Luke Fennelly enters into his third season as Head Coach of the Monatana State University men's basketball team, and his sixth overall season with the program in the 2025-26 academic year.
In his second year at the helm, Fennelly guided the Yellowjackets back to the GNAC Tournament, where they secured their first postseason win since 2012 with a dramatic 79-78 comeback victory over WWU, capped by a half-court buzzer-beater from Jajuan Tot. Under his leadership, MSUB notched its third consecutive 20-win season — a feat the program last achieved from 1984 to 1987. Holding a 41-22 record as head coach, Fennelly has recorded the second-most wins in a coach’s first two seasons in program history, trailing only Dick Edwards' 42 wins from 1978 to 1980. In the 2024-25 season, Fennelly coached First Team All-GNAC honoree Kael Robinson, who later transferred to Northern Kentucky University using his NCAA Division I Extension of Eligibility Waiver, and Second Team All-GNAC selection Jalen Tot, who used the same waiver to transfer to Appalachian State.
In his first season as head coach for the Yellowjackets, Fennelly claimed NABC West Region Coach of the Year, and GNAC Coach of the Year honors and is the youngest coach in GNAC history to do so. He was the first head coach at MSUB to win a regular season title in their first season, and fifth coach in GNAC history to do so. Fennelly led the 'Jackets to a 20-10 record (14-4 GNAC), winning the GNAC regular season title, and punching their ticket to the NCAA tournament for the second straight season. After another 20 win season in back-to-back years, this is the first time the Yellowjackets had done so in nearly 30 years. Fennelly led the 'Jackets to a #3 seed in the West Region Tournament, which is the highest seed in MSUB history. The Yellowjackets nearly swept every GNAC award in the 2023-24 season: Fennelly won GNAC Coach of the Year, Jalen Tot won GNAC Player of the Year, Steven Richardson won Defensive Player of the Year, and Daniel Moody won GNAC Newcomer of the Year.
During the 2022-23 season, Fennelly helped guide the Yellowjackets to a 20-10 overall record, posting a 14-4 mark to finish second in the GNAC Standings and qualify for the conference tournament. It was the first time the program had won 20 games in a season since 2005-06. Those Yellowjackets went on to be selected to the NCAA DII National Tournament, their first appearance since 2012. Fennelly played a crucial role in the development of key pieces to that team: Carrington Wiggins and Bilal Shabazz. Wiggins would win GNAC Player of the Year, the first ever Yellowjacket to receive the honor, as well as being a First Team All-Conference and All-Region Player. Meanwhile, Shabazz was awarded GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, likewise the first Yellowjacket to receive the honor, along with First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-Region honors.
As Assistant Coach for the MSUB Yellowjackets, Fennelly did a majority of the recruiting, signing guys like Steven Richardson who was a three-star recruit out of highschool (highest ranked commit in program history) and went on to be a two-time All-GNAC selection and All-GNAC Defensive Player of the Year. Fennelly also recruited Abdul Bah who tied the GNAC record for threes made without a miss, going 7-7 against Simon Fraser. Another notable recruit is BJ Shabazz who what a DI transfer and went on to earn GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-GNAC, and Second Team All-West Region.
Fennelly helped lead the Yellowjackets to the GNAC Championships during the 2021-22 campaign, posting a 9-8 record in conference games. He was the lead recruiter for Damen Thacker, who was not only the first double-digit scorer from a Division I program to transfer to MSUB, but also the first player in program history to make the preseason All-GNAC pick despite never playing in the conference.
During his time as Assistant Coach, Fennelly also monitored all their student athletes academic performance and progress. In the spring of 2021 the team GPA was a 3.47 which was the highest in program history, in the 2021 fall term they had a team GPA of 3.01 which served as the first time MSUB men's basketball had a consecutive team GPA over a 3.0, and also in the fall of 2021 they saw five players named to the Academic All-GNAC Team for the first time in program history.
In his second season at MSUB, Fennelly helped the men's basketball team finish fourth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference – the program's best in the GNAC era – with a 9-8 record in conference play. He helped orchestrate a defense that led the conference in points per game allowed (66.8) while having the league's second-lowest field goal percentage defense (42.2%). He turned the MSUB defense into one of the best units across Division II, ranking 37th in points per game allowed and 51st in field goal percentage defense – all while committing 14.1 fouls per game (36th-fewest in DII).
That year, Fennelly helped coach First Team All-GNAC award winner and 2021 Newcomer of the Year Carrington Wiggins and GNAC honorable mention selection Damen Thacker, both of whom were top-10 scorers in the conference and averaged 1.3 steals per game. In the classroom, the Yellowjackets also had five players earn Academic All-GNAC honors, which is the most in program history.
In his first season at MSUB, the Yellowjackets went 2-0 in a pair of exhibition games during spring 2021. The regular season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He spent seven seasons as a member of the coaching staff at Montana State University, where he progressed from a graduate assistant, to operations coordinator, to assistant coach. He was among the youngest D1 assistant coaches in the country, assuming his role at the age of 28.
As an assistant coach for the program, Fennelly helped MSU to its best conference record in 15 years with a mark of 11-9, and helped the team earn its first conference tournament win since 2009. He was also in charge of the team’s offense, coaching them to a league-leading 78.2 points per game. Fennelly was also the lead recruiter for potential student-athletes in the state of Montana.
He also oversaw the skill development of perimeter players. Two, Harald Frey and Tyler Hall, earned all-conference selections. Hall, along with Keljin Blevins, were drafted to the NBA G League, and both players made history for MSU. Blevins signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers on November 25, 2020 and became the first Bobcat to play in an NBA game. Hall would eventually sign a 10-day contract with the New York Knicks on December 18, 2021, making him the second MSU player to play in the NBA.
Under Fennelly's direction, Hall finished his career as the Big Sky Conference all-time leading scorer and 3-point shooter. Frey ended his MSU career in the top-three in points, assists, 3-pointers made, and free throws made. Fennelly also helped develop Ladan Ricketts who finished his career fifth in Bobcat history in 3-point field goal percentage.
Fennelly began his coaching career at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, in 2010. He rose to the head assistant position there in 2012-13 for a 22-10 team that earned a No. 1 ranking in the NWAC and a berth in the league tournament for the first time in five seasons. Fennelly oversaw player skill development with an emphasis on perimeter players, which resulted in three players being named all-conference. He also managed the preparation and installment of all opponent scouting reports and game strategies.
Fennelly earned his bachelor’s degree in sports business from the University of Oregon and his master’s degree in health and human performance. He is a graduate of Whitefish High School.
Luke is married to Colleen Reyes. They welcomed their first child, Harrison, on April 23, 2022.
