Moon Township, Pa. - Robert Morris University men's basketball head coach Andrew Toole announced today the hiring of Joe Gallo as an assistant coach with the Colonials.

"I've known Joe for several years and have always been impressed with his work ethic, his ability to recruit and the way he coaches the game of basketball," Toole said. "Joe shares similar philosophies in the way we help our student-athletes grow and teach the game, and I couldn't be more excited to add someone of his caliber to our coaching staff. He's going to continue to help us move our program forward and sustain the level of success that we've experienced over the last five years."

A native of Milltown, N.J., Gallo comes to Robert Morris after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., under head coach Paul Cormier.

During his two seasons with the Big Green, Gallo played an instrumental role in recruiting a total of 11 student-athletes to the Dartmouth roster, including forward Jvonte Brooks, a four-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week during the 2011-12 campaign.

"I'm extremely excited for the opportunity to join the staff at Robert Morris, which has been of the top mid-major programs over the last five years," Gallo said. "I think my experience along the way with both The Hoop Group and as an assistant coach at Merrimack and Dartmouth can help add to the success of the program."

Gallo spent one year with The Hoop Group in Neptune, N.J., from August 2009 to August 2010, assisting in running the largest basketball exposure camp in the country for high school players. During his time with The Hoop Group, Gallo established and maintained relationships with various high school and AAU coaches along the East Coast.

Gallo started his coaching career at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., spending four years as an assistant coach with the Warriors from 2005 to 2009.

While at Merrimack, Gallo was instrumental in the recruitment of back-to-back Northeast 10 Conference Freshman of the Year honorees in Darren Duncan (2007) and Darin Mency (2008).

Duncan scored 2,049 points from 2006 to 2010, while Mency finished his four-year career with 2,039 points from 2007 to 2011. Duncan ranks third all-time in career points at Merrimack, while Mency ranks fourth. Both players went on to earn All-NEC 10 First Team accolades and were National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II All-Americans.

Gallo also helped recruit Wayne Mack at Merrimack, a member of the 2009 All-NEC 10 Rookie Team that went on to score 1,455 career points and earn All-NEC 10 First Team accolades in 2011-12.

A 2004 graduate of Merrimack, Gallo earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business with a concentration in management. 

During his four years with the Warriors, Gallo was a member of the men's basketball team. He replaces Matt Hahn, who left the program to pursue other opportunities.