Head Coach - Jaret von Rosenberg
Jaret von Rosenberg enters his sixth season as the head coach for Lion Men's Basketball. He was hired as the program's 21st head coach on April 3, 2017. He is only the fourth head coach in A&M-Commerce's Division II era and will be the first in A&M-Commerce's Division I era this winter.
von Rosenberg's fifth season as the Lions' coach began with a thrilling win at UTSA, behind a buzzer-beating three pointer from Alphonso Willis. The Lions continued to excel against Division I opponents during the season, leading by as much as 12 at South Alabama in the first half. The Lions returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2021-22 with a record of 17-8, it was the Lions' third trip to the postseason in five seasons under von Rosenberg. The Lions posted a conference record of 9-5 to tie for fourth place in the conference standings. Center Clashon Gaffney earned Defensive Player of the Year honors from the Lone Star Conference and he was among four Lions to earn all-Lone Star Conference recognition. Willis and Augustine Ene were named to second team all-LSC, Demarcus Demonia was named to third team all-LSC, and Gaffney was named to the all-defensive team as well as honorable mention all-LSC. A&M-Commerce finished second in the country in shot blocking.
Challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lions played just 14 games in 2020-21, going 7-7 in the conference-only schedule. Newcomers Augustine Ene and Demarcus Demonia were selected for All-LSC honors. During the season, von Rosenberg coached his 150th game in Commerce, becoming the seventh coach to do so in school history. The Lions missed the Lone Star Conference tournament by just one game. The Lions held opponents to shoot below 30 percent from outside the three-point nationally, which was fourth in the country.
During the 2019-20 season, von Rosenberg captained the Lions to an 18-12 record, with a 8-2 record in divisional games, earning the team the divisional championship. The team had a record of 13-9 in LSC games, qualifying as the eighth seed in the LSC Tournament. The Lions would go on to defeat UAFS in the LSC First Round matchup, before falling to eventual tournament champion WT in the quarterfinal round. During the season, two Lions would earn All-Conference honors. Wayne Stewart was named First Team All-LSC, while Deonta Terrell brought home Third Team All-LSC honors.
During the 2018-19 season, von Rosenberg led the Lions to a 24-9 record overall, while earning a second place finish in the Lone Star Conference standings with a 13-5 record. The team advanced to the final round of the LSC Tournament and earned its third consecutive berth into the NCAA South Central Regional Tournament. The team defeated Dallas Baptist in the quarterfinal round before falling in the semifinal round. The team earned a top-25 ranking from the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll during the season, its second consecutive season earning a top-25 ranking.
During the 2018-19 season under von Rosenberg, Willie Rooks earned First Team All-District honors, Second Team All-Region honors and First Team All-LSC honors for his play. He was selected to the NABC Division II All-Star team. Reggie Reid and Trey Conrod earned Second Team All-Conference honors.
During his first season, von Rosenberg led the Lions to the NCAA Tournament for the second season in a row, finishing with a 22-9 record overall, and finishing tied for third place in the LSC with a 12-6 conference record. The Lions won their first 10 games under the direction of von Rosenberg, setting the program record for most wins before their first coaching loss. The Lions excelled in close games, and went to five overtime games during the season. The team would be ranked as high as No. 10 in the nation in the NABC poll during the year. The team earned the fourth seed in the LSC Tournament, defeating Angelo State in the first round before falling to eventual champion WT. The team qualified for the NCAA Tournament as the fifth seed, and defeated Fort Lewis 78-62 before again falling to WT in the semifinal round.
During the 2017-18 season under von Rosenberg, Reggie Reid was named Lone Star Conference Newcomer of the Year as well as a First Team All-Conference selection. Reid was also named Second Team All-Region by both the NABC and the D2CCA. Willie Rooks was a Third Team All-Conference selection.
A 2009 graduate of the University of Hartford, came to the Lions after two years as an assistant coach at Hartford. Prior to his time at Hartford, he served as an assistant at A&M-Commerce for two seasons under head coach Sam Walker. He helped the Lions to the 2015 Lone Star Conference Championship and a top 10 national ranking.
He recruited and mentored Darrell Williams, the South Central Region Player of the Year, Lone Star Conference Player of the Year and a Division II All-American. He also brought Christian Macauley into the fold, as Macauley was twice named the Lone Star Defensive Player of the Year. Von Rosenberg was responsible for signing nine major contributors in two seasons.
Prior to joining the staff in Commerce, von Rosenberg spent two years as an assistant for Abilene Christian. He helped the Wildcats add Eric Lawton, the 2013 Lone Star Conference Newcomer of the Year and a second team all-league selection. Two other players collected All-LSC honors in von Rosenberg's two seasons in Abilene.
Additionally, in two seasons at Collin College, von Rosenberg helped the Cougars to a 48-16 combined record before heading to ACU.
von Rosenberg's three-year playing career at Hartford was highlighted by an America East All-Conference Third Team honor at the conclusion of his senior season and a pair of America East All-Academic Team nods. A 1,000-point scorer (1,021 points), his name is peppered throughout the Hawks' Division I record books as he owns the program record in free-throw percentage (.831) and ranks in the top 10 in made free throws, assists, and steals. He was an all-conference player in one season at Collin College after a solid career as a basketball and football player at Sharyland HS in the Rio Grande Valley.
von Rosenberg is married to the former Sarah Rasor, and the couple has a son, Jaxon, and a daughter, Ava.
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