New York University Men's Basketball

Waleed Farid, who took over as head coach of the New York University men's basketball team in June 2025, possesses a great deal of NCAA Division III collegiate coaching experience. Prior to NYU, Farid spent four seasons as head coach at Ithaca College. His teams posted an overall 66-40 (.622) record, including a 47-25 (.652) mark in the Liberty League. The Bombers won the Liberty League title in 2024-25, advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament and Farid was named D3hoops.com Region 3 Coach of the Year. In 2022-23, Farid led the Bombers to their first-ever Liberty League regular-season championship. Before Ithaca, Farid spent five seasons as the head coach at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. His teams won 49 games during that span (the Hawks only played one game during his final season in 2020-21 due to Covid), including a 16-9 mark in his first season (2016-17). Off the court, Hartwick achieved tremendous success in the classroom, earning the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award for the first time in school history in 2019-20. A 2008 Stevens graduate with a bachelor's degree in Business and Technology, Farid played for the Ducks and helped lead the squad to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and to the program's first-ever ECAC Metro title in 2008. He graduated as the program's career leader in points, rebounds and steals, and still sits top-10 in several career categories. A three-time All-Conference selection, Farid earned NABC All-Atlantic District and All-Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association honors in 2006-07 and 2007-08. He went on to serve as an assistant coach at his alma mater for seven years, helping the Ducks to a 127-67 record, an ECAC Metro Championship in 2011, and an at-large berth into the 2013 NCAA Tournament.  Farid, who also played professionally for Alexandria Sporting Club in Egypt during the 2008-09 season, is a native of Queens, NY. Head Coaching Record at Ithaca Year                Overall Record         Liberty League 2024-25           19-10                           13-5                NCAA Second Round (Liberty League Champions) 2023-24           12-13                           7-11 2022-23           18-8                             14-4 2021-22           17-9                             13-5               TOTALS        66-40 (.622)                47-25 (.652)   Head Coaching Record at Hartwick Year                Overall Record           Empire 8 2020-21           1-0 (Covid)                 0-0 2019-20           14-11                          6-8 2018-19           10-15                          6-10 2017-18           9-16                            6-10 2016-17           16-9                            9-7       TOTALS        50-51 (.495)                27-35 (.435)   Overall DIII Head Coach Record: 116-91 (.560)    

Chris Thompson was hired as an assistant coach of New York University's men's basketball program in June 2022 and began serving as Associate Head Coach in October 2025. In 2024-25, Thompson helped lead the squad to the most wins in program history and to the NCAA Division III National Championship game (a 64-60 loss to Trinity (CT) College). The Violets went 29-2 overall and won the University Athletic Association (UAA) with a 13-1 record. As a reward for their outstanding efforts, NYU received UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The players also received recognition, with Tristan How being named UAA Player of the Year, First Team All-UAA, National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District IV Player of the Year, Final Four All-Tournament Team and D3hoops.com Second Team All-American. Zay Freeney received Second Team All-UAA, NABC District IV Second Team and D3hoops.com Region IV Third Team honors, while Hampton Sanders earned Second Team All-UAA and Final Four All-Tournament Team accolades. The achievements extended off the court and into the classroom, as well, with How earning College Sports Communicators (CSC) Second Team Academic All-American honors and seven players selected UAA Winter All-Academic. In 2023-24, Thompson helped lead the Violets to a 21-6 record, the UAA Co-Championship (the program’s first title in 30 years), and to the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Violets hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, defeating Husson University 82-61 before falling to Tufts University 65-62. NYU finished seventh in the nation in three-point shooting percentage (39.02) and 19th in assist/turnover ratio (1.43). Spencer Freedman garnered numerous awards including D3hoops.com National Player of the Year, UAA Player of the Year, NABC Third Team All-American, and First Team All-Metropolitan. Three Violets grabbed All-UAA honors with Freedman a First Team selection and Freeney and Michael Savarino chosen Second Team. Freeney and Savarino were also chosen Third Team All-Metropolitan. In his first season at NYU, the Violets made its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2015-16. The Violets posted an 18-8 overall record and added a 7-7 mark in the UAA, the most victories since 2015-16. The Violets won their first 11 games of the season and the last five games before being nipped by Lancaster Bible College, 67-64, in the NCAA Tournament. NYU was selected UAA Coaching Staff of the Year in 2022-23, while Freedman was named D3hoops.com Third Team All-American, Region 4 Most Outstanding Player and Region 4 First Team, as well as First Team All-UAA and All-Met. Both Freeney and Cinque Stephens were honored during the season as a UAA Athlete of the Week. Thompson has coached at the Division III level since 2013. Most recently, he served as Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator of the men's basketball team at Pratt Institute during the 2021-22 season, recruiting and developing the 2022 Coast-to-Coast Conference Rookie of the Year. Thompson also served as the Recruiting Coordinator for the Department of Athletics. Prior to Pratt, Thompson worked as an assistant men's basketball coach and athletic promotions and marketing director at Stevens Institute of Technology from 2016-21. He led the Ducks' recruiting efforts and helped guide the program to the NCAA Tournament in 2020. Stevens finished with a winning record in all four of his full seasons on staff. Thompson also spent the 2015-16 season as an assistant at Elmira College, directing all recruiting efforts, team travel and scouting reports while serving as the Head Junior Varsity Coach. His first coaching position began in 2013 at St. John Fisher College, where he helped lead the Cardinals to an Empire 8 Conference title and NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance in 2015 as part of the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. Thompson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Childhood Education with a Mathematics concentration from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2011, where he also served as a men's basketball student assistant. He went on to earn a Master's Degree in Literacy Education from Elmira in 2017. A native of Voorheesville, NY, Thompson resides in Hoboken, NJ, with his wife Kaitlyn and their son Grant. 

