Will Bartlett Director Of Player Development at St. John's University

Will Bartlett (seated left) in a timeout during a game with St. John's University.

Many people around the area will remember Dave Bartlett, who coached boys basketball and baseball at St. Anthony High School.

He coached basketball from the 1985-86 season to 1995-96 and was 180-112 in 11 years. He took the Bulldogs to State in 1990-91. He also was the baseball coach from the 1981-82 season to 1983-84 where he was 55-11. He took off a year and came back to take over in the 1986-87 season to 1990-91 and was 99-41. Under his leadership, the Bulldogs went to State twice in 1983-84 and again in 1990-91 when they finished fourth.

He retired as the Athletic Director at Macomb Junior/Senior High School and in 2019 he was named the Division 6 Class 3A and 4A Athletic Director of the Year.

Well, now it's time for the next generation. Bartlett's son, Will was a member of Coach Mike Anderson's staffs at Arkansas and Missouri and now brings his high major Division I experience to his role as St. John's University (New York) director of player development. 

In his role as the director of player development at St. John's, Bartlett acts as the chief of staff for the head coach and provides day-to-day administrative support within the men's basketball program. He serves as the program's liaison for athletic administrative areas as well as with community service. Bartlett also oversees the academic progress of basketball student-athletes and coordinates off-the-court player responsibilities. In addition, Bartlett is involved in team travel and video operations and analysis.

Bartlett signed on to join Anderson's staff at Arkansas in the summer of 2011 and played a key role in elevating the Razorbacks to national prominence over his eight seasons in Fayetteville.  He was promoted to the role of Special Assistant to the Head Coach for his final season at Arkansas. Prior to that, he served as the program's coordinator of basketball operations from 2011-13 and the team's video coordinator from 2013-18.

During Bartlett's time at Arkansas, the Razorbacks made five postseason appearances, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament. Bartlett helped guide Arkansas to the postseason five times in the last six years and turn in four efforts of 20-plus wins. The Razorbacks' high-water mark with Bartlett on staff came when the 2014-15 team, led by eventual First Round NBA Draft Pick Bobby Portis, won 27 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Anderson has counted on Bartlett as a member of his staff since his first season at Missouri, where Bartlett was a four-year student manager before being retained as a graduate assistant.  As a graduate assistant with the Tigers, Bartlett coordinated film exchange, organized the video editing process, assisted with scouting reports, oversaw the recruiting database and helped organize summer camps.

As the head student manager at Missouri, Bartlett helped coordinate visiting team practices, supervised summer camps, set up a training program for new managers and assisted with player workouts.

A native of Macomb, Ill., Bartlett and his wife Ashton, who were married in June 2016, welcomed their first child, Olivia, in November 2019.

Dave Bartlett at Macomb Junior/Senior High School.