Eastern Michigan Athletics
EMU MBB Names TJ Buchanan Director of Operations
8/9/2022 3:25:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kalamazoo Central and Rhode Island product brings added experience to Eagles' staff
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — TJ Buchanan has been named the Director of Operations for the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball program, Head Coach Stan Heath announced today, Aug. 9. Buchanan, a standout at Kalamazoo Central High School and later at the University of Rhode Island, returns to his home state of Michigan tasked with assisting the Eastern coaches and student-athletes through day-to-day operations and other responsibilities associated with the program.
"I am excited to have TJ join our staff," Heath said. "He is a well accomplished player having played at Rhode Island as well as a two-time state champion at Kalamazoo Central, so he is very well known throughout our state. He has been very successful as a player and as a coach. He is going to add experience not only as a player, but through being the Director of Operations. He gets along great with players, he is a hard worker, and you can tell he is a very hungry guy that has absorbed all outstanding aspects of being a coach."
"I am extremely excited to join this great staff and work with Coach Heath," Buchanan said. "I am thankful Coach Heath and this staff have given me a chance to join them and I look forward to sharing my experience as a coach and player and helping these young men on and off the court on a daily basis. My main goals are to help this program get to a championship level and see all of our guys have success on and off of the court. It is great to be able to return home to Michigan and I am looking forward to helping this program achieve its goals."
Buchanan arrives in Ypsilanti following his second stint in South Kingstown, R.I., where he spent four years as a student-athlete (2011-15) and the past five years (2017-22) on staff. Upon returning to URI in 2017, Buchanan took on the role of Director of Player Development for then-coach Bobby Hurley with the Rams playing their way to the NCAA Second Round against Duke after capturing the Atlantic 10 regular season championship. One year later, Buchanan remained on staff for new coach David Cox and took over responsibilities as the Director of Operations. Following the 2018-19 campaign, Buchanan was elevated to assistant coach where he remained for three seasons.
Between his tenures at URI, Buchanan returned to Kalamazoo Central where he helped the Maroon Giants to back-to-back Michigan Class A Southwest Regional Championships. Additionally, all five seniors from the 2016-17 state championships team went on to play collegiate basketball.
As a player at URI, Buchanan was a two-time team captain under Hurley, appearing in 123 games. The team's leader in assists for the 2013-14 season, his collegiate playing days ended in the second round of the 2015 NIT in a loss at Stanford, the eventual champions of the annual event. Buchanan graduated from URI in 2015 with a degree in Communications.
Buchanan is a father of three, including Terry III, Storm, and Jasiah.
"I am excited to have TJ join our staff," Heath said. "He is a well accomplished player having played at Rhode Island as well as a two-time state champion at Kalamazoo Central, so he is very well known throughout our state. He has been very successful as a player and as a coach. He is going to add experience not only as a player, but through being the Director of Operations. He gets along great with players, he is a hard worker, and you can tell he is a very hungry guy that has absorbed all outstanding aspects of being a coach."
"I am extremely excited to join this great staff and work with Coach Heath," Buchanan said. "I am thankful Coach Heath and this staff have given me a chance to join them and I look forward to sharing my experience as a coach and player and helping these young men on and off the court on a daily basis. My main goals are to help this program get to a championship level and see all of our guys have success on and off of the court. It is great to be able to return home to Michigan and I am looking forward to helping this program achieve its goals."
Buchanan arrives in Ypsilanti following his second stint in South Kingstown, R.I., where he spent four years as a student-athlete (2011-15) and the past five years (2017-22) on staff. Upon returning to URI in 2017, Buchanan took on the role of Director of Player Development for then-coach Bobby Hurley with the Rams playing their way to the NCAA Second Round against Duke after capturing the Atlantic 10 regular season championship. One year later, Buchanan remained on staff for new coach David Cox and took over responsibilities as the Director of Operations. Following the 2018-19 campaign, Buchanan was elevated to assistant coach where he remained for three seasons.
Between his tenures at URI, Buchanan returned to Kalamazoo Central where he helped the Maroon Giants to back-to-back Michigan Class A Southwest Regional Championships. Additionally, all five seniors from the 2016-17 state championships team went on to play collegiate basketball.
As a player at URI, Buchanan was a two-time team captain under Hurley, appearing in 123 games. The team's leader in assists for the 2013-14 season, his collegiate playing days ended in the second round of the 2015 NIT in a loss at Stanford, the eventual champions of the annual event. Buchanan graduated from URI in 2015 with a degree in Communications.
Buchanan is a father of three, including Terry III, Storm, and Jasiah.
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