Whitman College Men's Basketball

John Lamanna was hired as the Whitman men's basketball coach in the summer of 2020. In his first full season, the 2021-22 season, Lamanna guided the Blues to a runner-up finish in the NWC Tournament, knocking off top-seeded Linfield in the semifinals.  In his second full season, Lamanna guided the Blues to a regular season conference championship, recording the college’s 16th overall conference championship in school history.  The 2022-23 season concluded with a 22-5 overall record (14-2 conference record).  The 2023-24 season saw the program win back-to-back conference championships, earning the college its 17th men’s basketball conference championship in school history.  The 2023-24 season included another 20 win season going 20-7 overall (13-3 conference record).   Lamanna has twice been selected NWC Coach of the Year in his short tenure which came in back-to-back seasons (2022-23, 2023-24) Over the course Lamanna’s tenure, the Blues have experienced exceptional success.   Back-to-Back NWC Regular Season Champions (2022-23 & 2023-24) Back-to-Back NWC Coach of the Year (2022-23 & 2023-24) Last 2 Season’s Combined Overall Record 42-12 (2022-23 & 2023-24) Last 2 Season’s Combined Conference Record 27-5 (2022-23 & 2023-24) Last 2 Season’s Combined Road Record 19-2 (2022-23 & 2023-24) 3 All Region Players (2021-22, 2022-23 & 2023-24) 7 All Conference Players (2021-22, 2022-23 &2023-24) 1 Player of the Year (2022-23) 1 Defensive Player of the Year (2023-24) 3 Straight NWC Championship Game Appearances (2021-22, 2022-23 &2023-24) 2023-24 Nationally Ranked 4th in Effective Field Goal % 2023-24 Nationally Ranked 4th in True Field Goal % 2023-24 Nationally Ranked 11th in Free Throw % 2023-24 Nationally Ranked 17th in 3Pt Field Goal % 2023-24 Nationally Ranked 47th in Scoring Offense 2023-24 Conference Ranked 1st in Assists 2023-24 Conference Ranked 1st in Effective Field Goal % 2023-24 Conference Ranked 1st in Offense Field Goal % 2023-24 Conference Ranked 1st in 3Pt Field Goal % 2022-23 Nationally Ranked 12th in Offense Field Goal % 2022-23 Nationally Ranked 12th in Scoring Margin 2022-23 Nationally Ranked 16th in Rebound Margin  2022-23 Nationally Ranked 20th in Team Asist/Turnover Ratio 2022-23 Nationally Ranked 24th in Win % 2022-23 Nationally Ranked 24th in Assists 2022-23 Nationally Ranked 42nd in 3Pt Defensive Field Goal % 2022-23 Nationally Ranked 42nd in Scoring Offense 2022-23 Nationally Ranked 50th in 3Pt Field Goal %  2022-23 Conference Ranked 1st in Scoring Defense 2022-23 Conference Ranked 1st in Scoring Margin 2022-23 Conference Ranked 1st in Offense Field Goal % 2022-23 Conference Ranked 1st in Defense Field Goal % 2022-23 Conference Ranked 1st in 3Pt Defense Field Goal % 2022-23 Conference Ranked 1st in Opponent Rebounds 2022-23 Conference Ranked 1st in Rebounding Margin 2022-23 Conference Ranked 1st in Assist/Turnover Ratio 2021-22 Conference Ranked 1st in 3Pt Field Goals Made 2021-22 Conference Ranked 1st in Free Throw % Lamanna brought with him a track record of successful recruiting at the national level as well as the international level with student-athletes from Serbia, Spain, Brazil, The Bahamas, Indiana, Florida, Idaho, and Michigan. His strong national and international ties, as well as his commitment to recruiting quality student-athletes, which has played a key role for the Blues. In addition to his dedicated recruiting efforts, Lamanna has directed successful youth camps and served as the director of an AAU Tournament hosting 150 of the top AAU teams in the country.  Lamanna joined the Blues after five years heading up the men's basketball program at Ave Maria University, the previous four also as the school's director of athletics. Lamanna turned the program into one of the premier teams in the Sun Conference. Over his last two seasons with AMU, the Gyrenes won 30 games against conference opponents, including four conference tournament wins. The 2019-20 Gyrenes won 20 games for the second straight season, a first in program history. The team rose as high as 11th in the NAIA Coaches' Poll, best in school history. Lamanna also oversaw the development of the program's first-ever two-time All-American The AMU basketball record book is littered with players from Lamanna's tenure as coach, including numerous of the program's top scorers and rebounders. The program's efforts also extended beyond the court, as nine Gyrenes earned Academic All-Sun Conference honors during his tenure. During the 2018-2019 season, his fourth on campus, Lamanna guided the Gyrenes to their first ever conference championship, as well as a berth in the NAIA Division National Tournament. Ave Maria won the 2019 Sun Conference Tournament to earn the automatic berth in the national tournament, capping off a 23-9 season. For his efforts, Lamanna was named the Sun Conference Coach of the Year. Lamanna's diverse coaching background also includes stints at NCAA Division III Franciscan University and Division I UC Davis where he helped transition the program from Division II to Division I competition. The program at Franciscan experienced many successes during Lamanna's tenure. Franciscan was honored by the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference with the 2011-2012 Team Peak Performer Award, which is presented to the program with the highest team grade point average in its specific sport. Additionally, he recruited the league's newcomer of the year who would finish the 2012-2013 season ranked fifth in the nation in blocked shots. Prior to his time at Franciscan, Lamanna was the Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at UC Davis during which time the team experienced tremendous success. During his tenure, the Aggies finished as high as third in the Big West Conference and participated in postseason play in three of his five seasons.  