Clark athletic director Linda Moulton announced the hiring of Paul Phillips as head men's coach. Phillips returns to Clark after two years as the dean of students at St. John's High School. Before arriving at Clark in 1996, Phillips was a teacher and guidance counselor at St. John's for 20 years from 1976-1996 as well as the head coach at Anna Maria for 10 years.

“We were fortunate to have a great pool of candidates, which is not surprising given the significant interest in Clark basketball,” explained Moulton. “I am very pleased that Paul has decided to return to Clark. His accomplishments as a Division III head coach and his significant success at Clark will be key in revitalizing our program. The Clark community welcomes Paul and looks forward to the return of the up-tempo style of basketball that has always been an integral part of Clark's success."

Phillips replaces Mo Cassara, who left in April after two seasons to become an assistant coach at Boston College. Cassara was 22-30.

During Phillips's first stint at Clark he directed the Cougars for eight years, leading his squads to the NCAA Tournament four times in five years. The Cougars made consecutive trips to the Elite Eight round in 2001 and 2002 and made appearances in the 1999 and 2003 NCAA Tournaments. The Cougars won the NEWMAC Championship four times in six years (1999, 2001, 2002 and 2003) and claimed tournament titles in 1999, 2001 and 2003. Phillips reached the 300-win plateau with Clark's 80-76 win against conference opponent Wheaton (Mass.) on Jan. 13, 2003. In his eight years at Clark, he compiled a 140-76 record and overall he has a 307-173 record in 18 years as a head coach.

“I am trilled to be back in coaching and especially to be back at Clark University,” said Phillips. “The last two years at St. John's have been a wonderful learning experience and I appreciate everything that St. John's and headmaster Mike Welch have done for me. I look forward to working with the present members of the team and continuing the rich tradition of Clark basketball.”