LEBANON, Ill. – The men's basketball team and Head Coach George Suggs officially welcomed Joe Buhlman as the fifth member of the coaching staff, as he will act as the program's graduate assistant.
"We are really excited to add Joe to our staff," said Suggs, "He is eager, enthusiastic, and loves the game of basketball. His hard work will be a huge part of what propels our program forward this year, and I am excited for the coach he is going to become."
Buhlman has been around the game of basketball for the past several years, as he has made an impact both on the court and behind the scenes.
He was most recently involved with Beach Basketball over in Calabasas, California, where he was a coach, mentor, and operations manager. Buhlman was the bench boss for three teams within the 12-16 age range as he established a culture of hard work and consistency within the organization. He established traveling logistics for his team at the 15U Men's Division at events hosted by Made Hoops and was heavily involved with providing scouting reports and film breakdown/sessions for 13 various weekend tournaments and showcases.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to work with such accomplished and experienced coaches like Coach Suggs and Coach [Randy] Baruth," said Buhlman. "I am looking forward to pushing this program to an even higher level."
Prior to his time with Beach Basketball, Buhlman attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, from 2021-2024. There, he was manager for their men's basketball program for two seasons, assisting with the ins and outs of their operations. He also spent a year with the women's basketball team, acting as their practice player while learning high-end schematics and game plans. For a semester, Buhlman interned with the athletic facilities, where he enhanced his learning experience by operating under the scope of the NCAA Division I and the West Coast Conference (WCC).
In conjunction with his tenure with the Waves, he spent several months as a social media strategist for one of the most renowned grassroots basketball programs in the entire world at West Coast Elite (now All In Elite). He operated their social media accounts and built brand recognition through outreach to 50 additional prospects weekly, as well as installed inventory for marketed camps and other events by managing three types of inventories.
Buhlman also coached and handled social media marketing at the Ultimate Fieldhouse in Walnut Creek, California for almost a year. He utilized training technology such as Shoot 360, as he mentored over 150 younger players and coaches using the software to improve basketball skills through basic understanding of software along with tips for incremental improvement. Within that time, Buhlman also coached summer camps at both NextLevel Basketball and De La Salle High School and was also a key part for the Excel in Basketball Camp, by mentoring over 50 kids over multiple summer sessions.
The California native was a well-rounded individual during his time at De La Salle, starring as the captain of the varsity basketball team, earning the Spartan Award for best upholding program values, and winning the North Coast Section Basketball Championship in 2020 while also running track and cross-country for the school. Off the playing fields, he mentored freshmen as an upperclassman through the De La Salle "OnBoard!" program and in Mentors in Violence Prevention, and was appointed to tutor over a dozen students in various subjects in the school's learning center.
The new McKendree addition is a USA Basketball Certified Gold Coach and has previous experience coaching in the Pangos All-American Camp.
Buhlman graduated from Pepperdine University - Seaver College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sport Administration in 2024, while earning his Master of Science in Business in 2025 from the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. He graduated from De La Salle High School in 2021.
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