Sean Gillespie is beginning his first season with the Bulldog basketball program.

Prior to coming to Union, Gillespie spent the past three seasons as the assistant men's basketball coach at Sterling (Kan.) College. The Warriors improved every season while Gillespie was with the program. In 2006-07, Sterling posted an 12-17 overall record before posting a 16-12 mark in 2007-08. The Warriors took a giant leap in 2008-09, going 21-10, winning the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season championship and advancing to the NAIA Division II National Championship Tournament.

Gillespie also served as the head men's golf coach while at Sterling.

From May of 2004 to May of 2006, Gillespie coached professionally in Turkey. Before going overseas, he served as the athletic director and head boys' basketball coach at Circle Christian School in Orlando, Fla. Gillespie compiled a record of 92-24 and won the FCC State Championship in 2001. As the athletic director, he established 11 new junior varsity and varsity athletic programs.

Gillespie and his wife, Rachel, have two daughters - Mariah and Makayla.

Kyle Mendenhall starts his first season as a member of the Union College men's basketball staff as an assistant coach.

Mendenhall comes to Union after spending time as a professional player, coach and teacher.

He played in West Bank, Israel within the Palestinian Professional League and averaged 25 points per game with 11 rebounds per contest during the 2008-09 season. Mendenhall also participated with Athletes in Action in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan along with two years in the University Games in Istanbul, Turkey.

During the 2008-09 season, he was an assistant coach at Yeditepe University in Istanbul, Turkey. In 2007-08, Mendenhall spent the season at Blue Valley High School in Kansas City, Kansas as an assistant varsity boys' basketball coach. During the same season he was also the head coach for the Kansas City Suns Club Basketball team.

Mendenhall spent the 2008-09 academic year as a physical education and health, history and computer teacher at the International Gateway Academy in Istanbul. He also spent a year within the Blue Valley School District located in Kansas City, Kan.

He played his final two collegiate seasons at Sterling (Kan.) College. Mendenhall, a shooting guard and forward, was a first-team All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference selection after he averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game as Sterling advanced to the 2006 NAIA Men's Basketball Division II National Tournament. He also made the grade to land on the KCAC's All-Academic squad.

Before Sterling, Mendenhall spent two seasons at Hutchinson Community (Kan.) College. He help lead Hutchinson to a 55-12 record over two seasons along with a Jayhawk West Conference Championship in 2004.

He graduated from Sterling in 2007 with a degree in exercise science and education.