MILLERSVILLE, Pa. - Millersville men's basketball coach
Casey Stitzel has announced the hiring of Ryan Van Zelst as associate head coach and Kyle McGee as assistant coach.
Van Zelst most recently served as head coach at Cabrini University and Penn State Abington, and McGee coached the last three seasons as an assistant at Elizabethtown University.
"I am excited to welcome Ryan and Kyle to the Millersville men's basketball family," said Stitzel. "Their work ethic, experience, and ability to develop impactful relationships will make them great assets in helping develop our student-athletes on and off the floor."
Van Zelst and McGee fill the vacancies created when former associate head coach Daniel Eacho was hired as the head coach at Mary Baldwin University and former assistant Dexter Harris was named the head coach at Wilson College. Eacho and Harris helped the Marauders to a pair of PSAC East titles and two NCAA Tournament berths in the previous three seasons.
Van Zelst, a 2010 graduate of Albright, brings two seasons of head coaching experience to Millersville. In 2022-23, he guided Penn State Abington to an 18-9 record and the school's first appearance in the United East Conference championship. That quick rise to success landed him the position at Cabrini. Shortly after his hiring, the school announced its closure. Van Zelst led the team through its final season. Before entering the head coaching ranks, Van Zelst helped Scranton to two NCAA Tournament berths from 2015-2022. Scranton went 113-55 during Van Zelst's stint. He was named to the NABC 30 Under 30 Team and was part of the 2021 Landmark Conference Coaching Staff of the Year. Van Zelst also coached at Albright and York.
"I am thrilled to have Ryan join our staff," said Stitzel. "Ryan has proven himself to be a successful head coach at the collegiate level. His experience during his tenure at Penn State Abington along with navigating the program at Cabrini through a difficult situation this past year will provide a certain level of experience that should only add value to our program."
McGee, a King's College alum, helped Elizabethtown to its most Landmark Conference wins during the 2024 season. He also coached for two seasons at Lycoming and served as the junior varsity coach at Shamokin Area High School.
"For the past three seasons, Kyle has worked at nearby Elizabethtown and has shown he is a very good recruiter who has worked hard to build great relationships throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region," said Stitzel. "He is a relentless worker who will only continue to grow in his young coaching career."
Van Zelst and McGee join a program that has gone 67-25 overall and 50-16 in the PSAC over the last three seasons. With Van Zelst and McGee, the 2024-25 Marauders have a much different look. Just three players who played minutes for the Marauders in 2023-24 return, but Stitzel landed seven immediate impact transfers, four of which were all-conference honorees at their previous schools.
