In this week's basketball coaching conversation, Blair Academy head coach Joe Mantegna shares his insights on teaching the game and radical transparency.
Since arriving at Blair in 1999, Mantegna has transformed the school into a national prep basketball powerhouse. Under his leadership, Blair boasts an impressive record of 464-159, securing 16 Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) titles and 21 trips to the NJ prep “A” state finals, with state championships in 2009, 2011, 2014, 2019, and 2024.
Blair’s program has produced six NBA players, including Luol Deng ’03 and Charlie Villanueva ’03, who both played in the 2003 McDonald’s All-American Game. Additionally, nine Blair alums have participated in the NCAA Final Four, with three winning National Championships. Over 80 players have moved on to Division I rosters, while ten have played professionally overseas. Many former players also coach at the NBA, NCAA, and prep school levels.
Before Blair, Coach Mantegna was an assistant coach at four colleges, including Boston University and Lehigh University. His extensive coaching experience also includes international success. In 2023, he helped lead the South Sudan Men's National Team to three wins at the World Cup in Manila, a historic achievement for African basketball, qualifying them for the 2024 Paris Olympics. At the Olympics, South Sudan became the second African nation to ever win a basketball game.
Mantegna’s international coaching accolades include guiding the USA team at the 2022 NIKE Hoop Summit to victory and assisting South Sudan to a fifth-place finish at the 2021 FIBA AfroBasket. He also played a key role in South Sudan’s qualification for the 2023 FIBA World Championships in Asia. Additionally, Mantegna served as the defensive coordinator for the U.S.-Select U-18 team at the Albert Schweitzer Games in Germany in 2014 and 2016, later becoming the head coach in 2018.