Army West Point Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Bryan Joel joined the Army West Point Men’s Basketball coaching staff prior to the 2024-25 season and enters his third year on staff in the 2026-27 season.
In his most recent season (2025-26), the Black Knights amassed 11 wins, with six wins coming in non-league play and five coming in Patriot League play.
Army’s six wins outside league play included wins over SUNY Maritime, FDU, Manhattan, Gallaudet, and Binghamton. The slate was highlighted by the team’s 63-60 win over eventual 2026 NCAA Tournament qualifier UMBC.
The team also made program history during non-league play, with the team hosting perennial powerhouse Duke, on November 11, shattering the single-game attendance record with 5,326 fans packing into Christl Arena.
In Patriot League play, the Black Knights’ five wins included a regular season sweep over the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks, the eventual Patriot League Tournament champion and 2026 NCAA Tournament qualifier. Army also added a win at home against Holy Cross and two additional road wins, one against Bucknell and another against Loyola Maryland.
Under his direction, junior guard Ryan Curry also received postseason honors, earning a spot on the Patriot League All-League Third Team and MWBA All-Met Honorable Mention. Junior forward Tate Laczkowski was also named to the CSC Academic All-District team.
In his first season as an assistant coach, Joel helped coach Army to a 17-16 overall and a 10-8 record in Patriot League play.
The 10-8 finish in Patriot League play tied for the program's best finish in League play in program history. The Black Knights were also the only team in the Patriot League that season to earn a win over a Group of Five school, defeating the UTSA Roadrunners (American Conference), 78-75.
Joel helped coach two Patriot League All-League honorees. Jalen Rucker, who was named to the First Team, and Josh Scovens, who named to the Second Team. Jalen Rucker also earned All-American honors, being named on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division I North Atlantic All-District First Team, the only player in the Patriot League to receive those honors.
He also helped the 2024-25 squad receive a postseason invite to the Purple College Basketball Invitational (CBI). Then, in the opening round of play, the Black Knights shocked Elon University, defeating the Phoenix, 83-78, breaking the program's 55-year postseason tournament win drought.
Time Spent in the Windy City
Prior to his time with the Black Knights, Joel spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at UChicago Men’s Basketball.
His coaching stint included a time serving as the Maroons’ interim head coach for 16 games (2.5 months) during the 2022-23 season. In that time, the Maroons played six games against Top-25 opponents, winning two and dropping two others in overtime.
His coaching duties while with UChicago included involvement in recruiting, player development, game planning, scouting, strength and conditioning, and statistical analysis. Joel remains a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
Joel Receiving High Honors
In 2019, Joel was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Under Armour 30-Under-30 team, identifying 30 of the most outstanding college men’s basketball coaches under the age of 30.
Beginnings in Pasadena
Joel was a two-year captain of the Caltech men’s varsity basketball team.
During his time in Pasadena, he helped lead the Beavers to their best conference season in 44 years while with the program from 2011-2015.
Joel graduated from Caltech in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He went on to earn his master’s degree in Predictive Analytics from Northwestern University in 2017.
