BRIDGEWATER, Va. (BC Athletics) – Bridgewater College Head Men’s Basketball Coach Steve Enright is stepping down to take the head coaching role at fellow Division III institution Keene State.

Enright, a native of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, has spent the last five seasons at the helm of the men’s basketball program and brought the team back into the limelight of the competitive Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The team made the ODAC Tournament in each of Enright’s years at Bridgewater, including back-to-back trips to Salem for the league quarterfinals in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

“It’s difficult to leave a place you love, but I am very excited for a great opportunity at Keene State,” said Enright. “Bridgewater is a special place and I am grateful for their belief in me when they took a chance on a first-time head coach when I was hired in 2019. I will always root for Bridgewater and can’t wait to see the program continue to grow under the next head coach.”

The Eagles finished last season with a 16-10 overall record behind a 9-7 mark in league play. BC faced a strong schedule that featured six teams that were ranked in the national top 25 polls at one time. Bridgewater earned a 75-56 victory against then-No. 20 Virginia Wesleyan on the road for the team’s first win against a ranked opponent since 2019 and the first win at VWU since 2009. The 16 victories marked the highest win total for the program since the 2004-05 season (17 wins) and the nine ODAC wins achieved the first winning record in league play since the 2008-09 campaign (10-6).

The men’s squad paced the ODAC with 9.9 three-point field goals made per game and 13.0 offensive rebounds per game.

Following the end of the regular season, Jordan Cooper was named ODAC Rookie of the Year, which was the second time in Enright’s tenure an Eagle claimed the award (Shod Smith, 2021-22), while Alec Topper and Aaron Oates each earned spots on All-ODAC teams. This season marked the third-consecutive year that a pair of student-athletes claimed all-conference laurels, which is a first for the program.

The 2022-23 campaign saw the Eagles finish in the top six in the ODAC for the first time since 2014 and advanced straight to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. The team finished the year with a 13-13 record, including nine victories in Nininger Hall, the most home wins in nearly 20 years.

Enright guided the Eagles to 10 wins in the 2021-22 season after a COVID-shortened season the year before. In his first year at the helm in 2019-20, Enright saw the program pick up nine victories, which he nearly doubled in his final season in Bridgewater.

“We wish Steve the best as he moves on to the next step in his career,” said Director of Athletics Curt Kendall. “During his time at Bridgewater, he consistently increased the program’s competitiveness among one of the toughest men’s basketball conferences in Division III. We thank him for his dedication to the College over his five seasons as head coach.”

Enright will take over a Keene State program that finished 26-4 last season behind a 15-1 record in the Little East Conference. The Owls claimed their seventh conference tournament title and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. It was the program’s ninth time qualifying for the national postseason and the sixth time reaching the Sweet 16. Keene State ranked 10th in the final D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.

Prior to taking over the men’s basketball program at Bridgewater, Enright spent a year at nearby-Division I program VMI where he was the team’s recruiting coordinator. His first class included Travis Evee who eventually went on to claim the SoCON’s Rookie of the Year laurel following the 2019-20 season. He was also an assistant at Bridgewater between 2015-18 helping the team double its win total from seven in his first year on the bench to 14 in his final season as an assistant.

Enright spent two seasons at the University of Rhode Island under head coach Dan Hurley, who eventually went on to coach UConn to back-to-back NCAA Division I National Championships, including the 2024 title.

In addition, Enright also has stops on his resume at Endicott College, Mount Ida College and Pfeiffer University.

A search for Bridgewater men’s basketball’s next head coach will begin immediately.

— BC Athletics —