KENNESAW, Ga.- Kennesaw State Owls head men’s basketball coach Lewis Preston announced the addition of assistant coach Marty McGillan to the program on Tuesday afternoon. McGillan brings with him to Kennesaw State 21 years of experience as an NCAA Division I assistant coach, with his teams having appeared in six NCAA Tournaments.

“I’m very happy to have someone of Marty’s caliber on our staff. With his experience as an assistant coach and his vast knowledge of the Southeast, he will undoubtedly serve as an asset to us here at Kennesaw State,” Owls head coach Lewis Preston said. “Even more importantly, Marty is a family man, and a man of high character and of great morals and values, and someone that will not only be an asset to our staff and to our athletic department but he will be an asset to this university as a whole.”

McGillan most recently spent five years as an assistant coach at Winthrop, where he helped the Eagles to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2010, while mentoring three All-Big South honorees during his tenure there, as well as the 2010 Big South Defensive Player of the Year in Mantoris Robinson. This past season, he helped guide the squad to the second-best field goal percentage defense in the league.

Winthrop was the third of three straight programs that the Silver Spring, Md. native helped lead to the NCAA Tournament. He served on the staff at Wright State under current Clemson head coach Brad Brownell during the 2006-07 campaign, helping the Raiders to a share of the Horizon League regular season title and the tournament crown, putting them in the Big Dance. Under his tutelage, the Raiders saw DeShaun earn conference Player of the Year Honors.

Prior to his stay at Wright State, he was an assistant coach under Brownell at North Carolina-Wilmington, his alma mater, for four seasons, helping to guide the Seahawks to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances in 2003 and 2006. His first season on the bench saw Brett Blizzard earn Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year honors, while a total of five Seahawks would earn All-CAA honors during his tenure there.

“The biggest thing for me is just the excitement that everyone has for this program, from the coaches to the administration, to the fans, it just seems like all of the pieces are in place and the resources are here for us to all be a part of a very special time for this university and for this community,” McGillan said. “It’s an exciting challenge for me to be a part of the growth and development of this program.”

UNCW was the fifth of six programs McGillan has worked for in the Carolinas, having also spent time on staffs at College of Charleston (2001-02), The Citadel (1997-01), Coastal Carolina (1996-97) and East Carolina (1991-96). The 1992-93 campaign saw McGillan help lead his first squad to an NCAA Tournament bid, with the Pirates taking the CAA Tournament title that season while working under head coach Eddie Payne, who is now a head coach in the Atlantic Sun Conference at USC Upstate.

In total, 14 players have earned all-conference honors under McGillan, with 11 garnering All-Freshman, All-Rookie, or All-Newcomer honors.

The Owls return seven players on their roster from Preston’s inaugural 2011-12 campaign on the bench, while also welcoming a total of seven newcomers. Among the returnees are rising senior and All A-Sun Second Team honoree Markeith Cummings, 2011-12 A-Sun All-Freshman honoree Delbert Love, and rising senior Aaron Anderson, who led the A-Sun in rebounding this past season.

McGillan and his wife, Tee, have two teenage sons, Riley and Tate