Marcus O’Neil Returns to Tilton School to
Head the Boys Basketball Program
Head of School Derek Krein and Dean of Afternoon & Athletic Programming Colleen Coyne P’27 announced today that Marcus O’Neil will return to the Hill as Tilton School’s next Varsity Boys Basketball Head Coach. Previously at the helm for 15 seasons, O’Neil is the winningest coach in program history and guided the Rams to a National Prep Championship in 2009. The Rams also reached the National Prep Semifinals in 2018 and made three additional appearances in 2010, 2012, and 2015. O’Neil’s second stint at Tilton School comes after current Head Coach Mike Byrnes announced earlier this year that he would step down following the 2024-25 season.
“Marcus helped guide Tilton School to incredible heights during his time on the Hill” says Krein. “As we considered the next steps for the boys in the program, the boys basketball program itself, and Tilton athletics more generally, Marcus’ love for the school, track record of excellence in knowing and supporting complete student-athletes, and his connections within the Tilton community and beyond represented a perfect match. We’re thrilled to welcome Marcus back and look forward to building the future together.”
“While we’re always looking towards what is next, we are also a community that values its history,” says Coyne. “Tilton athletics has a long and storied history of success and helping our student-athletes not only reach their full potential, but to go beyond what they might have believed possible. Marcus represents that tradition as well as anyone, and we can’t wait to get to work.”
During his time at the helm, O’Neil guided the Rams to the top of the prep ranks by recruiting and developing some of the school’s most successful student-athletes. A Portsmouth, NH native, O’Neil attended and played collegiate ball at Brandeis University, and then broke into coaching at the high school level in New Hampshire before serving as an assistant coach at Endicott College. From there, O’Neil joined Tilton, beginning an unprecedented run of success.
Coach O’Neil was inducted into the Tilton School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2023 alongside former players Alex Oriakhi ’09, Georges Niang ’12, and Terance Mann ’15, all of whom reached the National Basketball Association (NBA).
“I am thrilled to be back on the sideline for the Rams,” says O’Neil. “There’s tremendous positive energy on campus these days and we hope to contribute more of that to the community and the extended Tilton family.”
Alongside the 2009 National Prep Championship, O’Neil was also named the 2009 National Prep Coach of the Year by usprepbasketball.com. In total, the Rams won six New England Championships during his tenure, tallied a National Prep Semifinal appearance in 2018, and compiled a 302-122 record. His time at Tilton is also highlighted by his ability to recruit some of the best players and coaches in the country, including two McDonald’s All-Americans (Oriakhi and Wayne Selden ’13), two New Hampshire Gatorade Players of the Year (Oriakhi and Mann), the 2012 ESPN #1 Ranked High School Player (Nerlens Noel ’12), the 2009 usprepbasketball.com National Player of the Year (Jamal Coombs-McDaniel ’09).
O’Neil returned to campus in 2023 to be inducted into the Tilton School Athletic Hall of Fame alongside Mann ’15, Niang ’12, and Oriakhi ’09.