Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com
Umar Shannon Promoted to Men’s Basketball Associate Head Coach
7/1/2026 5:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HAMDEN, Conn. – The Quinnipiac men's basketball program and Head Coach Tom Pecora are excited to announce that Umar Shannon ('14) has been promoted to the role of Associate Head Coach, as revealed on Wednesday, July 1, 2026.
Shannon – who played for the Bobcats during the 2013-14 season – will enter his third season on Quinnipiac's coaching staff in 2026-27. He joined Tom Pecora's staff as an assistant in May of 2024.
"I am incredibly grateful and honored to be named Associate Head Coach," Shannon said. "I want to sincerely thank Coach Pecora and the entire athletic leadership team for their trust, support, and belief in me. I am excited for this opportunity and look forward to contributing to our program's success by helping our student-athletes thrive both on and off the court."
"We are absolutely thrilled to promote Umar to Associate Head Coach," said Quinnipiac Head Coach Tom Pecora. "As a former Bobcat, Umar embodies everything this program stands for—hard work, dedication, and a relentless commitment to excellence. He has been an invaluable asset to our coaching staff over the last two seasons, and his ability to connect with and develop our student-athletes is second to none. This promotion is well-deserved, and I look forward to continuing to build on our championship foundation together."
In two seasons on the Quinnipiac sideline, Shannon has helped guide the program to a 39-26 overall record – including an impressive 27-13 mark in conference games. Quinnipiac went 15-5 in MAAC play in 2024-25 under the guidance of Shannon, capturing the program's second consecutive MAAC Regular Season Championship.
As a student-athlete, Shannon played out his final season of collegiate eligibility for the Bobcats in 2013-14, averaging 14.3 PPG, 2.3 APG, and 2.0 RPG.
The former Bobcat joined QU's coaching staff after spending each of the previous three years in the MAAC at Saint Peter's University.
Shannon helped guide the Peacocks to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances prior to returning to Hamden. Saint Peter's won the 2022 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship in Atlantic City under the guidance of Shannon, then defeated Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue en route to becoming the first No. 15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the Elite Eight. Two years later the Peacocks captured the conference title once again, as Saint Peter's secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament by winning the 2024 MAAC title.
Prior to his three-year stint at SPU, Shannon served as an assistant coach at Saint Francis University from 2016-2021. He helped the program capture the NEC Regular Season Championship in 2019.
Shannon averaged 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a senior at Atlantic City High School. He was named New Jersey State MVP after leading ACHS to the state semifinals. Shannon finished his high school career with 1,006 points as a three-year letterwinner. He also averaged 16.9 points and 5.3 assists per game during his junior year.
He then spent his first four collegiate years at Saint Francis (PA), averaging 12.6 PPG and 2.3 APG. The 2010-11 All-NEC/All-NABC selection averaged 15.8 PPG during his sophomore season, then poured in 11.2 PPG as a senior in 2012-13.
The point guard then spent his final season at Quinnipiac, where he helped lead the Bobcats to a 20-12 overall record during the program's first season in the MAAC. Shannon finished third on the team in scoring (14.3 PPG), surpassing 1,000 career points in a QU uniform. He also finished fourth in the MAAC in free throw percentage (83.2%) in Hamden as a graduate student.
Following his collegiate career, Shannon signed with KB Besa Peja of the Kosovo SuperLeague – the top league in that nation. He averaged 12.9 points per game while posting a team-best 5.4 assists per contest in 2014-15.
Shannon resides in Hamden with his wife, Christina, and their three children Gracelyn (10 years old), Amelia (8 years old), and Ahsan (5 years old).
To stay up-to-date with all Quinnipiac men's basketball news, visit www.gobobcats.com/mbb or follow the team on Instagram / X @QU_MBB.
Shannon – who played for the Bobcats during the 2013-14 season – will enter his third season on Quinnipiac's coaching staff in 2026-27. He joined Tom Pecora's staff as an assistant in May of 2024.
"I am incredibly grateful and honored to be named Associate Head Coach," Shannon said. "I want to sincerely thank Coach Pecora and the entire athletic leadership team for their trust, support, and belief in me. I am excited for this opportunity and look forward to contributing to our program's success by helping our student-athletes thrive both on and off the court.""We are absolutely thrilled to promote Umar to Associate Head Coach," said Quinnipiac Head Coach Tom Pecora. "As a former Bobcat, Umar embodies everything this program stands for—hard work, dedication, and a relentless commitment to excellence. He has been an invaluable asset to our coaching staff over the last two seasons, and his ability to connect with and develop our student-athletes is second to none. This promotion is well-deserved, and I look forward to continuing to build on our championship foundation together."
In two seasons on the Quinnipiac sideline, Shannon has helped guide the program to a 39-26 overall record – including an impressive 27-13 mark in conference games. Quinnipiac went 15-5 in MAAC play in 2024-25 under the guidance of Shannon, capturing the program's second consecutive MAAC Regular Season Championship.
As a student-athlete, Shannon played out his final season of collegiate eligibility for the Bobcats in 2013-14, averaging 14.3 PPG, 2.3 APG, and 2.0 RPG.
The former Bobcat joined QU's coaching staff after spending each of the previous three years in the MAAC at Saint Peter's University.
Shannon helped guide the Peacocks to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances prior to returning to Hamden. Saint Peter's won the 2022 MAAC Men's Basketball Championship in Atlantic City under the guidance of Shannon, then defeated Kentucky, Murray State and Purdue en route to becoming the first No. 15 seed in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the Elite Eight. Two years later the Peacocks captured the conference title once again, as Saint Peter's secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament by winning the 2024 MAAC title.
Prior to his three-year stint at SPU, Shannon served as an assistant coach at Saint Francis University from 2016-2021. He helped the program capture the NEC Regular Season Championship in 2019.
Shannon averaged 21.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a senior at Atlantic City High School. He was named New Jersey State MVP after leading ACHS to the state semifinals. Shannon finished his high school career with 1,006 points as a three-year letterwinner. He also averaged 16.9 points and 5.3 assists per game during his junior year.
He then spent his first four collegiate years at Saint Francis (PA), averaging 12.6 PPG and 2.3 APG. The 2010-11 All-NEC/All-NABC selection averaged 15.8 PPG during his sophomore season, then poured in 11.2 PPG as a senior in 2012-13.
The point guard then spent his final season at Quinnipiac, where he helped lead the Bobcats to a 20-12 overall record during the program's first season in the MAAC. Shannon finished third on the team in scoring (14.3 PPG), surpassing 1,000 career points in a QU uniform. He also finished fourth in the MAAC in free throw percentage (83.2%) in Hamden as a graduate student.
Following his collegiate career, Shannon signed with KB Besa Peja of the Kosovo SuperLeague – the top league in that nation. He averaged 12.9 points per game while posting a team-best 5.4 assists per contest in 2014-15.
Shannon resides in Hamden with his wife, Christina, and their three children Gracelyn (10 years old), Amelia (8 years old), and Ahsan (5 years old).
To stay up-to-date with all Quinnipiac men's basketball news, visit www.gobobcats.com/mbb or follow the team on Instagram / X @QU_MBB.
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