Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff

UMass Lowell named Greg Herenda, a former University of Lowell assistant coach and Merrimack College alumni, the new head coach of the River Hawks men’s basketball program today.

Herenda served as head coach at Division 3 Cabrini College in Pennsylvania, this past winter. His resume includes more than 20 years of experience coaching at NCAA Divisions 1, 2, and 3. He was an assistant on the ULowell staff from 1983 to 1985.

Herenda replaces Ken Barer, the program’s winningest coach, who resigned on April 22, after seven seasons.

His year at Cabrini followed one year as head coach at Elgin Community College (2006-07) in Elgin, Illinois, and five years as the associate head coach at East Carolina University (2000-05) under Head Coach Bill Herrion, currently the head coach at New Hampshire.

Herenda also served as an assistant at Yale (1997-99), at Seton Hall (1994-97) and Holy Cross (1989-94) following a four-year spell at his alma mater Merrimack (1985-89).

Cabrini posted a 12-14 mark (9-7 Pennsylvania Athletic Conference), up from a 5-20 in 2006-07. Elgin finished 18-11 and reached the Region IV championship game for the first time in the school’s history in 2006-07.

A two-year player at Merrimack, Herenda led the Warriors to a 17-10 finish (13-5 NE8) in 1981-82 and a 14-13 clip (8-11 NE-8) in 1982-83.