Jim Rullo has established himself as the most successful head coach in the history of Neumann University men’s basketball, completing his 13th full season in 2025–26. Over his tenure, Rullo has built a championship-caliber program, compiling an overall record of 220–124 and a 25–12 mark in postseason play.
Under Rullo’s leadership, Neumann has become a consistent contender, earning 10 postseason appearances, including five NCAA Tournament bids and five ECAC Tournament selections. His teams have captured five conference championships and advanced to nine conference championship games, while producing seven seasons of 20 or more wins. The program has also reached three ECAC Finals, highlighted by an ECAC Championship, and Rullo was recognized as Atlantic East Coach of the Year in 2021–22.
Rullo’s recent success includes back-to-back Atlantic East Conference championships in 2024–25 and 2025–26, with both teams advancing to the NCAA Tournament and producing Conference Players of the Year. His 2022–23 squad posted a 21–8 record, reached the conference finals, and earned an ECAC berth, while setting a program milestone with a 19-game home winning streak.
One of the defining seasons of Rullo’s career came in 2016–17, when Neumann went 25–3, setting a school record for wins while finishing 17–1 in conference play. That team advanced to the NCAA Tournament and led the nation in scoring margin (+18.5). Rullo earned multiple Coach of the Year honors that season, including recognition from the CSAC, ECAC South, City of Basketball Love, and the Sam Cozen Association.
Rullo has also excelled in player development, mentoring 26 All-Conference selections, two Rookies of the Year, five Players of the Year, four Defensive Players of the Year, and a CoSIDA Academic Player of the Year.
Prior to Neumann, Rullo spent seven seasons as head coach at Malvern Preparatory School, where he compiled a 138–66 record, led the program to four 20-win seasons, and captured back-to-back Inter-Ac Championships in 2011 and 2012. He coached seven players who advanced to Division I basketball and was later inducted into the Malvern Prep Hall of Fame in 2015.
Rullo also gained collegiate coaching experience as an assistant at Drexel University, his alma mater, and at Hobart College, where he helped recruit the program’s first conference championship and NCAA Tournament team.
As a player at Drexel, Rullo was a standout guard and team captain, helping lead the Dragons to conference championship success and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1994. A two-time Defensive Player of the Year, he still holds the school’s single-season free throw percentage record (.883) and was named the team’s Most Improved Player in 1992. He also competed in baseball for two seasons.
In addition to his coaching duties, Rullo is actively involved in player development as co-director of Rullo Basketball Day Camps and founder of the Elite One Day College Prospect Camp, emphasizing skill development, recruiting education, and long-term player planning.
Rullo comes from a rich basketball lineage. He is the son of Jerry Rullo, a member of the 1946 Philadelphia Warriors championship team and a Temple University Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor inductee. Jim and his wife, Maureen Michaels—a 1,000-point scorer at Drexel—have two daughters, Molly and Megan.
Rullo earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration (Marketing) from Drexel in 1994 and later completed a master’s degree in Organizational and Strategic Leadership from Neumann University in 2018.
