Ira Bowman, who was born in Newark, NJ, is returning to his hometown for his first college coaching position after a playing career that saw him spend parts of three seasons playing in the National Basketball Association (two with the Philadelphia 76ers and one with the Atlanta Hawks). In college, he was 1995-96 Ivy League Player of the Year playing for the University of Pennsylvania.

He also played overseas and stateside in the Continental Basketball Association, where he was an all-star. One of the greatest players in Seton Hall Prep history, Bowman first attended Providence College, where he played two seasons before transferring to Penn and helping the Quakers to back-to-back undefeated Ivy League crowns. He was Executive Director of Assist by Knight Foundation for four years before joining the staff at NJIT.

"Ira has known great success as a player, but he's also known what it was like to keep working to achieve his goals," said Engles. "He was a top recruit coming out of Seton Hall Prep and he had a great career at Penn, where he is one of the top players in the Ivy League over the last 20 years.

"He was a year-round player as a pro, where he played overseas and in the CBA and he kept at it to win championships and then realize his goal of playing in the NBA. He has played for people like Larry Brown, Rick Barnes, Pat Knight, Fran Dunphy and during his high school career, he was coached by legendary Seton Hall Prep mentor Bob Farrell. The fact that he is from Newark and he succeeded as a player at an academic institution like Penn makes him a great fit for what we're trying to do at NJIT."