Brought up in the rich tradition of Philadelphia basketball, Monte' Ross is in his ninth year as a member of the Saint Joseph's University men's basketball staff. Only Hawk assistants, Dan Kenney (17 years), Matt Brady (11), Phil Martelli (10) and Harry Booth (9) have served longer as Hawk aides. Besides his experience on Hawk Hill, the Philadelphia native served two seasons as an assistant men's basketball coach at Drexel University (1994-96), coached in the city's Sonny Hill League and played his high school ball at Philadelphia's Bodine High School (1988). A 1992 graduate of Winston-Salem University where he learned the game while playing for the legendary Clarence "Bighouse" Gaines, Ross joined the collegiate coaching ranks as an assistant at Lehigh University during the 1993-94 season. The 32-year-old left Lehigh following that season to join Bill Herrion's staff at Drexel. In his two seasons with the Drexel program, he helped guide the Dragons to back-to-back North Atlantic Conference Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. In his final year at Drexel (1995-96), he played a part in the Dragons' first-ever NCAA Tournament win, a 75-63 first-round upset of Memphis. Ross brought that Drexel magic with him to Saint Joseph's. Prior to his arrival, the Hawks had last participated in the NCAA Tournament in 1986, but Ross' first season (1996-97) saw SJU climb as high as #12 in the final Associated Press poll, win the Atlantic 10 Championship and two NCAA Tournament games. SJU again made the NCAA Tournament in 2000-01, earning its first-ever at-large bid. The #22 Hawks won the 2001 A-10 regular season title, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to top-seeded Stanford, 90-83. After competing in the 2002 NIT, the Hawks earned a second at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in three seasons. SJU also won the regular season A-10 title for the third straight season. Prior to his collegiate coaching experience, Ross had been actively involved in the city's Sonny Hill League serving as a head coach in the college league and an assistant coach in the high school league. Ross and his wife Michelle, reside in Philadelphia. They are the proud parents of Justin Monte' (4), and Lauren Noel (2).