Merrimack Warriors men's basketball
The Merrimack Warriors men's basketball team represents Merrimack College in North Andover, Massachusetts. They compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and host games at Lawler Arena, after sharing Hammel Court in recent seasons; in 2025–26 they will play all home games at Lawler Arena. The team is led by head coach Joe Gallo, in his 10th season, and they wear blue and gold.
Merrimack began play in 1949 as a Division II program, spent many years in the Northeast-10 Conference starting in 1984, and made 11 NCAA Division II tournament appearances. They reached the Sweet Sixteen in 1977 and 1978 and won ECAC Division II titles in 1989, 1998, and 1999. Longtime coach Bert Hammel (1980–2016) oversaw a string of NCAA appearances and a school-record 526 wins.
Gallo took over in 2016 and guided Merrimack to three consecutive Division II NCAA Tournament appearances (2017–2019), including a pair of Round of 32 finishes and the 2019 NE10 title. The Warriors moved to Division I in 2019–20, finishing 14–4 in NEC play and winning the regular-season title while ineligible for the NCAA tournament during the transition. They joined the NEC as a full member in 2020, won NEC regular-season titles in 2020, 2023, and 2024, and captured the NEC tournament in 2023.
Merrimack joined the MAAC in 2024. In their first MAAC season (2024–25) they went 18–15 overall, 14–6 in conference play, and reached the MAAC semifinals. Notable players include Juvaris Hayes, who won the Lefty Driesell Award and earned Division I All-American honors, and Jordan Minor, the 2023 NEC Player of the Year.
The program has a long history of conference competition and national play, with a strong Division II legacy and growing success in Division I.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:36 (CET).