John Lewis Linehan (born May 1, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player and currently an assistant basketball coach for the Saint Joseph's Hawks. At 5'9" and 165 lbs., he played at the point guard position. He was nicknamed, "Le Virus"[1][2] (English: "The Virus").
| Saint Joseph's Hawks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant Coach |
| League | Atlantic 10 |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1978-05-01) May 1, 1978 (age 44) Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Listed weight | 165 lb (75 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Providence (1997–2002) |
| NBA draft | 2002 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2002–2013 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Coaching career | 2015–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2002–2003 | Greenville Groove |
| 2003–2004 | Dakota Wizards |
| 2004–2006 | Paris Racing |
| 2006 | SIG Strasbourg |
| 2006–2007 | SLUC Nancy |
| 2008–2009 | Kalev |
| 2009–2010 | Cholet |
| 2010–2013 | SLUC Nancy |
| As coach: | |
| 2015–2016 | Drexel (operations asst.) |
| 2016–2017 | Brown (assistant) |
| 2017–2019 | Hartford (assistant) |
| 2019–2022 | Georgia (assistant) |
| 2022–present | Saint Joseph's (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Born in Chester, Pennsylvania, Linehan played competitive high school basketball, first at Chester High School, and then at Winchendon School, in Winchendon, Massachusetts.
Linehan played college basketball for Providence College's Friars, from 1997 to 2002. He led the Big East Conference in steals, in three different seasons, and also earned the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and second-team All-Big East honors his last two seasons. As a senior, in the 2001–02 season, he averaged 12.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 4.5 steals per game, finishing second in the nation in steals.
As a result, he was awarded the Henry Iba Corinthian Award, as the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Defensive Player of the Year, for that season.[3] He finished his collegiate career as the NCAA Division I's all-time career leader in steals, with 385.[4] On December 5, 2021, Richmond's Jacob Gilyard broke Linehan's nearly 20-year old record after recording his 386th steal in a win over Northern Iowa.
Linehan was not drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the Greenville Groove, of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL). In the 2003–04 season, he played for the Dakota Wizards of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), and won the league's championship with the team.[5]
After winning the CBA championship, Linehan moved to Europe, and signed with Paris Basket Racing of the LNB Pro A in France, where he also played two years (2006–08) for SLUC Nancy. In the 2008–09 season, he played for Kalev/Cramo, in Estonia. With the team, he won the Estonian Cup and the Estonian League championship.
In July 2009, he signed a one-year contract with the French Pro A team Cholet Basket.[6] He won the 2009–10 season's French League championship with the team.
In July 2010, Linehan signed a contract with the French club SLUC Nancy, and in the 2010–11 season, he won the French League championship with them. Linehan at one time held the record for the most assists in a single EuroLeague game, with 15 assists. On the 3 November 2011, he delivered 15 assists, in a EuroLeague game against Fenerbahçe.[7] The record was later broken.
Linehan began his career as a basketball coach in 2015.[8]
In July 2017, it was announced that Linehan would join the coaching staff at Hartford.[9] In May 2019, it was announced that Linehan would join the coaching staff at the University of Georgia.[10] Linehan was named an assistant coach at Saint Joseph's University on April 22, 2022.[11]
NABC Defensive Player of the Year Award winners | |
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Pro A Finals MVP | |
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