Men’s Basketball Announces 2026-27 Staff Additions
6/25/2026 12:40:00 PM | Men's Basketball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men's basketball staff has made multiple additions for the 2026-27 campaign, Mastodon head coach Jon Coffman announced on Thursday (June 25).
Matthew Ambrose, who was a graduate assistant the last two seasons, stays in Fort Wayne and has now taken on the title of Assistant Coach - Player Development Coordinator. Dylan Parker joins the Mastodons under the title of Assistant Coach - Director of Recruiting Operations. Former Mastodon Johnny DeJurnett and Jason Huber join the staff as graduate assistants.
Ambrose moves up to the assistant coach role in 2026-27 after serving as the Director of Player Development since 2024 in a graduate capacity. Ambrose oversaw individualized skill instruction, player workouts and overall performance growth both on-and-off the court. His impact resulted in three All-Horizon League First Team performers over the last two seasons. A former standout at Stevenson High School in Illinois, Ambrose played for his father, Pat Ambrose, one of the most respected high school coaches in Illinois and the coach of NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson. Ambrose graduated from Calvin University in 2024. Ambrose recently graduated with a master's degree at Purdue Fort Wayne.
"Matthew worked extremely hard as our graduate assistant over the past two years and has earned the promotion to becoming a full-time assistant on the floor with his hard work," Coffman said. "He is a bright young coach who is an excellent teacher of the game with a tremendous motor! He adds a ton of value with his skill development work on the floor! He's lived the lifestyle as the son of a coach, and I'm excited to watch him continue to grow in the profession."
Parker spent the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant under Herb Sendek at Santa Clara University. During his time at Santa Clara, Parker was part of the staff that helped guide the Broncos to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years. During this time, he played a role in the development of NBA Draft pick Allen Graves while contributing to the program's recruiting and scouting operations throughout the season. Prior to Santa Clara, Parker spent four seasons at Ohio State University under Chris Holtmann and staff, serving as the program's head student manager during his senior year. Parker also spent the summers of 2023 and 2024 volunteering with USA Basketball and the U.S. Junior National Team. A native of Seattle, Washington, Parker earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Ohio State before receiving a master's degree in Educational Leadership from Santa Clara.
"I'm excited to add Dylan to our coaching staff in a role impacting our recruiting," Coffman said. "He's been part of two great staffs at Ohio State under Coach Holtmann and Santa Clara under Coach Sendek, and I'm excited to have him utilize his experiences to impact winning in Fort Wayne!"
DeJurnett returns to Purdue Fort Wayne as a graduate assistant after a decorated playing career with the Mastodons. A key contributor during one of the most successful eras in program history, DeJurnett helped lead Purdue Fort Wayne to a 2022 Horizon League regular season title and a berth in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). In 2024, he helped the Mastodons advance to the title game of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT). As a graduate assistant, DeJurnett will assist with player development, scouting, video analysis and day-to-day operations within the program. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, DeJurnett earned his bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership.
"Johnny won a ton of games on the court for the Dons, and I'm fired up to have him return to our program in a coaching role this year as a graduate assistant, "Coffman said. "He brings the knowledge of having stacked details as a player in our program for five years and brings a deep pride toward what it means to be a Mastodon! I'm excited to watch him flourish as a college basketball coach!"
Huber comes to Fort Wayne after recently completing his collegiate playing career at Monmouth College. A standout both on the court and in the classroom, he earned the 2024-25 Midwest Conference (MWC) Elite 20 Award and Academic All-District honors. In his final season he guided the NCAA Division III Fighting Scots to 20 wins and started all 27 games. In 2024-25, Huber appeared in 26 games and contributed across multiple areas of the game.
"Jason has a great basketball pedigree as the son of a high school coach, having played in college at Monmouth and trained with Rasheed Bello's trainer in Chicago," Coffman said. "He brings great energy to the court and is an excellent teacher of the game. I'm excited to have him impact our program as a graduate assistant."
The 2026-27 campaign will open with a home exhibition contest against Purdue on October 22. Tickets will be on sale in August.
