DETROIT (6/24/2024) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball program added another staff member as AJ Bollis will be the team's Graduate Assistant/Assistant Director of Operations.
 
"AJ is another young and upcoming coach who will bring enthusiasm and a great work ethic to our program," said head coach Mark Montgomery.  
 
Bollis arrives in the Motor City after spending the last two years as a graduate assistant and head varsity reserve coach at the University of Dubuque. With the Spartans, he executed film breakdown, scouting reports, player development, fundraising, and social media. As the reserve coach, he compiled a 24-5 record over two seasons and had several players promoted to the varsity team. Overall, UD posted a 40-14 record and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III National Tournament this past year.
 
Prior to that, he was a student assistant coach, overseeing the team's strength and conditioning, player development and team operations, with Graceland University from 2021-22 and the University of Michigan-Dearborn from 2019-2021. While in Michigan, he was also the freshmen's boys coach and assistant varsity coach at Belleville High School in 2021, helping both teams to conference championships.  
 
Bollis gained coaching experience at the international level in Madrid, Spain, during the summer of 2021. There, he was an assistant coach and video coordinator for the U.S. Supersonics, an open roster team for American players looking to break into professional basketball. Several athletes went on to sign professional contracts.
 
Originally from Peru, Illinois, he graduated from Graceland in 2022 with a degree in History and a master's in Sport Management and Administration from Dubuque in 2024.