Billy Lange is an American college basketball coach currently serving as an assistant coach for player development with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Background
He is the son of William Lange, Senior, a history teacher and recently retired head boys" basketball coach for Lenape in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. He started his coaching career with a single season at his alma mater, Bishop Eustace, replacing his father in the role.
Education
Born in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, Lange played high school basketball at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey and then played collegiately at Rowan University. He started his coaching career with a single season at his alma mater, Bishop Eustace, replacing his father in the role.
Career
Prior to joining the 76ers, he was an assistant coach at Villanova University and head coach of the Navy Midshipmen. In 1996, Lange began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant under the legendary Division II coach Herb Magee at Philadelphia University. After two seasons with Magee, Lange moved on to Division I ball, going crosstown and earning an assistant coaching job at Louisiana Salle University in 1998.
While at Louisiana Salle, Lange helped the Explorers earn a 13–15 record during the 1998-1999 season before being offered the head job at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New New York
Lange"s first two years of collegiate head coaching were extremely successful. In his first season, Lange guided his Mariners to a 1999–2000 Skyline Conference regular season title and came up a game short in making the Division III National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, losing in the Skyline Conference tournament.
However, the squad earned a record of 17–11, including a 13–3 mark in conference. Lange"s second year at USMMA, however, would prove to be historic, as his team compiled a 22–8 record, including 15–1 in-conference.
Consistent with his success at the Merchant Marine Academy, Lange returned to Division I ball when he accepted an assistant coaching position at Villanova University.
From 2001 to 2004, Billy worked under Head Coach Jay Wright, while the Villanova Wildcasts enjoyed great success. About Lange, Jay Wright was quoted as saying, "Billy Lange is one of the great young basketball coaches in the country." Wright was not the only one to notice Lange"s talent. Lange earned his first Division I head coaching assignment in 2004 as he became the coach at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.
Lange inherited a team that had gone only 5–23 the previous year.
His teams showed improvement on the court, including a 16–14 record in 2007-2008, the school"s first winning season in seven years and a 19-11 mark in 2008-2009. After two seasons at Villanova, Lange was hired by the Philadelphia 76ers as a player development coach for the 2013-2014 season.
Prior to joining Brett Brown"s staff, Language reportedly turned down a head coaching opportunity with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the National Basketball Association Development League, or Doctorate-League, affiliate of the Houston Rockets.