Ethan Feldman, New York University Class of 2020, returned to his alma mater as an assistant men’s basketball coach in October 2022. In 2024-25, Feldman helped lead the squad to the most wins in program history and to the NCAA Division III National Championship game (a 64-60 loss to Trinity (CT) College). The Violets went 29-2 overall and won the University Athletic Association (UAA) with a 13-1 record. As a reward for their outstanding efforts, NYU received UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The players also received recognition, with Tristan How being named UAA Player of the Year, First Team All-UAA, National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) District IV Player of the Year, Final Four All-Tournament Team and D3hoops.com Second Team All-American. Zay Freeney received Second Team All-UAA, NABC District IV Second Team and D3hoops.com Region IV Third Team honors, while Hampton Sanders earned Second Team All-UAA and Final Four All-Tournament Team accolades. The achievements extended off the court and into the classroom, as well, with How earning College Sports Communicators (CSC) Second Team Academic All-American honors and seven players selected UAA Winter All-Academic. In 2023-24, Feldman helped lead the Violets to a 21-6 record, the UAA Co-Championship (the program’s first title in 30 years), and to the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Violets hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, defeating Husson University 82-61 before falling to Tufts University 65-62. NYU finished seventh in the nation in three-point shooting percentage (39.02) and 19th in assist/turnover ratio (1.43). Spencer Freedman garnered numerous awards including D3hoops.com National Player of the Year, UAA Player of the Year, NABC Third Team All-American, and First Team All-Metropolitan. Three Violets grabbed All-UAA honors with Freedman a First Team selection and Freeney and Michael Savarino chosen Second Team. Freeney and Savarino were also chosen Third Team All-Metropolitan. In his first season at NYU, the Violets made its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2015-16. The Violets posted an 18-8 overall record and added a 7-7 mark in the UAA, the most victories since 2015-16. The Violets won their first 11 games of the season and the last five games before being nipped by Lancaster Bible College, 67-64, in the NCAA Tournament. NYU was selected UAA Coaching Staff of the Year in 2022-23, while Freedman was named D3hoops.com Third Team All-American, Region 4 Most Outstanding Player and Region 4 First Team, as well as First Team All-UAA and All-Met. Both Freeney and Cinque Stephens were honored during the season as a UAA Athlete of the Week. A three-year member of the Violets’ basketball team, Feldman graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in English. He set the program record for single-season three-point percentage (.543) during the 2017-18 season. Serving as team captain his final two seasons, Feldman was a two-time Second Team All-UAA selection and was twice chosen to the NABC Honors Court. He averaged 14.9 points per game for his NYU career, shooting .541 from the field, .495 from three-point range and .848 from the foul line. Feldman began his collegiate career at Tufts University, playing two seasons for the Jumbos. Prior to his return to NYU, Feldman served as a private coach for DRIBBL, which coaches and trains youth basketball players in the metropolitan area. He also played professionally for Macaabi Karmiel in Israel during the 2021-22 season.       Feldman is a native and resident of New York City.  

Adam Anderson was hired as an assistant coach of the New York University's men's basketball program in September 2025.   A 2022 graduate of The College of Saint Rose with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, Anderson was a five-year member of the men’s basketball team. He went on to earn a MBA in Business Management at Saint Rose.   Anderson continues to serve as the Lead Basketball Coach at Chelsea Piers where he oversaw programming for over 500 athletes. He worked directly with children in grades third through eighth coaching them and creating basketball curriculum for the age groups.   Prior to Chelsea Piers, Anderson worked in a player development capacity for Hoop City AU for two seasons. While in this role, Anderson worked directly with the on-court development of the Australian Women’s Basketball team.   In between his seasons in Australia, Anderson worked as both a head and assistant coach of a AAU program through Success Academy. He worked directly with the students in a developmental capacity.   Anderson first served as an assistant coach at his alma mater after graduation. He primarily worked in a statistical capacity, gathering data to assist with player development.    Aside from coaching, Anderson has spent two seasons playing at the professional level in Australia, where he was a shooting guard for the McKinnon Basketball Association and the Altona Gators Basketball Club.    A native of Saratoga Springs, NY, Anderson resides in Little Ferry, NJ.