Coach Jollon brings sixteen years of winning coaching experience and nationally recognized recruiting to Peacock Nation, as he joins Leedham's staff before the 2022-23 season.
Coach Jollon joins Saint Peters after serving seven years as the Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach for the Fairfield University under New England Hall of Fame Head Coach Joseph Frager. In Jollon’s final season with Fairfield, the Stags finished 19-1 in conference and 25-7 overall, winning the MAAC conference and regular season tournament championship. This was the Stag’s first MAAC Championship and NCAA tournament appearance since 1998. In addition to recruiting and coaching responsibilities, Jollon was charged with implementing the Stags ‘motion offense’ as a compliment to Fairfield’s well established signature style of play. Coach Jollon was also tasked with post player development and responsibility for Fairfield’s ‘signature’ zone defense.
At Fairfield, Jollon enhanced the team's recruiting efforts, especially overseas and in the transfer portal. Jollon recruited players from France, Ireland, and Spain, including 2022 MAAC Player of the Year, Lou Lopez-Senecha. Senechal was also, named the 2019 MAAC Rookie of the Year, the program's first in 15 years. In addition, she garnered 2020-21 All-Met honors, finishing that season as the only unanimous First Team All-Conference selection in the conference. Another Jollon recruit, Andrea Hernangomez from Spain has also found success in the MAAC as she was named the conference’s Sixth Player of the Year award in 2021, the second in program history. Coach Jollon was also responsible for the recruitment of Callie Cavanaugh, a transfer from FIU who finished All- MAAC third team for the Stags championship season in 2022. Most recently on the portal, in 2021 Coach Jollon recruited Sydney Lowery, a graduate senior, from Boston College and three-star ESPN recruit who was named the 30 th best guard in her class out of high school. At the time she was the highest rated guard to ever wear a Stags Women’s basketball
jersey.
Among other recruiting accolades, the 2017 Stags recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the MAAC and 52nd in the country (Dan Olsen, ESPN), representing the first nationally ranked recruiting class in the history of the Fairfield University Women’s basketball.
One of coach Jollon’s other important responsibilities was the Stags’ zone defense, which in 2016-17, was ranked in the top 8% nationally for defensive efficiency (Synergy Sports). In 2021, the Stags played zone 80% of their possessions on defense, finishing in the top 15% nationally in points allowed per possession at .682 and finishing 4 th nationally of teams who played zone more than 50% of their possessions. In the same year, the Stags finished 11-5 overall and 9-3 in conference, their highest winning percentage since 2013-2014 season. In 2022, their championship season, the Stags played more than 75% of their defensive possessions in the signature zone defense and finished in the top 10% nationally for teams who play more than 50% of their possessions in zone.
Coach Jollon came to Fairfield after serving two seasons as an assistant coach at Molloy College and prior to that he served six seasons as the head coach of Dean College. Serving as the Recruiting Coordinator at Molloy, Jollon signed two top-25 Long Island Goldstar recruits, and an All-State player from Connecticut as part of his first recruiting classes. In his first season at Molloy, under 2013 WBCA Coach of the Year, Kate Lynch, the Lions enjoy their first playoff experience and winning conference record in 3 years.
At Dean College, Coach Jollon was the head coach for six seasons where he finished as the all-time winningest NJCAA coach in its history. He recorded a .610 winning percentage while amassing an 85-52 record, the most victories for any coach in the program’s history. During his tenure at Dean, the Bulldogs qualified for the regional tournament every year. His teams made their name on defense and in his final two seasons they ranked in the top-10 nationally in both points allowed per game and defensive field goal percentage.
At Dean, Jollon was also a relentless recruiter, by bringing n i12 All-Region players and one Preseason All-American. During his time at Dean, eight players were able to earn spots on NCAA scholarship programs with their development under his tutelage. One of those players, Shelly Monahan finished second in the country in scoring while at Dean and reached the 1000 point plateau in her two years at the college, one of only two players in the history of Dean College to reach that mark. Monahan transferred to Concordia College and broke a record for most points in a game in the Clippers history at 31 while netting 8-of-10 three pointers in that game.
In addition to his recruiting wins throughout his career, player development became a key field for Jollon at Molloy College, as he helped in the development of Nicole Arnone, who signed a professional contract for the Portlaoise Panthers, a team in Ireland’s top division for women’s professional basketball. He also aided in the development of Kelly Guerriero who was the 2014 Division II National Statistical Champion for 3-pointers per game with 3.5. At Fairfield Coach Jollon was charged with the post player development. Fairfield post players garnered numerous accolades including multiple all-conference awards and have had successful career professionally overseas.
Coach Jollon earned his Bachelors Degree from Thomas Edison State University and resides with his wife Kate and daughter Saylor and son Jack in Branford, Conn.
