Sacred Heart Prep Names Jeff Wulbrun Boys Varsity Head Basketball Coach and Program Director

With more than 25 years of coaching experience at the collegiate and high school levels, Wulbrun brings a wealth of leadership, competitive success, and values-driven vision to the Gator community.

Wulbrun returns to the Bay Area, where he has had extensive success as Associate Head Coach at Stanford University and as an Assistant Coach at the University of California, Berkeley. At Stanford, he helped secure four consecutive Top-25 national recruiting classes, developed NBA talents Ziaire Williams and Tyrell Terry, and guided the Cardinal to its first 20-win season since 2007. His collegiate résumé also includes coaching roles at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Virginia Tech, and Illinois State.

Most recently, Wulbrun served as Head Coach at the University of Denver from 2021 to 2024, where he increased the team’s win total in each of his first three seasons—one of just 15 programs nationally to do so. Under his leadership, Denver reached the 2024 Summit League Championship Game for the first time in program history and posted a program-record 3.66 team GPA in the spring of 2024.

Earlier in his career, Wulbrun led the basketball program at Central Catholic High School in Bloomington, Illinois. In five seasons, he compiled a 94–46 record, winning three Corn Belt Conference Championships and two Class A Regional Titles. His teams quickly became one of the state’s most competitive, and his leadership laid the foundation for long-term program strength.

“Jeff is a proven leader with a long track record of building competitive, values-based programs,” said Jason Armstrong, Assistant Principal for Athletics. “His alignment with the mission of Sacred Heart Prep and his passion for mentoring student-athletes make him the right person to lead us forward. I also want to thank Tony Martinelli for his commitment and dedication over the past two decades in bringing the program to new heights. We are excited for Jeff to build upon that strong foundation.”

Wulbrun shared his enthusiasm for joining the SHP community: “I’m honored and humbled to join Sacred Heart Prep and excited for the opportunity to lead the basketball program. I want to thank Mr. Dioli, Dr. Whitcomb, and Jason Armstrong for their trust and support throughout this process. It’s clear that SHP is a special place—one with a deep sense of purpose and pride—and I look forward to building on the incredible foundation laid by Tony, Pat, and the staff.”

Wulbrun and his wife, Jennie, return to the Bay Area where they’ll soon be reunited with their daughter Kendall, who is pursuing her PhD in Education at Stanford University and expecting her first child in July. Jennie serves as Program & Events Manager for Positive Coaching Alliance, a national nonprofit focused on character development in youth sports—an organization with deep ties to SHP Athletics and the broader SHP community. Their son, Jared, graduated from Purdue University, where he was a member of the basketball team. He currently serves as a Graduate Assistant Coach while pursuing his master’s degree at Purdue’s Krannert School of Business.

Please join Sacred Heart Prep in warmly welcoming Coach Wulbrun and his family to the Gator community.