Story: Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics
Head coach of the men’s basketball team at Bowling Green State University Todd Simon announced the hiring of Jason Newkirk, Aleks Abrams and Dillon MacRitchie to its staff at BGSU. Newkirk will serve as an assistant coach, Abrams will become the special assistant to the head coach and MacRitchie will become director of basketball operations. Newkirk comes to the Falcons after six years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he most recently served as director of recruiting. Abrams comes to Bowling Green after serving as a video and player development coaching associate with the Los Angeles Lakers through the 2023-24 season. MacRitchie remains on the staff after spending the last two seasons as the Falcons’ graduate manager and the seasons prior to that as a student manager.
“Coach Newkirk is an energetic and positive presence that fits our culture perfectly,” Simon said. “His commitment to player development and recruitment fits our program. He is an outstanding youth coach who will impact our players.”
Coach Abrams brings outstanding experience playing basketball at the highest level with the Los Angeles Lakers. His perspective and eye for the game will be an asset to us. In addition, his work ethic and creativity will help us move our program forward.
Dillon is a true Falcon and has proven himself to be a tireless worker from the first day he stepped on campus. With a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Bowling Green and five years in the program, he knows BGSU basketball inside and out. Dillon is extremely intelligent and has taken on every task we have given him. He will continue to be a key pillar of the program.”
Jason Newkirk
During his six seasons in Milwaukee, Newkirk helped the Panthers to back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24, the program’s first back-to-back 20-win seasons since the Bruce Pearl Era. The seasons culminated in Horizon League Championship semifinal and final appearances, respectively. While in Milwaukee, Newkirk was instrumental in the recruitment of Moses Bol, cousin of Manute Bol and Bol Bol, as well as Vin Baker Jr., who played for the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2023 and 2024 NBA Summer League. Newkirk has been highly praised for his contributions to player development, particularly his mentoring of two-time All-Horizon League player BJ Freeman and the Panthers’ second-leading scorer last season, Erik Pratt.
“I am incredibly grateful to be able to participate in this extraordinary program that Todd Simon “His reputation as a winner and as someone who develops the character of student-athletes is truly remarkable. I look forward to contributing to that tradition, working closely with our talented players and dedicated staff, and competing for the MAC title. This is a tremendous opportunity and I am ready to give it everything I have. Ay Ziggy Zoomba!”
Prior to Milwaukee, Newkirk was an assistant coach at Colby Community College in the NJCAA for one season, coaching the Trojans to a 20-12 season and a quarterfinal appearance in the NJCAA Region VI tournament. He also served as head coach and director of operations at Standard of Excellence Post Graduate Academy in Charlotte, NC for two seasons.
Newkirk gained valuable experience on the AAU circuit, spending 10 years with the Chicago-based Full Package Athletics program. He played two seasons of college basketball at Oakton Community College before transferring to Olivet Nazarene University.
Alex Abrams
Abrams will join the Orange and Brown after spending the 2023-24 season with the Los Angeles Lakers as a video and player development coach. Prior to joining the Lakers, Abrams spent one season as an assistant coach at Warner Pacific University in Portland. At Warner Pacific, Abrams also worked on scouting reports, practice schedules, recruiting and other duties.
“I am very excited about this opportunity,” said Abrams. “I can’t wait to join the Falcon program and be a part of this historic program. I look forward to seeing everyone at the straw!”
Abrams’ first stop in Portland was the University of Portland as Director of Basketball Operations during the 2021-22 season. His coaching career began at Santa Clara University as a graduate assistant for two seasons from 2019-2021.
As a player, Abrams spent time in the MAC, playing the 2018-19 season with the Miami (OH) RedHawks. He appeared in 31 games with two starts and led the RedHawks with 20 blocks. Abrams’ college career began at Cal Poly, where he played in 88 games with 18 starts. As a junior, he finished third on the team with 4.2 rebounds per game, including a career-high 16 at California. A native of Westlake Village, California, Abrams was a three-year standout at Oaks Christian High School.
Dillon MacRitchie
A native of Brighton, Michigan, MacRitchie takes on his new role with the Falcons after spending the past two seasons as graduate manager for the Orange and Browns. In that role, MacRitchie helped orchestrate one of the quickest turnarounds in program history. In the team’s first season, the Falcons reached 20 wins for only the 10th time in the program’s MAC era.
Before becoming a graduate manager for the team, MacRitchie was a student manager with the Falcons starting in 2019, including serving as head student manager. This will be his sixth year in the program. He is also a two-time graduate of BGSU, receiving his bachelor’s degree in 2022 and his master’s degree in 2024.
“I am excited and grateful for my new position with the Falcons that Coach Simon has provided me,” said MacRitchie. “I look forward to continuing my career here at BGSU. Go Falcons!”
