’s and Women’s Basketball. She completed her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Valpo in May 2025, and in August 2025 she earned her License of Bachelor Social Work for the state of Indiana. Her older son Cole is also a graduate of Valpo and currently serves as the Director of Engineering Information Systems for the College of Engineering. Her younger son Joe is a senior walk-on for Men’s Basketball. She lives in Kouts with her husband Larry.  

The Valparaiso University Department of Athletics welcomed Seamus Glennon to its staff as Director of Sport Performance for Men’s Basketball prior to the 2024-25 season.  Glennon leads all aspects of strength and conditioning and sports performance for the men’s basketball program.   Glennon previously served as a strength & conditioning assistant for the VCU men’s basketball program, a position he held for the last two seasons. He previously worked at Temple University, handling strength & conditioning for Olympic sports in 2021. He also served as a football strength & conditioning intern for Clemson University in 2021. Glennon, who holds multiple strength & conditioning certifications, is a 2022 graduate of Temple University with a degree in exercise and sport science and a 2024 product of VCU with a master’s in sport leadership. What They’re Saying About Seamus Glennon Ryan Odom, VCU Head Men’s Basketball Coach: “Valpo is getting a terrific strength coach in Seamus Glennon. Seamus brings the same high-level energy every day and is incredibly consistent in his approach. He’s been trained by the best in the business in Daniel Roose and will be a tremendous asset to everyone in the Valpo basketball program.” Mike Rhoades, Penn State Head Men’s Basketball Coach: “Valpo Basketball has hit a home run hiring Seamus Glennon. He is the ultimate team player, a selfless leader and his work ethic is unparalleled. Seamus has such a great way helping his players move forward. He’s a special young man.” Daniel Roose, VCU Director of Sports Performance for Men’s Basketball: “Seamus Glennon is special. He is extremely smart, creative and possesses infectious energy. His greatest quality is his unique feel for the individual needs of the student-athlete. He is a rising star in the basketball performance realm.”

After finishing his collegiate career at Valpo in 2014, playing professionally for eight years in Europe and most recently working with Adidas Basketball, Lavonte Dority returned to Valpo as the program's Recruiting & Player Development Coach under head coach Roger Powell Jr., who was an assistant coach under Bryce Drew during Dority's playing days. Dority, who was Powell’s first recruit during his first stint on Valpo's staff, joined the staff prior to the 2025-26 season.   Year 1 of Dority’s Valpo coaching tenure in 2025-2026 saw the program record its best conference winning percentage and highest league win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017. The team went 11-9 in MVC play, nearly doubling its conference win total for a second straight season, and notching the team’s first-ever winning season in Valley play. Overall, Valpo won 18 games including 17 regular-season contests in 2025-26, the program’s highest regular-season win total since its final season in the Horizon League in 2016-2017. Year 1 of Dority’s time on staff was Valpo’s first winning season overall since 2019-2020 and featured a 13-4 record at the Athletics-Recreation Center, the team’s highest home win total since 2016-2017.   Dority’s first season on staff was an underdog story in the sense that Valpo finished tied for sixth in the MVC and just one game out of a tie for third in a tightly-packed league after being picked last in the 11-team league in the preseason poll. Valpo ranked 325th nationally in Division-I experience as only three scholarship members of the team had played a D-I game prior to the season. Valpo finished the regular season at 150 in the KenPom after starting the season at 283, moving up 133 spots in the rankings, tied for the fourth largest improvement nationally.   The 2025-26 season saw Valpo sweep the regular-season series from UIC for the first time since the Flames joined The Valley, sweep the regular-season series from Indiana State for just the second time since joining The Valley, win a first-round MVC Tournament game over Indiana State to advance to the league quarterfinals, end a 10-game head-to-head losing streak to Bradley and squash an eight-game head-to-head skid to Drake while notching a road victory over the Bulldogs for the first time since 2018 en route to sweeping Drake for the first time since 2017-18.    After starting his collegiate career at the University of South Florida, the Foreman High School product and Chicago native transferred to Valpo at the semester break during the 2011-12 season and became eligible in December 2012 after sitting out due to transfer rules. He helped Valpo win the 2013 Horizon League championship and was a senior in 2013-14 on a young team that featured Alec Peters as a freshman.    Dority was named the Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year in 2012-13 and earned first-team all-league honors in 2013-14, also garnering All-District 12 Second Team status that season. He earned weekly awards from the league office on three occasions. In his hometown of Chicago, Dority scored 33 points on Feb. 1, 2014 at UIC. He averaged 8.6 points per game in 2012-13 before a team-high 15.7 points per game in 2013-14, when he started all 34 contests.    Dority played for the Kircheim Knights (2014-15, Germany), Francavilla Fontana (2016-17, Italy), Den Helder Suns (2017-18, Dutch Basketball League), Dutch Windmills (2018-19, Dutch Basketball League) and T71 Dudelange (2019-20, Luxembourgian Total League). During his post playing days, he has run events and done talent evaluating on the AAU circuit for Adidas Basketball.