Josh Merkel was named the sixth Head Men's Basketball Coach in Salisbury University history on Tuesday, May 10.

A 2001 graduate of Salisbury University, Merkel was a four-year letter winner on the men's basketball team playing in 98 games while averaging 9.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. During his senior year, as team captain, Merkel started in 24 games, playing 33.5 minutes and scoring 13.6 points. With Merkel on the team, the Sea Gulls posted a 55-47 record.

“I am extremely excited and eager to return to Salisbury University as head basketball coach,” Merkel said. “I am humbled and grateful for the belief placed in me by Dr. Vienna and the committee. The opportunity to lead a championship-caliber basketball program at Salisbury is what I consider to be the opportunity of a lifetime.”

Merkel spent a season as a graduate assistant coach at West Virginia University, making a trip to the Elite 8 as the Mountaineers climbed as high as No. 12 in the national rankings before gaining his first collegiate head coaching job.

Merkel spent five seasons on the bench as an assistant at Division I Eastern Kentucky University. During Merkel’s final four years with the Colonels (2006-10), the program put up its most wins in a four-season stretch (73) and made an NCAA tournament appearance after winning the Ohio Valley Conference tournament in 2007, taking on the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill.

Merkel spent the 2010-11 season as an assistant coach at Randolph-Macon College, where he helped lead the team to a 25-5 overall record, including the 2011 Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament championship and a share of the regular-season title. Randolph-Macon also advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament this season.