Lamanna recruited and coached four All-Big West Conference student-athletes and one All-Academic Big West Conference student-athlete. Additionally, Scouthoops.com ranked UC Davis with the best Big West recruiting class in 2007, and ESPN.com ranked UC Davis with the eighth-best mid major recruiting class in the country. Through the course of Lamanna's career, he had two stints with USA Basketball. First in the summer of 2002, Lamanna was selected to assist at the tryouts and training camp for the Youth Festival, where he worked with the top high school basketball players in the nation, who competed later that summer against other youth national teams at the World Youth Festival. The following summer (2003) USA Basketball invited Lamanna back for a second stint at the Olympic Training Center to assist with the tryouts and training camp for the Junior National Team and Pan American Team, which saw the nation's top collegiate basketball players compete against other nations in the World Games and Good Will Games later that summer.  During Lamanna's two stints with USA Basketball, he had the opportunity to work with members of the Basketball Hall of Fame and top college coaches in the country. Since 2005, Lamanna has been the Director of the Reese's NCAA Division I College Basketball All-Star Game held at the Final Four site the Friday before the Final Four. Lamanna has worked as an assistant coach each year under Hall of Fame coaches along with current top Division I coaches. Outside of coaching, Lamanna is a published author with an article published by Scholastic Coach and Athletic Director Magazine entitled "How to Establish an Academic Philosophy as a Coach" and an article published by Winning Hoops Magazine which was a comparative analysis of two different man-to-man defenses.  Additionally, Lamanna was featured in American Basketball Quarterly Magazine in an article about how scouting and technology can lead to success. A Spokane, Wash., native, Lamanna graduated with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from Washington State University and a master's degree in Counseling from Loyola Marymount University.  John Lamanna is married to Sara Lamanna and they have three children, Gabi (13), Tony (10), and Louie (8).  

Ethan Engeman, entering his 5th season with the Blues, was hired as an assistant coach in October, 2020.   Since joining the program in 2020, the Blues have experienced a very strong record of success on and off the court. In his three full-seasons at Whitman, the Blues have reached the NWC championship game in back-to-back-to-back seasons. Whitman has had numerous student-athletes receive the NABC Honors Court Award. Since being on staff, the Blues have also received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award.   The Blues secured back-to-back NWC Regular Season Titles in the 2022-23 and 23-24 seasons. Over the past two seasons, the Blues have an overall record of 42-12 (29-7 NWC), back-to-back conference titles, two All-Region Players, seven All-NWC Players, one NWC Defensive Player of the Year, and one NWC MVP. Ethan is heavily involved in the recruitment of high-academic student-athletes from a diverse pool of national and international prospects. In the 2023-24 season, the Blues had a record of 20-7 (13-3 NWC), won a share of the regular season conference title, and advanced to the conference championship game. The share of the regular season title saw the Blues earn their 17th conference title in program history. The Blues got into their 13th straight NWC post-season tournament and advanced to the conference championship game for the 7th straight season. Engeman assisted with the development of All-Region player (Jai Deshpande), the Northwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year (Grant Hunt), and two additional All-Northwest Conference players (Jander Cline – 2nd Team & Ali Efe Isik – Honorable Mention). The Blues were also the 4th most efficient offense in the country, and set the program record for Team FG% at 49.7%. The Blues also set the program records for: Team FT % (77.5%), FG Percentage in Single Game (68.5%), and Single Game Assists (31). In the 2022-23 season, the Blues had a record of 22-5 (14-2 NWC), won the regular season conference title outright earning them the program’s 16th conference title in program history. The Blues got into their 12th straight NWC post-season tournament and advanced to the conference championship game for the 6th straight season. Ethan assisted in the development of the Northwest Conference MVP and All-Region honoree, Xzavier Lino, as well as 1st Team All-Northwest Conference player Walter Lum. The Blues also set season program records for: FG Defense % - held teams to 41.3% FG shooting percentage, and 3pt Defense % - held teams to 30.0% 3pt shooting percentage   In the 2021-22 season, the Blues had a record of 12-14 (9-7 NWC), and advance to the programs 11th straight NWC post-season tournament. As the 4-seed, they knocked off top-seeded Linfield in the semifinals to advance to their 5th straight NWC post-season championship. Engeman assisted with the development of All Region and 1st Team All-NWC honoree, Niko Trifunovic and NWC Honorable Mention, Xzavier Lino.   Since 2018, Engeman has also been one of the NABC Staff Members who assist in the operation of the NABC/Reese’s Division I College All-Star Game. The game is held every year at the site of the Final Four, and features 20 of the top senior student-athletes in the country. Engeman assists in the logistics, management of the event, and is an assistant coach during the game.   Engeman joined the Blues after spending two years at Stevenson University, another Division III institution, located in Owings Mills, Maryland. While there, Engeman served as the Graduate Assistant Coach for the Men’s Basketball program. In his first year, Stevenson achieved a MAC-Commonwealth Conference Tournament bid, and ECAC Post-Season Tournament bid. During that 2018-19 season, Engeman assisted with the development of a First and Second Team All MAC-Commonwealth student-athletes.  Prior to his experience at Stevenson University, Engeman spent the summer of 2018 as an Elite Intern with The Hoop Group. The Hoop Group is a comprehensive basketball company that provides the best instruction, competition and exposure to high school student-athletes. Engeman worked closely with camp directors to identify, evaluate and recruit the top talent to the organization's Elite Camps.   Engeman graduated from the University of Missouri in 2018 with a degree in Parks, Recreation and Sport with an emphasis in Sport Management while minoring in Business. He earned his Masters of Science in Business and Technology Management with an emphasis in Innovative Leadership from Stevenson University in 2020.    

