Former New York Institute of Technology head coach Evan Conti was hired as the Saint Michael's men's basketball program's full-time assistant coach in July 2021. He heads into his fifth year with the Purple Knights in 2025-26, having been elevated to associate head coach on Sept. 8, 2023.
At Saint Michael's, Conti oversees all scouting reports and player development training, and has strong recruiting connections with Pennsylvania and New England prep schools and in the New York/New Jersey tri-state area, especially in the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA), where he played as a schoolboy. During his coaching career, Conti has helped numerous players advance to professional careers in Europe, Asia and the NBA G League.
A 2015 graduate of Quinnipiac University with a degree in communications, Conti appeared in 121 career games, making 42 starts, after being recruited by current Saint Michael's head coach Eric Eaton, then a Quinnipiac assistant coach. The 6-foot-3 guard led the team in three-pointers twice and assists once, finishing with 740 points, 450 rebounds, 228 assists and 108 threes. He helped Quinnipiac qualify for the 2011-12 College Basketball Invitational and 2013-14 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
Conti went on to play three years of professional basketball in Israel, appearing with Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Hapoel Migdal Haemek and Hapoel Afula, all of Liga Leumit, Israel's second tier of pro competition. Conti was a highly-regarded schoolboy in New York City, earning 2010-11 Jewish Sports Review All-America and Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) all-league first team honors while graduating as the fifth-leading all-time scorer (1,120) at Holy Cross High School in Flushing, Queens, N.Y. He also won two gold medals with Team USA at World Maccabiah Games, being named MVP of the junior 16U division in 2009 after scoring 36 points in the gold medal game. In 2013, Conti and his squad won the open division under the guidance of legendary European coach Brad Greenberg, the former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Saint Michael's College Men's Basketball Coach, 2021-22 to Present (5th Season)
- Associate Head Coach, 2023-24 to Present (3rd Season)
- Assistant Coach, 2021-22 to 2022-23 (2 Seasons)
- In first year as associate head coach, helped SMC go 24-9 overall and 17-5 in league play, win NE10 regular-season title after being picked last in preseason coaches' poll, host NCAA Division II East Regional Championship and reach NCAA Sweet 16, and garner national ranking for much of season
- Head coach Eric Eaton was named NABC East Region Coach of the Year and NE10 Coach of the Year in 2023-24
- Helped SMC shatter school record with 353 three-pointers in 2023-24
- Recruited transfer Romar Reid '24, who earned NABC All-East District second team, NABC Division II All-Star Game and NE10 All-Conference second team accolades in 2023-24. Helped Reid improve scoring average by 6.7 points and three-point percentage by 12% from junior to senior year while also increasing shooting percentage and assist and steal averages. Helped Darrel Yepdo '26, a 2023-24 NE10 All-Conference second team pick, raise his scoring average by 8.8 points over the previous year while improving his three-point and field goal shooting as well as assist, steal and rebounding averages
- Helped SMC increase win total first three years
- 1 D2CCA All-East Region Honor
- 2 NABC All-East District Honors
- 3 NE10 All-Conference Honors
- 1 NE10 All-Defensive Team Honor
Level Up LI AAU Basketball Director of Player Development, 2020-21 (1 Year)
- Trained numerous current college and overseas professional players
- Directed numerous camps and clinics
- Co-hosted Level Up Your Basketball podcast, interviewing such prominent guests as former NBA All-Stars Kenyon Martin and Wally Szczerbiak
New York Institute of Technology Men's Basketball Coach, 2018-19 to 2019-20 (2 Seasons)
- Hired as assistant coach before being named interim head coach for final two contests of 2018-19 season
- Named head coach for 2019-20, becoming youngest active head coach in NCAA Division I, II or III men's basketball
- Guided team to 2019-20 ECC Tournament
- 1 ECC All-Conference Honor
- 1 NABC Team Academic Excellence Award (2019-20)
- 10 NYIT Academic Honor Roll Qualifiers
- NYIT suspended intercollegiate athletics activities in August 2020
