Captain's Day

Jason O’Connell begins his eleventh season as Cairn University's Head Men’s Basketball coach in 2024-25 and has led Cairn to its most successful run in program history over the past five seasons.

O’Connell has transformed the men’s basketball program from three wins during his first year in 2014-2015 to 18 wins and a Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Championship in 2019-2020, which also included Cairn's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Coach O’Connell was also named the CSAC Coach of the Year in the 2018-2019 campaign when his team captured the CSAC Regular Season Championship and finished as the conference Runner-Up. Altogether, O'Connell has led the Highlanders to four-straight appearances in the CSAC Championship game, a feat only two coaches at Cairn have accomplished (Kevin Jackson - Women's Tennis). In 2023-24, O'Connell became the third winningest coach in Cairn Men's Basketball history with a 14-13 record and United East postseason appearance. 

O’Connell was also recognized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and was awarded a spot on the 2019 Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team, representing 30 of the most outstanding men’s college basketball coaches under the age of 30. O'Connell is a two-time CSAC Coach of the Year (2018-19, 2022-23).
 
O’Connell’s teams have continued to succeed on both the court and in the classroom. On the court, his teams were awarded the CSAC 3-D Award (Discover, Develop, Dedicate) for three consecutive seasons from 2016-2019. During the 2019-2020 season, his team ranked in the top 25 in the nation in several statistical categories including rebounding margin (#4 in DIII), offensive rebounds (#6 in DIII), defensive rebounds (#15 in DIII), and points per game (#15 in DIII).  In the classroom, the men’s basketball program has had an overall team GPA of 3.0+ from 2015 through 2022 under O’Connell.  
 

 Jason and his wife Kristina currently reside in Langhorne, PA with their son Elijah.  O’Connell was also recognized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and was awarded a spot on the 2019 Under Armour 30-Under-30 Team, representing 30 of the most outstanding men’s college basketball coaches under the age of 30. O'Connell is a two-time CSAC Coach of the Year (2018-19, 2022-23).