~ Feel The Rumble ~
Matthew Ambrose, who was a graduate assistant the last two seasons, stays in Fort Wayne and has now taken on the title of Assistant Coach - Player Development Coordinator. Dylan Parker joins the Mastodons under the title of Assistant Coach - Director of Recruiting Operations. Former Mastodon Johnny DeJurnett and Jason Huber join the staff as graduate assistants.
Ambrose moves up to the assistant coach role in 2026-27 after serving as the Director of Player Development since 2024 in a graduate capacity. Ambrose oversaw individualized skill instruction, player workouts and overall performance growth both on-and-off the court. His impact resulted in three All-Horizon League First Team performers over the last two seasons. A former standout at Stevenson High School in Illinois, Ambrose played for his father, Pat Ambrose, one of the most respected high school coaches in Illinois and the coach of NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson. Ambrose graduated from Calvin University in 2024. Ambrose recently graduated with a master's degree at Purdue Fort Wayne.
"Matthew worked extremely hard as our graduate assistant over the past two years and has earned the promotion to becoming a full-time assistant on the floor with his hard work," Coffman said. "He is a bright young coach who is an excellent teacher of the game with a tremendous motor! He adds a ton of value with his skill development work on the floor! He's lived the lifestyle as the son of a coach, and I'm excited to watch him continue to grow in the profession."
Parker spent the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant under Herb Sendek at Santa Clara University. During his time at Santa Clara, Parker was part of the staff that helped guide the Broncos to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years. During this time, he played a role in the development of NBA Draft pick Allen Graves while contributing to the program's recruiting and scouting operations throughout the season. Prior to Santa Clara, Parker spent four seasons at Ohio State University under Chris Holtmann and staff, serving as the program's head student manager during his senior year. Parker also spent the summers of 2023 and 2024 volunteering with USA Basketball and the U.S. Junior National Team. A native of Seattle, Washington, Parker earned a bachelor's degree in finance from Ohio State before receiving a master's degree in Educational Leadership from Santa Clara.
"I'm excited to add Dylan to our coaching staff in a role impacting our recruiting," Coffman said. "He's been part of two great staffs at Ohio State under Coach Holtmann and Santa Clara under Coach Sendek, and I'm excited to have him utilize his experiences to impact winning in Fort Wayne!"
DeJurnett returns to Purdue Fort Wayne as a graduate assistant after a decorated playing career with the Mastodons. A key contributor during one of the most successful eras in program history, DeJurnett helped lead Purdue Fort Wayne to a 2022 Horizon League regular season title and a berth in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). In 2024, he helped the Mastodons advance to the title game of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT). As a graduate assistant, DeJurnett will assist with player development, scouting, video analysis and day-to-day operations within the program. A native of Memphis, Tennessee, DeJurnett earned his bachelor's degree in Organizational Leadership.
"Johnny won a ton of games on the court for the Dons, and I'm fired up to have him return to our program in a coaching role this year as a graduate assistant, "Coffman said. "He brings the knowledge of having stacked details as a player in our program for five years and brings a deep pride toward what it means to be a Mastodon! I'm excited to watch him flourish as a college basketball coach!"
Huber comes to Fort Wayne after recently completing his collegiate playing career at Monmouth College. A standout both on the court and in the classroom, he earned the 2024-25 Midwest Conference (MWC) Elite 20 Award and Academic All-District honors. In his final season he guided the NCAA Division III Fighting Scots to 20 wins and started all 27 games. In 2024-25, Huber appeared in 26 games and contributed across multiple areas of the game.
"Jason has a great basketball pedigree as the son of a high school coach, having played in college at Monmouth and trained with Rasheed Bello's trainer in Chicago," Coffman said. "He brings great energy to the court and is an excellent teacher of the game. I'm excited to have him impact our program as a graduate assistant."
The 2026-27 campaign will open with a home exhibition contest against Purdue on October 22. Tickets will be on sale in August.
~ Feel The Rumble ~
Players Mentioned
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