Men's Basketball

Coaching Staff

Fact File

Education

High School:
Hollidaysburg Area H.S. (2001)

College:
Mount Aloysius College
A.S., Business Administration

Youngstown State University
B.S., Integrated Business Edu.

Indiana State University
M.S., Educational Technology

Coaching Experience

Head Men's Basketball Coach
Penn State Altoona
(2009-present)

Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
(2007-2009)

Graduate Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Indiana State University
(2006-2007)

Assistant Men's Basketball Coach
Penn State Altoona
(2005-2006)

Regional Basketball Coordinator/Head Coach
Pennsylvania Keystone State Games
(2005-2008)

PLAYING EXPERIENCE

Youngstown State University
(2004-2005)

Mount Aloysius College
(2001-2002)

Tony Vivo Hustle Award winner

Two-time selection to Horizon League academic honor roll

Billy Clapper
Head Coach, Men's Basketball

Office: 102 Adler Athletic Complex
Phone: 814-949-5469
Email:

Coach Billy Clapper is in his fourth season as the head men’s basketball coach at Penn State Altoona.

Clapper came to Penn State Altoona after spending the previous two seasons on the staff of Coach Bob Rukavina at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. The Mountain Cats had two of the best seasons in the school’s history during his tenure, as they combined to have a 47-16 record, won the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season (2008) and tournament (2009) championships, and advanced to the NCAA tournament both seasons. He coached All-Americans Chris Gilliam (2008) and Marcus Tullis (2009), who have both gone on to professional basketball careers.

Prior to his time as an assistant at UPJ, Clapper coached one season at Indiana State University and one season at Penn State Altoona. His season with the ISU Sycamores was highlighted by victories over three teams that reached the 2007 NCAA tournament: Purdue, Butler, and Creighton. During his stint as an assistant at Penn State Altoona, he helped recruit the players that led to the program's single season record for wins (14) in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009. He has coached several of the program’s top players, including Tyler Franklin, Penn State Altoona’s all-time scoring leader who was honored twice as a two-time First Team AMCC selection; Zach Spitz, the all-time assist leader who twice led the AMCC in assists and ranked sixth in the country in assists during 2009-2010; and Kirk Peters, a First Team AMCC selection and the first Lions player to earn All-Region honors (Second Team – ECAC and D3hoops.com in 2009-2010).

As a player, Clapper was a member of the men’s basketball team at Youngstown State University, where he played for current University of Kentucky assistant coach John Robic. He spent three seasons with the Penguins and was twice selected to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll. Clapper also earned the Tony Vivo Hustle Award as a senior. He played his freshman season at Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, Pennsylvania before transferring to Youngstown State.

Clapper has supplemented his playing experience with extensive work at camps and clinics throughout the United States. He has spent the last 12 years doing motivational speaking and instructing basketball skills at over 280 basketball camps. His passion in teaching the game and inspiring others has led him to start his own company, develop a basketball training video, and direct 49 of his own basketball camps in Pennsylvania. He has volunteered with the Keystone State Games, having served as the head coach of the Laurel Highlands region teams for four years.

A native of Saxton, Pennsylvania, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Integrated Business Education from Youngstown State in 2005. In addition, he received his Associate’s degree in Business Administration from Mount Aloysius in 2005 and his Master’s degree in Educational Technology from Indiana State in 2007.

Assistant Coach Scott Landry

Scott Landry comes to Penn State Altoona after two seasons as the Graduate Assistant coach at Division II member Western New Mexico University. WNMU earned a spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference playoffs during Landry’s first year with the team. During both seasons, the Mustangs had two players selected to the First Team All-Conference squad. The Mississippi Gulf Coast native spent the previous two seasons as a student manager at Division I program University of South Alabama. The team came within one game of making the 2009 NCAA Tournament before losing to eventual Sweet Sixteen participant Western Kentucky in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game. Landry earned his Bachelor’s degree in Communication from USA in 2010 and his Master’s degree in Secondary Education from WNMU in 2012.