Mount St. Mary’s University named Jamion Christian as its new head men’s basketball coach on March 26. A 2004 graduate of the Mount, Christian becomes the 21st head coach in the history of the program.

“We are very pleased Jamion is coming home to lead our men’s basketball program,” said University President Thomas H. Powell. “Coach Christian comes to us with tremendous experience, and as a graduate of the Mount, he brings a distinct passion to our campus. We are very confident he will be successful in guiding our program and our student-athletes.”

“We are excited to welcome Jamion Christian back to his alma mater as the next head men’s basketball coach,” said Lynne Robinson, Mount St. Mary’s Director of Athletics. “Jamion’s successful Division I playing and coaching experience perfectly positions him to guide our program. We are thrilled that Jamion has returned to the Mount and we look forward to his leadership in the years to come.”

Christian, 29, was an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth this season, helping guide the Rams to the Third Round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. VCU won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title and finished with a school-record 29 wins this year. VCU led the NCAA in steals and steals per game.

Christian worked hand-in-hand with VCU starting shooting guard Troy Daniels this season, who broke the school record with 94 three-pointers.

”I am both thrilled and humbled to be returning to the Mount,” said Christian. “I look forward to bringing energy and enthusiasm back to our historic program one passionate day at a time. I am so excited to work with our players currently here and with our incoming freshmen. I truly believe they are not only talented, but have proven to have tremendous character by how they respond to adversity. I believe in our leadership, our campus, and our community to help us return our program to prominence in the NEC.”

Prior to his time at VCU, he spent three years at William & Mary. In three seasons with the Tribe, he helped usher in a new era of basketball. The Tribe made their second postseason appearance in school history in 2010 and recorded the third most wins in school history with 22.

On the recruiting trail, he aided in the Tribe's 2010 recruiting class that was ranked among the best in "Mid-Major" classes in the country and the best in the CAA by ESPN.com and Scouts, Inc. During his time with William & Mary, Christian was responsible for recruiting in Virginia, Texas and the Washington, D.C. region.

Prior to his time with the Tribe, he spent two seasons as the Director of Basketball Operations at Bucknell University and two seasons as an assistant coach at Emory & Henry.

As a player, Christian was a three-year captain at the Mount, scoring 581 points in 90 career games and 56 starts. He led the Mount in scoring at 11.3 points per game in 2001-02 and averaged 8.2 points the following season.

During his senior year at New Kent High School, Christian led his squad to an undefeated season and a VHSL State Championship.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT JAMION CHRISTIAN

SHAKA SMART, VCU Head Coach
“I think he’s got a great perspective on the game, and it’s different, much different than anyone else on our staff because of his background and who he’s worked for. That’s always something you invite. You don’t want to bring someone in that has the exact same views as you and knows the same things as you because then they basically become a ‘yes’ man. Jamion’s brought up a bunch of interesting ideas that the rest of us haven’t thought of.”

TONY SHAVER, WILLIAM & MARY Head Coach
“Jamion’s work ethic and ability to relate to young people makes him a great recruiter. He displays maturity beyond his years and contributed in every facet to our program. Jamion has groomed himself by working and playing for a number of exceptional head coaches like Jim Phelan, Pat Flannery at Bucknell and Bob Johnson at Emory and Henry.”

MILAN BROWN, HOLY CROSS Head Coach
“Jamion is one of the young and talented coaches in our business. I have always liked Jamion’s leadership qualities, basketball IQ and his passion for the game. He is going to bring a ton of competitive energy to recruiting, practices and game preparation. I am extremely proud of Jamion and can’t wait to see him walking the sidelines at the Mount.”