Former Penn State basketball player lands head coaching job at Chattanooga
Former Penn State Nittany Lion basketball player Dan Earl has been named the head men’s basketball coach at Chattanooga.
Earl spent the previous seven seasons as the head coach at Virginia Military Institute. He led the Keydets to a 13-12 record in 2020-21 and a 16-16 mark last season. It was just the second time since 1978 that VMI posted back-to-back seasons at .500 or better.
Earl was a productive guard for Penn State from 1993-4 to 1998-99. He averaged 10.6 points per game over his career and shot 39.5 percent from three-point range.
He also led the Big Ten in steals during the 1995-96 campaign, with 53.
The Nittany Lions finished 21-7 and 12-6 in the Big Ten during that season. Penn State earned an NCAA Tournament bid as a 5-seed before bowing out to 12th-seeded Arkansas in the first round.
Earl joined the PSU staff as an assistant coach under head coach Ed DeChellis in 2006 after his professional career concluded in 2002.
“UTC is getting one of the most hardworking, dedicated, and competitive people I have ever been around,” Penn State star Talor Battle, who Earl coached from 2007-11, said in a prepared statement.
“Coach Earl was very instrumental in my growth as a player and a young man at Penn State. Whether it was on or off the court, Coach was always there for me. The Chattanooga community is getting a great coach, but an even better person.”
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As an assistant at Penn State, Earl helped the Nittany Lions to an NIT title in 2009.
That run included an incredible opening-round victory over George Mason, which saw Battle force overtime with an acrobatic three-pointer at the buzzer.
The Nittany Lions went on to top Rhode Island, Florida and Notre Dame before beating Baylor in the title game.
Two years later, Penn State went to the NCAA Tournament, finishing with a 19-15 record and making a run to the final of the Big Ten Tournament as well.
Following the conclusion of that campaign, Earl left with DeChellis for Navy, where he was elevated to associate head coach. Earl spent four seasons there before earning his first shot as a head coach at VMI.
