Big Red Ballers
Exeter alumni soar to the NBA and WNBA.
Buzzer-beaters, focused trainings and jovial pick-up games: Love Gym’s hardwood has been the scene of all the joy, sweat and tears that make the game of basketball great. But the hallmarks of a great program are the relationships forged off the court, during bus rides and lifting sessions, that endure long after graduation.
We checked in with three Big Red alums — Greg St. Jean ’09, Josh Bartelstein ’09 and Duncan Robinson ’13 — who have remained connected and humble while rising through the ranks of professional basketball.
“What makes the Exeter basketball experience so special is that it starts on the first day you are on campus and it lasts a lifetime,” says St. Jean, who is in his first season as an assistant coach with the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. “From the moment we stepped on campus, our coaches preached to us the importance of how we carry ourselves and ingratiate ourselves. They challenged us to take pride in everything we do, show maturity and be someone the student body can rely on. The program is made up of high-character people with high aspirations to be successful in whatever they do.”
St. Jean, who was a three-year captain at Wesleyan University, entered the NBA as a video coordinator for the Sacramento Kings in 2013. He then held coaching positions with the Los Angeles Lakers, who won the league title in the 2019-2020 season, and the Dallas Mavericks before joining his Exeter teammate, Bartelstein, in Phoenix this season.
Bartelstein was a walk-on player at the University of Michigan who rose to team captain. He started his journey in the NBA as an office assistant, spending eight years with the Detroit Pistons. Last year, at 33, he became the league’s youngest CEO, overseeing business operations for both the Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury.
Robinson played at NCAA Division III Williams College before jumping to Division I Michigan and serving as team captain. He played in two NBA finals for the Miami Heat and recently became the fastest player in league history to connect on 1,000 3-pointers, doing so in just 343 games. “I am insanely lucky, fortunate, blessed — I could use any of those words to describe it,” Robinson says of his voyage through basketball. “We are all so fortunate to be part of a game for our profession. You have a propensity to start to think that this is normal and this is just what life is. I always try to challenge myself and take a step back to be grateful and appreciative of the journey and experiences I have had.”
Jay Tilton, Exeter’s varsity basketball coach, says: “These guys cannot be sold short on their talent but I have always admired their tenacity, perseverance and self-awareness. They have never taken an opportunity for granted and they are all the type of people who have the ability to bring the best out of their teammates.”