Temple Announces Death of Men's Basketball Assistant Coach Bill Courtney

Courtney was a longtime assistant coach at several stops, including George Mason during the school's 2005-'06 Final Four run.

Temple announces death of men's basketball assistant Bill Courtney. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Temple men's basketball announced the sudden death of 55-year-old assistant coach Bill Courtney on Tuesday morning.

"I am shocked and heartbroken by the tragic news and passing of my close friend Bill Courtney," head coach Adam Fisher said in a statement. "Bill made such a big impact on our program in such a short time. He was one of the most respected coaches in the country - thoughtful, prepared, and deeply committed to the game and to winning the right way. Bill made every program he touched better, and his loss is felt profoundly by everyone who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bill's family during this extremely difficult time."

Courtney was an assistant at several stops including American, Bowling Green, Providence, Virginia, Virginia Tech, DePaul, Miami and Temple. Courtney was with George Mason's basketball program from 1997-'05, and was a top assistant on Jim Larranaga's staff in his final season with the the school when they made their historic Final Four run.

In addition to his time as an assistant coach, Courtney spent six years as the head coach at Cornell from 2010-'16, and served as the interim head coach at Miami in the '24-'25 season after Jim Larranaga stepped down.

He was in his first season as an assistant at Temple under Fisher.

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