Shawn James was hired as an assistant coach in July, 2022. In his two seasons at Whitman, the Blues have experienced a very strong record of success on and off the court, with an overall record of 42-12 (29-7 NWC), back-to-back conference titles, two All-Region Players, seven All-NWC Players, one NWC MVP, and a 100% graduation rate. He is heavily involved in recruiting student-athletes from all over the US, as well as internationally. He has also assisted with the Reese’s Division I All Star Game in both years. In the 2023-24 season, the Blues had a record of 20-7 (13-3 NWC), won a share of the regular season conference title, and advanced to the conference championship game. Shawn assisted with the development of an All-Region player (Jai Deshpande), the Northwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year (Grant Hunt), and two additional All-Northwest Conference players (Jander Cline & Ali Efe Isik). The Blues were also the 4th most efficient offense in the country, and had two players shoot 50/40/88 from the field. In the 2022-23 season, the Blues had a record of 22-5 (14-2 NWC), won the regular season conference title outright, and advanced to the conference championship game. Shawn was instrumental in the development of the Northwest Conference MVP and All-Region honoree (Xzavier Lino), as well as an additional All-Northwest Conference player (Walter Lum). The team also received the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, and numerous student-athletes received the NABC Honors Court Award. Before arriving at Whitman, Shawn spent the previous four years at Eastern Washington University. In his last two seasons with the Eagles, he served as the Eagles' Director of Basketball Operations and then as Special Assistant to the Head Coach. During his span there, he assisted with the development of two Big Sky MVPs (Tanner Groves & Mason Peatling), ten Big Sky All-Conference players, one Defensive Player of the Year (Kim Aiken Jr), one Reserve of the Year (Tyler Robertson), and one Rookie of the Year (Ethan Price). The team also won the Big Sky twice, and made the NCAA Tournament in 2020-21, where they lost to Kansas in the Round of 64. Five of his former players from EWU are currently playing professionally. James also brings NBA experience to his role. From 2017 to 2018, he served as a player development intern for the Dallas Mavericks where he assisted with practices and player development sessions. In his time there he also helped with pre-draft workouts, free agent mini-camps and summer league operations. Some players he worked with include Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes, Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Dwight Powell. Originally from Plano, Texas, James played his collegiate ball at the University of Redlands, where he graduated with his Bachelor’s in 2016. He was a part of the 2012-13 SCIAC Championship team. He also holds a Master’s degree from Eastern Washington University, which he received in 2020.

Former Walla Walla High School head coach Adam Berg joins the Whitman College men's basketball staff as assistant coach, announced by Blues head coach John Lamanna. "We are excited to welcome Coach Berg to our basketball program," said Lamanna. "It is not often to have the opportunity to bring aboard a talented coach who also is deeply ingrained in the Walla Walla community.  Coach Berg will enhance our program and allow us to continue to bring the best student-athlete men's basketball experience in the country. I can't wait to get started." "I am very grateful for the opportunity to join Coach Lamanna and his staff at Whitman," said Berg. "Having had a closeup view the last few years, I know that Coach Lamanna runs a first-class program that I am honored to be a part of. I'm excited to get started!" During his tenure at Wa-Hi, Berg led the Blue Devils to multiple district tournament appearances and a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) State Tournament berth in 2023, where the team earned a first-round victory. His teams boasted numerous all-league and defensive player of the year selections with 12 former student-athletes moving on to compete collegiately. Prior to his success at Wa-Hi, Berg was an assistant men's basketball coach at Walla Walla Community College where his players earned multiple all-region selections during his five seasons. Seven players moved on to compete at 4-year institutions during his time.