2 all-time winningest Shore basketball coaches joining forces for 1st time

Brennan also won a South Group 3 championship in 2015. Ironically, Brennan's last game was when his Middletown South team lost to Truhan's Bucs in the 2025 playoffs - a battle of friendly rivals which Truhan called "32 minutes of hell."

Truhan said he got a push from his own kids Kristi and John to pursue coaching again - and he went for it, admitting that he "missed it and I think my own children missed me coaching."

The opening at Marlboro was cleared when longtime head coach Brad Hagensen - who led the St. John Vianney dynasty at the end of the 1990s, then coached over 10 years at Marlboro - stepped down.

Former Marlboro head coach Nash (his last season coaching was 2011) and Truhan are good friends, and when Nash said that he wasn't interested in taking the job, he urged Truhan to go for it - which also led to Truhan bringing Brennan on.

"This is a dream come true to be near my close friends," Truhan said. "I've been best friends with Tom and we're both really close with Brian."

"Coach Truhan and Coach Brennan are two of the most accomplished coaches I've had the privilege to compete against," Nash said. "We started as opponents, became rivals who truly respected each other, and over time built a lasting friendship over the last 25 years. We've talked about what it would be like to coach together, never really thinking it would happen. Now that it has, it's a special opportunity, not just for us, but for our program and our players."

Middletown South Head Coach Tom Brennan gets rushed by his players as they celebrate their Group 3 Chamionship. Old Tappan vs Middletown South Girls Group 3 Championship on March 15, 2015 in Toms River. Peter Ackerman/Staff Photographer

Truhan and Brennan both met in Truhan's first year coach, his Toms River South team played Middletown South. The referees were late to the game, then the two began talking and "hit it off." Both Truhan and Brennan's kids are the same age so they both coached AAU together.

"If John is going to throw his hat into the ring and coach again, I would be very interested in assisting given our 28 years of friendship and great memories of coaching our daughters together," Brennan said earlier this week, before the hirings became official. "So if anything official does come up, I would be grateful to be considered to be part of that staff."

Already thoughts on the preparing for 2026-27 season

Truhan already has his new team entered in the summer Jersey Live recruiting showcase. This past season, Marlboro went undefeated in the B Central Division and finished 15-12 on the season with a team that had no seniors. The Mustangs' leading scorer was Mackenzie Klatsky, who averaged 16.7 points a game this past season as a sophomore.

If this new endeavor is anything like what the two have accomplished in the past, than the Shore should be on the lookout.

"You really don't get a chance to coach a player like Klatsky," Truhan said. "I'm really looking forward to giving her our best and making sure that she's more than prepared to play the next level."

Leading Shore Conference girls basketball coaches as of April 29, 2026

Joe Montano, Red Bank Catholic (800)

George Sourlis, Rumson-Fair Haven (653)

Dawn Karpell, St. John Vianney-Holmdel-Keansburg (575)

Tom Brennan, Middletown South (475)

John Truhan, Toms River South-Colts Neck-Central Regional-Red Bank Regional (458)

Rachel Goodale, Jackson Memorial-Jackson Township (423)

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: John Truhan, Tom Brennan will lead Marlboro High School girls basketball