Julian Boatner

Title

Assistant Coach

Julian Boatner, a 2014 graduate of W&M, spent six seasons as an assistant coach for the Tribe under Tony Shaver and Dane Fischer.

One of the top 3-point shooters in program history, he spent four years in the coaching ranks at Indiana University and Mount St. Mary’s University. He helped both programs to the NCAA Tournament, appearing in the national event in three of his four seasons on staff.

In each of his first two seasons, the Tribe posted double-digit wins in the Colonial Athletic Association, including a program-record 13 wins in 2019-20. W&M's 21 wins in 2019-20 were the fourth-most in school history and the most in a regular season since 1950. The Tribe also tallied a school-record tying 10 road wins.

Over the his four most recent seasons in Williamsburg, Boatner has helped in mentoring five All-CAA players, five CAA All-Defensive Team selections, four CAA All-Rookie team performer, a CAA Player of the Year, a CAA Defensive Player of the Year, a CAA Rookie of the Year, a VaSID State Player of the Year and two VaSID State Rookie of the Year.

Boatner was an assistant coach for former W&M assistant Jamion Christian at Mount St. Mary’s the last two seasons. The Mount won the NEC regular season and tournament Championships on the way to the NCAA Tournament in 2017. They knocked off New Orleans in the First Four to pick up an NCAA Tournament win, before falling to top overall seed Villanova despite leading for the majority of the first half. The Mount won 20 games for just the second time since joining Division I in 1988-89.

In 2017-18, Mount St. Mary’s won 18 games, including a 12-6 Northeast Conference Record. Boatner helped to mentor Junior Robinson and Chris Wray who earned NEC Player and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively. In total during Boatner’s two seasons, the Mount produced four All-NEC players and two All-Rookie Team selections. He was the program’s defensive coordinator during his two seasons, leading top-rated defense in the NEC in 2017. The Mount had a defensive efficiency of 95.8, according to KenPom.com, during the 2016-17 campaign. His primarily recruiting responsibilities were in the areas of Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

Prior to his time in Emmitsburg, Md., Boatner spent two seasons as a graduate manager at Indiana University under Tom Crean. Indiana advanced to the NCAA Tournament during each of his two seasons, including an appearance in the Sweet 16 in 2016. The Hoosiers won the 2016 Big Ten Regular Season Championship as well. During his final season at Indiana, Boatner was the head video coordinator, directing a staff of two graduate managers and 15 undergraduate managers in completing all aspects of film. He earned his master’s degree from Indiana in sports management and athletic administration in 2016.

Boatner, who graduated from W&M with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a minor in marketing, played in the sixth-most games in program history at 124, including 57 starts. He averaged five points per game over his four seasons, which culminated in a 20-win campaign and a trip to the Colonial Athletic Association Championship game in 2013-14. Boatner still ranks 10th in Tribe history in career 3-pointers made (161), 11th in career 3-point percentage (38.3) and 16th in career 3-pointers made per game (1.3).

A team captain in 2014, he was named the winner of the ‘Kraze’ Award given for a player's ability to inspire his teammates. It is named in honor of former Tribe team captain John Kratzer who received the inaugural United States Basketball Writers Association Most Courageous Athlete award. Kratzer lettered two years with the Tribe, before being diagnosed with cancer and battled the disease for three more years. Throughout the ordeal, he continued to provide an inspiration to the Tribe and provided the major emotional lift that allowed the College to upset No. 2 North Carolina, 78-75, on Dec. 7, 1977. Boatner was also voted as the team’s Most Improved Player after his freshman season.

A graduate of Bloomington North High School, he was an Indiana All-Star and an All-State selection for the Cougars after averaging 18.1 points as a senior and 21.3 points as a junior. He is the son of Melvin and Nancy Boatner. His brother, Kelvin, played four years for the Naval Academy.