Rutgers-Newark Athletics

Before his arrival in the Brick City, Rutgers-Newark had never gone to an NCAA Championship Tournament. Now the Scarlet Raiders have been in the Big Dance twice (2009-10 and 2012-13).

His career record is by far the best in Rutgers-Newark’s NCAA Division III history and the Raiders’ success in the NJAC under his guidance, including a stretch of eight consecutive winning seasons in conference play from 2008-2016, is unprecedented.

Prior to his arrival in 2001, the Raiders had posted just two winning seasons since 1988. A pair of ECAC Metro Championship berths and one trip to the NJAC Championship Tournament were the program’s only post-season journeys in over 30 seasons.

2019-20 followed up on the success from last season which saw the Scarlet Raiders return to the NJAC Postseason Tournament for the first time since the 2015-16 season. After defeating their NJAC rivals, New Jersey City University, twice during the regular season, the Scarlet Raiders completed the trifecta in the NJAC Quarterfinals with a narrow win over the Gothic Knights. The Scarlet Raiders eventually fell in the NJAC Semifinal to eventual champions, The College of New Jersey. After bowing out of the NJAC Tournament the Scarlet Raiders punched their tick to the ECAC Tournament where they once again made it to the championship game where they fell to host Gwynedd Mercy.

In 2018-19 the Scarlet Raiders bounced back from a single win season and posted 16 wins and a visit to the ECAC Championship. After a couple of close wins in the opening two rounds of the tournament, the Scarlet Raiders knocked off Grove City in the semifinals before taking on Brandeis in the championship game. Their late season run came to a close that night as they fell to Brandeis which ended their season.

In 2015-16, Loughran’s team tied program-bests while going 20-8 overall for the third time in his tenure and 14-4 in conference play for the second time in three seasons. The Scarlet Raiders reached the NJAC Championship semifinals and were selected for the ECAC Metro Championship tournament before falling in the semifinals. 

In 2012-13, Loughran brought the Raiders to within a field goal of the program's first NJAC title as Rutgers-Newark fell to Ramapo, 67-65, in the league's tournament championship game but earned an NCAA At-Large berth. The team tied a program-best with a 20-8 record and posted a conference mark of 13-5.

After guiding the Raiders to their first-ever NJAC championship game appearance in 2009, he led a senior-laden team to a school-record 20-8 season capped by the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in 2010. The Raiders also went 9-4 in NJAC play.

His best coaching performance had to be 2010-11 when his team suffered devastating injuries early and late in the season but still managed a 19-8 record and a run to the ECAC Metro Championship Tournament final. He mixed, matched, replaced and generally shuffled lineups and strategies throughout the trying season. The squad won an unprecedented two regular-season tournaments (the John K. Adams Tip-Off Classic and the Hampton Inn/Naismith Classic).
 

Loughran has developed several outstanding players including All-NJAC first team selections Chase Barneys, Jordan McDaniel, John Snow, Pedro Burgos, Chadd Barnes, Jermont Horton, Asmar Fortney and Deshawn Singleton. McDaniel had a tremendous 2015-16 campaign, earning the program’s first-ever NJAC ‘Pony Wilson’ Player of the Year and first team NABC All-American honors. He accumulated eight additional accolades and went on to sign a professional contract in Luxembourg. Guard Justin Carter was the 2005-06 NJAC Defensive Player of the Year and  Mike Vick won NJAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2019-20. Levi Holton won NJAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, 2024, and 2025. 11 Raiders (Barnes, Horton, Christian Garcia, David Cherry, Singleton, Burgos, Al'Don Muhammad, Snow, McDaniel, Barneys, and Holton) have joined the 1,000-Point Club during Loughran’s tenure, accounting for more than half of the 21 Rutgers-Newark players in the school’s history to reach the coveted plateau.

Several of Loughran’s assistants have advanced in the coaching ranks. Paul Palek is now the head coach at Manchester Regional High School. Former graduate intern Nick Leonardelli is now an assistant coach at UMass Lowell. Former intern Mike Larkin, is now the special assistant to the head coach at Rutgers University.  Pat Noone was previously the head coach at Lincoln High School and is now the head coach at Princeton High School.  Former graduate assistant Kevin Grek is now the Director of Player Development at Campbell University while fellow former assistant Anthony Lorenzo is the Graduate Manager in Operations for the men's basketball team at Washington State. Rutgers University-Newark Hall of Famer Deshawn Singleton is now an assistant at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC which plays in the premier high school league in the country. 

As the athletic academic coordinator for the department, Loughran has been instrumental in the outstanding overall performance of Rutgers-Newark student-athletes. Over the past 11 years, nearly 50 per cent of student-athletes have earned Academic Achievement Awards presented for attaining a 3.0 grade point average or better while completing a full-time course load of 12 hours or more for a semester.

The Scarlet Raider Basketball Camp, coordinated by Loughran, has been a three-session day camp in The Golden Dome for the past several summers at capacity.

Loughran came to the Scarlet Raiders from Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., where he served as Kevin O’Brien’s top assistant in 2000-2001. He also served as an assistant at Division I Hartford in 1999-2000 and Division II American International College from 1995-1999. Loughran began his coaching career with a two-season stint at Division III Norwich (1993-1995).

Loughran earned a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies in 1993 and master of education in 1999 at American International College.

YEAR-BY-YEAR AS HEAD COACH

*denotes COVID season
Rutgers-Newark NCAA Appearances Under Head Coach Joe Loughran
2009-10 - First Round 
2012-13 - First Round

Rutgers-Newark NJAC Postseason Appearances Under Head Coach Joe Loughran
2004-05 - Quarterfinals
2005-06 - Semifinals
2006-07 - Quarterfinals
2008-09 - Finals
2009-10 - Semifinals
2011-12 - Quarterfinals
2012-13 - Finals
2013-14 - Semifinals
2014-15 - Semifinals
2015-16 - Semifinals
2019-20 - Semifinals
2020-21 - Quarterfinals
2021-22 - Semifinals

Rutgers-Newark ECAC Postseason Appearances Under Head Coach Joe Loughran
2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2018-19, 2019-20, 2021-22

Rutgers-Newark ECAC Championships
2021-22 vs William Paterson, 56-53

COACHING EXPERIENCE: 
Head coach, Rutgers-Newark (2001-present);
Assistant coach, Stonehill College (2000 to 2001);
Assistant coach, University of Hartford (1999 to 2000);
Assistant coach, American International College (1995 to 1999);
Assistant coach, Norwich University (1993 to 1995).

EDUCATION: 
American International College, Springfield, MA, Bachelor of Arts in American Studies (1993)
Master’s in Education in Special Education (1999).