From MCLA Baseball Player to Division I Basketball Coach: Kyle Milligan's Rapid Rise

February 13, 2026

When Kyle Milligan '23 stepped off the baseball field for the last time as an MCLA senior, he had his sights set on an entirely different court. Just two years later, he's coaching Division I basketball at Mercyhurst University, a trajectory that even he admits seemed unlikely without playing college basketball.

The turning point came during his senior year when MCLA Men's Basketball Coach Derek Shell offered him a student assistant position after learning about Milligan's volunteer work coaching youth basketball in his community. "It was a no brainer to accept Coach Shell's offer, I was super grateful," Milligan says. "Despite playing baseball at MCLA, it was always my dream to coach basketball at a high level. Without playing college basketball, I thought it would take me many years to climb to the college level."

That student assistant role became the foundation for a meteoric rise through the coaching ranks. With support from his academic advisor Peter Hoyt, Milligan secured a Graduate Assistant Coach position at Russell Sage College for the Men's Basketball team while pursuing a Master's in Sport Science: Coaching & Mental Performance. Before his second year, he moved to Oswego State as Assistant Coach for one of New York's best Division III programs. This past off-season, just two years after graduating from MCLA, he accepted his current role as full-time Division I Assistant Coach at Mercyhurst University.

Upon being hired at Mercyhurst this past June by Head Coach Gary Manchel, Milligan became the youngest Division I Men's basketball assistant coach in America. "Something I am very grateful for," he says.

Milligan credits MCLA's coaching minor with helping him identify his coaching philosophy and values. "I took the Coaching course which helped me identify my coaching philosophy, my values, and leadership skills," he recalls. "To this day, it was the most enjoyable course I've taken. I learned so much about myself in it."

An internship with Cap City Scrappers, a youth program in his hometown of Albany, proved equally transformative. "Without this internship I'm not sure I find my 'why,'" Milligan reflects. "I got to impact so many people's lives positively by teaching life long lessons through the game of basketball."

Under Coach Shell's mentorship during his senior year, Milligan learned essential skills that continue to guide him. "How to lead a program, work with athletic administration, and most importantly impact the lives of the players in a positive way," he says.

 For current students considering coaching careers, Milligan offers three key pieces of advice. First, value relationships. "You have an opportunity every day to make an incredible difference in their lives. Wins and losses are important, but your legacy is the impact you make!" Second, work for good people. Milligan credits his former head coaches Derek Shell (MCLA), Brian Barnes (Sage), and Jason Leone (Oswego) for his development. "Although there is plenty of luck within this business, who you work for can change your life." Third, seek head coaching experience. "I volunteered for 3 years in youth sports, sacrificed a lot, but I learned a ton through mistakes and successes. The first paid head coaching position I accept, won't be my first!"

From student assistant to Division I coach in just two years, Milligan's journey demonstrates how MCLA's combination of hands-on experience, dedicated mentorship, and academic preparation can accelerate a career, even in a sport he didn't play competitively in college.