College Basketball

Former UMass Basketball Star Mike Babul Dies At 47

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

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Updated31 Dec 2024

Former UMass Basketball Star Mike Babul Dies At 47

Former college basketball star Mike Babul passed away on Monday after suffering a heart attack at the age of 47. The University of Massachusetts Amhurst (UMass) said in a heartfelt statement that the Minutemen fanbase is grieving the loss of a legendary member of the community.

Mike Babul earned All-Conference, Gatorade Player of the Year, and MHSCA Player of the Year honors

At the time of his passing, Babul was the head coach of the boys team at Thayer Academy, a trainer, and the owner of Hoop Work, a year-round basketball camp for boys and girls in New England.

“Babul was a true Massachusetts basketball legend on the court, serving as a positive force in his community and on many sidelines as a coach,” UMass released in a statement.

Mike, a native of North Attleborough, and his twin brother, Jon Babul, played four years together at North Attleborough High School, the first under their father, Mike Sr., and then Don Johnson. The Babul twins were coached by Johnson during their sophomore, junior, and senior seasons.

As a 6-foot-6 forward, Mike Babul gained recognition as a standout high school basketball player during his senior year, when he averaged 20.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

Babul earned All-Conference, Gatorade Player of the Year, and Massachusetts High School Coaches Association Player of the Year honors. He was also selected to the Parade magazine top 40 All-America team.

“His attributes as a basketball player were obvious to everyone, but what we knew is he was an awesome person,” Johnson told The Boston Globe in a recent interview.

“Great teammates. They’re the most celebrated players ever in North Attleborough, but the most humble kids and selfless players. They could’ve scored 2,000 points if we left them in, and they didn’t care about stats, just about the team. That says a lot about the type of person he was.”

Babul was selected to the Atlantic-10 Conference All-Defensive team in three consecutive seasons at UMass

Mike Babul went on to play four years (1996-2000) for coach Bruiser Flint at UMass, after being recruited by coach John Calipari. He was selected to three Atlantic-10 Conference All-Defensive and All-Academic teams. His Atlantic 10 All-Defensive honors were earned in three consecutive seasons (1998-2000).

In 120 career NCAA games (100 starts), he averaged 3.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 22.7 minutes per contest while shooting 44.3% from the field and 48.2% at the free throw line.

Following his playing career, Babul pursued a coaching career, beginning at Seekonk High School in 2002. He then moved on to the NCAA, including stints in several roles at Memphis, Youngstown State, Drexel, Texas-El Paso, Auburn, and Wagner.


Mike Babul served under Calipari at Memphis. He was named associate head coach at Wagner in 2015 and remained with the program until 2019, when he became an assistant for the Brooklyn Nets’ NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, staying until 2020.

Additionally, Babul was the director of the Metro West Swarm AAU basketball program in Mansfield. He and Jon ran the annual Babul Brother Basketball Camp in their hometown as well.

Jon played at Georgia Tech and now works for the Atlanta Hawks as the Vice President of Basketball Development. Mike Babul is survived by his fiancée, Maria.