Bill Courtney, an assistant men’s basketball coach at Temple who went to the Final Four on Miami’s staff three seasons ago, has died. He was 55.
Temple announced Courtney’s death on Tuesday, calling it “sudden.”
“I am shocked and heartbroken by the tragic news and passing of my close friend Bill Courtney,” Temple head coach Adam Fisher said in a release.
“Bill made such a big impact on our program in such a short time. He was one of the most respected coaches in the country — thoughtful, prepared, and deeply committed to the game and to winning the right way. Bill made every program he touched better, and his loss is felt profoundly by everyone who knew him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Bill’s family during this extremely difficult time.”
Courtney, a former head coach at Cornell, joined the Temple men’s basketball staff in June 2025 and had more than 30 years of collegiate coaching experience, including five years at the University of Miami, where he helped guide the Hurricanes to their 2023 Final Four run on Jim Larranaga’s staff.
“I was shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden passing of coach Bill Courtney,” Temple athletics director Arthur Johnson said. “In the short time that he has been part of the Temple family, I saw the impact that he had on our program with the joy that exuded from him on and off the court. He will be missed by his immediate family, his Temple basketball family, and the greater basketball community.”
Courtney served as Miami’s interim head coach for the final 19 games of last season after Larrañaga shockingly retired after 50 years, citing exhaustion with the changing landscape of collegiate sports.
Courtney took over a team that was 4-8, and the squad finished 7-24.
A native of Alexandria, Virginia, Courtney played his college ball at Bucknell University, earning All Patriot League honors and is a member of the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
Courtney is among the all-time leaders in points and assists for Bucknell.
