Bob Walsh - Men's Basketball Coach - St. John's University Athletics

Bob Walsh

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
walshr1@stjohns.edu
Phone:
7687

Bob Walsh, a respected coaching veteran with more than three decades of experience on the bench, joined the Red Storm in April 2023 as an assistant coach.

In just three short years, Walsh has helped the Red Storm rebound to heights the program had not reached in decades. After going 20-13 and narrowly missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid in Walsh’s first year on staff, the Johnnies won back-to-back outright BIG EAST Regular Season and BIG EAST Tournament titles, becoming the first program in conference history to do so. The Red Storm went 18-2 in BIG EAST play in each of the last two campaigns, shattering the previous conference record for wins in a two-year span (33) set by UConn in the mid-90s. Over the past two seasons, the Red Storm is 6-0 in BIG EAST Tournament play and has not won a conference tournament game by fewer than 10 points.

The Red Storm won 31 games in 2024-25 and 30 in 2025-26, becoming just the third and fourth teams, respectively, in program history to reach the 30-win plateau. The 2024-25 Red Storm received a no. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round, becoming the first St. John’s team to win an NCAA Tournament game since 2000. This past season, the fifth-seeded Red Storm knocked off Northern Iowa and Kansas in San Diego, punching the program’s ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.

St. John’s has produced each of the last two BIG EAST Players of the Year, as RJ Luis Jr. (2025) became the first Johnnie in 39 years to win the award before Zuby Ejiofor (2026) became the first unanimous BIG EAST Player of the Year in more than a decade. Ejiofor was also named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year, becoming the first BIG EAST standout to win all three awards since Emeka Okafor in 2004.

Walsh came to Queens following one season at Iona, where he helped lead the Gaels to a 27-8 record, the MAAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and a no. 13 seed in NCAA Tournament.

Prior to his second stint with the Gaels, Walsh served on Ed Cooley’s staff at Providence from 2019-22 as Associate Director of Player Development, Scouting and Recruiting Coordination. It marked his second tenure with the Friars, having previously served as an assistant coach with the program from 1998-2005.

Walsh’s wealth of coaching experience includes 13 years as an NCAA head coach. Prior to returning to Providence, Walsh was the head coach at the University of Maine from 2014-18 after spending nine seasons at Division III Rhode Island College from 2005-14. In his combined 13 seasons as head coach, Walsh boasted a 228-163 record (.583), including a 137-79 mark (.634) in conference play. He guided RIC to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including three Sweet 16 berths and one Elite Eight.

Walsh began his career as a graduate assistant at Iona in 1994. After three seasons in New Rochelle, he joined the staff at the University of San Diego as an assistant coach in 1997-98. Walsh returned to the East Coast to join former Iona head coach Tim Welsh at Providence in 1998. As an assistant with the Friars, he helped guide the program to the NCAA Tournament in 2001 and 2004 and mentored the program’s all-time leading scorer, Ryan Gomes.

An innovator in leadership and development off the court, Walsh is the founder of the Dynamic Leadership Academy for young leaders and coaches. Walsh has also been the host of the Dynamic Leadership Podcast on AthleticDirectorU.com.

A 1994 graduate of Hamilton College, Walsh earned a degree in sociology, and he also holds a master's degree from Iona in mass communication and public relations.