Anthony “AB” Bennett Jr. joined Harford men’s basketball in 2025-2026 as the top assistant under head coach Sol Zurier. A Harford County native and graduate of Aberdeen High School, Bennett was a standout All-County varsity basketball player during the 2012–2013 season.
Before joining HCC, Bennett served as an NCAA Division I assistant coach and director of player development and recruiting at Nicholls State University (Thibodaux, Louisiana). There, he was part of a staff led by head coach Tevon Saddler — the youngest Division I head coach in the country at the time and a fellow Aberdeen native.
During his time at Nicholls, Bennett helped guide the program to a Southland Conference semifinal appearance as the No. 3 seed, finishing the season with a 20–13 overall record and 13–7 in conference play. The team split the regular season series with McNeese State and was the only squad to defeat the eventual conference champions that year.
Bennett played a key role in the development of standout players, including preseason All-Conference guard Rob Brown III and Second Team All-Conference selection Jamal West Jr.
Before heading down to the Bayou, Bennett served as an assistant coach at Clarendon College (Clarendon, Texas) for the 2023–2024 season under head coach Hunter Jenkins, who is now an assistant coach at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). The Bulldogs finished the season with a 23–10 overall record and an 11–5 mark in the highly competitive Western Junior College Athletic Conference, earning a spot in the NJCAA Region 5 Championship Game. Clarendon ranked as high as No. 18 in the country in the NJCAA polls.
During his time at Clarendon, Bennett played a key role in assembling a talented roster that included four First Team All-WJCAC selections. Most notably, he helped coach Dior Johnson, the No. 1-ranked junior college player in the nation. In addition to Johnson signing to the University of Central Florida.
Before his time at Clarendon, Bennett served as an assistant coach at Harcum College (Bryn Mawr, Pa.). During the 2022–2023 season, he helped lead the Bears to a 20–8 record and a berth in the NJCAA Region 19/20 semifinals. Harcum ranked as high as No. 19 in the country in the NCJAA polls.
Bennett coached and developed nearly a dozen players who went on to sign with NCAA and NAIA Division I and II programs, including schools such as Lindenwood U, Florida A&M U, Life University, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Cal State Bakersfield, Alcorn State, Oklahoma Christian, Nicholls State University and Saint Francis University.
Before joining the collegiate coaching ranks, Bennett returned to his alma mater at Aberdeen as an assistant coach. In his one season with the program, he helped lead the Eagles to a division championship and a state playoff berth. He also played a key role in the development of two First Team All-County selections.
Bennett began his coaching career at Penn State York as a coaching intern. During the 2021–2022 season, he contributed to a 22–6 overall record (17–2 in conference), helping the team reach the PSUAC Championship Game and develop three All-Conference players.
As a player the year prior, Bennett led Penn State York in scoring off the bench, averaging 13 points per game and shooting 40% from three-point range. That season, he helped guide the team to a PSUAC Championship and a Final Four appearance in the USCAA National Tournament.
Bennett holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business with a concentration in Management and Marketing from Pennsylvania State University. He also earned an Associate of Arts degree in General Studies from CCBC Dundalk, where he helped lead the 2014–2015 team to an NJCAA Region 20 Championship and an appearance in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Danville, Illinois.
