Rider Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kevin Baggett announced the hiring of his former Saint Joseph’s teammate, Geoff Arnold, as an assistant coach prior to the 2019-20 season. Arnold brings decades of experience, most recently at his alma mater. In addition to two stints with the Hawks, Arnold has gained college experience at Drexel and Massachusetts.
In Arnold's first year with the Broncs in 2019-20, Tyere Marshall joined the ranks of All-MAAC selections, earning Third Team recognition. Dimencio Vaughn returned to All-MAAC First Team form, while Scott earned his third-straight Third Team honor. Vaughn, Scott and Marshall became the 38th, 39th, and 40th Broncs to score their 1,000th points in the cranberry and white. The Broncs compiled an 18-12 overall record and a 12-8 mark in league play. The Broncs earned the No. 3 seed in the MAAC Championships and were riding a three-game winning streak when the tournament was halted due to COVID-19. Rider went on to win a MAAC Championship opening round game in 2020-21, defeating sixth-seeded Canisius. Under Arnold's watch, Dwight Murray, Jr., was also named to the All-MAAC Second Team and the NABC All-District 1 Second Team. Rider again found MAAC Tournament success in 2021-22, with the Broncs defeating Manhattan in the First Round, before upsetting top-seeded Iona in the quarterfinals. Vaughn earned All-MAAC Third Team honors, while Murray, Jr., was named to the MAAC All-Championship Team.
In 2022-23, Rider finished second in the MAAC regular season standings, including a win at eventual champion Iona, snapping the Gaels' 21-game home winning streak. Rider ranked among the best rebounding teams in the nation with a +4.6 rebounding margin, good for 37th in Division I. Murray earned his second All-MAAC honor, being named to the First Team, while Mervin James was selected to the Second Team.
The Broncs again finished in the upper tier of the MAAC in 2023-24 with a 12-8 record in league play. The Broncs finished the league slate with a seven-game winning streak to clinch a first-round bye in the MAAC Championships. Mervin James was a unanimous First Team All-MAAC honoree, while Allen Powell was selected to the Third Team.
In his most recent stint, Arnold spent 11 years on Phil Martelli’s staff at Saint Joseph’s. A former Hawk standout, he also served as an assistant at Saint Joseph’s for four years from 1993 to 1996, giving him a total of 15 years on the Hawks’ bench. That stint included one year with Martelli, who was in his first season (1995-96) as head coach, where the Hawks went 26-6 and reached the NIT Championship game. Arnold was also a volunteer assistant coach on Jim Boyle’s staff in 1988-89.
A 1986 SJU graduate, Arnold was part of three of the Hawks’ four Atlantic 10 Championships, as a player in 1986 and as an assistant coach in 2014 and 2016.
Prior to making his return to Saint Joseph’s, Arnold was the associate head coach at Drexel University for seven years. While there, he was instrumental in the Dragons’ recruiting efforts that helped them reach the postseason four times in seven seasons, including a 23-9 record in 2006-07.
Arnold left Saint Joseph’s in 1997 to join former Hawk teammate Bruiser Flint at the University of Massachusetts, serving on Flint’s staff for five years. He then returned to Philadelphia in 2001 when Flint was named head coach at Drexel.
Arnold, who was a senior tri-captain for the 1985-86 Saint Joseph’s team that won the Atlantic 10 Championship, recorded 26 wins and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. During his senior season, which was Martelli’s first as an assistant coach at SJU, the guard averaged 8.9 points and led the team with 134 assists. He was inducted into the Saint Joseph’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.
Originally from Sharon Hill, Pa. and Darby Township High School, Arnold is the uncle of former Saint Joseph’s star Langston Galloway, who is currently with the NBA’s Detroit Pistons. In 2018, Arnold was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame – Delaware County Chapter.
Arnold and his wife, Dr. Stephanie Tryce, reside in Philadelphia. They have a daughter, Gabrielle.
