Jared Keith Grasso (born May 11, 1980) is an American college basketball coach. He was most recently the head coach of the

Bryant Bulldogs men's basketball The Bryant Bulldogs men's basketball team represents Bryant University in NCAA Division I men's basketball. The team currently competes in the America East Conference. They are led by head coach Jared Grasso and play their home games at the C ...

team from 2018 to 2023. In his fifth season, he led Bryant to the 2022 NCAA Tournament, the first in program history for the school.

Playing career

Grasso played four years at

Quinnipiac Quinnipiac is the English name for the Eansketambawg (meaning "original people"; ''cf.'' Ojibwe: '' Anishinaabeg'' and Blackfoot: ''Niitsítapi''), a Quiripi-speaking Native American nation of the Algonquian family who inhabited the ''Wampan ...

, where he ranks fifth all-time in assists, and fourth all-time in three-point field goals. He graduated in 2002 as Quinnipiac's second 1,000-point scorer in its Division I era and was inducted into the university's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.

Coaching career

After graduation, Grasso joined the coaching staff at

Hofstra Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...

, where he was a graduate assistant for the 2002–03 season before moving on to

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since ...

for a two-year assistant coaching stint. He returned to his alma mater Quinnipiac for a season as an assistant coach before becoming an assistant coach under

Dereck Whittenburg Dereck Whittenburg (born October 2, 1960) is a former collegiate basketball player who played for North Carolina State Wolfpack men's basketball, North Carolina State University, where he was a member of the 1982–83 team that won the 1983 NCAA Di ...

Fordham Fordham may refer to: Education * Fordham Preparatory School, an all-male, Jesuit high school in New York City * Fordham University, a Jesuit university in New York City ** Fordham Rams, athletic teams of the above university ** Fordham University ...

. When Whittenburg was fired on December 3, 2009, Grasso took over head coaching duties on an interim basis for the Rams for the remainder of the season. At 29 years old Grasso was then the youngest Division 1 coach in the country. Grasso was not retained by Fordham on a full-time basis, and joined

Tim Cluess Timothy Michael Cluess (born March 9, 1959) is an American college basketball coach who most recently was the head men's basketball coach at Iona College. He is also a former head coach of Long Island University–C.W. Post. College playing ca ...

's staff at

Iona Iona (; gd, Ì Chaluim Chille (IPA: �iːˈxaɫ̪ɯimˈçiʎə, sometimes simply ''Ì''; sco, Iona) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, off the Ross of Mull on the western coast of Scotland. It is mainly known for Iona Abbey, though the ...

as an assistant coach. While with the Gaels, the team has appeared in five NCAA tournaments, and has won five MAAC conference tournament titles, along with three MAAC regular season titles. On April 2, 2018, Grasso was named the 8th head coach in Bryant men's basketball history, and the second in the Division I era, replacing

Tim O'Shea Tim O'Shea (born January 13, 1962) is an American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach of the men's basketball team at Bryant University. He was previously the head coach at Ohio University. Playing career Born in Woodbur ...

. Grasso led the Bulldogs to one of the nation's biggest turnarounds. The Bulldogs were the only team in the nation to triple its win total. Grasso was recognized as a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award as the nation's top first year head coach. In the 2020–21 season Grasso was named the USBWA District 1 Coach of the Year, while leading Bryant to its best record in the program's D1 history. In the 2021–2022 season Grasso was named NEC Coach of the Year, while leading Bryant to its best season in program history, winning 22 games and winning the regular season and conference tournament titles. On September 29, 2023, Grasso was placed on leave by Bryant University. It was reported that there was an investigation into inappropriate behavior by Grasso. On October 1, 2023, Grasso was arrested in

North Smithfield, Rhode Island North Smithfield is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States, settled as a farming community in 1666 and incorporated into its present form in 1871. North Smithfield includes the historic villages of Forestdale, Primrose, Waterf ...

and charged with a

hit-and-run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...

. While criminal charges were eventually dropped, Grasso resigned as the Bryant head coach on November 13.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grasso, Jared Living people 1980 births American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from New York (state) Bryant Bulldogs men's basketball coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Fordham Rams men's basketball coaches Hartford Hawks men's basketball coaches Hofstra Pride men's basketball coaches Iona Gaels men's basketball coaches People from Syosset, New York Quinnipiac Bobcats men's basketball coaches Quinnipiac Bobcats men's basketball players Basketball players from Nassau County, New York