Saint Peter's University Men's Basketball

Bashir Mason enters his fourth season as head coach of the Peacocks in 2025-26. Mason, one of the most decorated young coaches in the country and a Jersey City native, was named the 16th head coach of the Saint Peter's University men's basketball program on April 12, 2022. In three seasons leading the Peacocks, he has a 45-48 record with a career mark of 210-178 over 13 coaching seasons. During the 2024-25 season, Mason earned his 200th career coaching victory with a win over Saint Elizabeth on November 20, 2024. Mason has had an immediate impact on the Peacocks' program in his first three seasons. In 2023-24, he guided Saint Peter’s to its second MAAC Championship in three years and the program’s fifth-ever MAAC title. The Peacocks, picked to finish in 10th place, finished in a three-way tie for third place during the regular season with a 12-8 conference mark. In the MAAC Tournament, the fifth-seeded Peacocks defeated No. 4 Rider in the quarterfinals, upset top seed Quinnipiac in the semifinals, and took home the title with a 68-63 victory over No. 2-seed Fairfield. Mason led Saint Peter’s to a 19-14 overall record and the program's fifth NCAA Tournament appearance. He was named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award as the top minority Division I head coach for the fifth time in his coaching career.  During Mason’s first season in 2022-23, the Peacocks finished 10th during the regular season. Saint Peter’s again made noise in the MAAC Tournament, knocking off seventh-seeded Fairfield in the first round. Mason’s squad upset No. 2 Rider in the quarterfinals, becoming the first No. 10-seed in MAAC Tournament history to reach the semifinals. Mason didn't travel far to take up his current post after orchestrating an extremely successful decade at Wagner as the Seahawks' head coach. He led the team to three Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season titles while posting a 165-130 record over that span in Staten Island. Mason became just the second coach in the conference's 40-year history to win three Jim Phelan Coach of the Year honors during that time.  In 2021-22, Mason led the Seahawks to a 21-6 overall record and an appearance in the NEC title game, marking the third time during his tenure and ninth time in program history that Wagner won 20 or more games in one season. The 2021-22 Seahawks were the first team in NEC history to boast four All-NEC players, led by NEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-NEC selection Alex Morales, while Will Martinez and Raekwon Rogers earned Second Team honors and Elijah Ford picked up Third Team accolades. Zaire Williams also picked up a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Mason took home hardware by season's end, as he was named the National Basketball Coaches Association (NABC) District 15 Coach of the Year. Wagner's 15 conference wins in 2021-22 also matched the most in program history. Its 14 consecutive victories set the record for the longest winning streak for a Seahawks team under Mason and was the longest winning streak for a Wagner squad since winning 16 straight during the 1978-79 season under P.J. Carlesimo. Wagner's 13-0 start in NEC play was two wins short of the conference record for longest unbeaten streak to start a season and represented the first time an NEC squad won 13 straight games in over a decade. Wagner's win over FDU marked the 100th career victory in conference play for Mason, who became the 11th coach in NEC history to reach the century mark. Wagner also appeared in the NEC Tournament title game for the third time in his tenure as head coach (2017-18, 2015-16). Mason has been named the Jim Phelan NEC Coach of the Year three times, most recently after the 2020-21 season, where he helped the Seahawks post a 13-5 record in NEC play while dealing with the logistical challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. He also took home that honor after the 2015-16 and 2017-18 campaigns, leading Wagner to the regular-season NEC conference title and tournament title game in both seasons. The Seahawks appeared in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) three times under Mason, including the memorable 2015-16 installment of the tournament when he led Wagner to a 79-75 victory over top-seeded St. Bonaventure in the opening round. It was the first non-conference tournament postseason victory for Wagner in program history. Mason joined Saint Peter's with a laundry list of national accolades, being named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award four times (2020-21, 2017-18, 2015-16, 2012-13), a finalist for the Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year award three times (2021-22, 2020-21, 2017-18) and was the NABC District 18 Coach of the Year in 2017-18. The fastest coach to win 100 games in Seahawks history, Mason coached 21 All-NEC selections during his tenure, in addition to having eight student-athletes claim All-NEC Tournament accolades as well as six were named to the prestigious NABC (NABC) First and Second Team All-District. Most recently, Mason coached two-time NEC Player of the Year and 2022 NEC Defensive Player of the Year Alex Morales. The 2020-21 season marked the first time Wagner has ever won NEC Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year in the same season, and was also the first time since 2007-2008 that two Seahawks earned First Team All-NEC honors.  Upon his hire at Wagner, Mason was the youngest head coach at the Division I level when he was brought on staff in March of 2012. Prior to being named the head coach, Mason was a two-year assistant with the Seahawks under now University of Connecticut head coach Dan Hurley. Academically, Mason coached a total of 17 Academic All-NEC selections and has helped every player who exhausted their eligibility at Wagner earn their degree. Mason is no stranger to the MAAC, arriving at Wagner after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Marist College for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. He began his coaching career at his high school alma mater, St. Benedict's Prep of Newark, under Hurley, during the 2007-2008 season. As coach of the school's prep team, the Gray Bees won the New Jersey State Prep A Title.  After playing under Hurley in high school, Mason went on to enjoy an outstanding four-year career as a member of the Drexel University basketball team. A four-year starter, Mason was a stellar player for the Dragons with 1,000 points and nearly 500 assists in his career. He was also a dynamic defense player, being the first player in conference history to be named to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) All-Defensive team and was also the first player in league history to be named Defensive Player of the year following the 2003-04 season. Mason led Drexel in assists and steals in all four of his seasons and graduated second on the Dragons' all-time steals list (226) and fourth on its all-time assists list (471). As a senior, Mason led the Dragons to wins over Saint Joseph's, Villanova, Syracuse and Temple en route to a 23-9 record and a berth in the NIT. In 2007, Mason graduated from Drexel with a Bachelor's Degree in sports management. After earning a Master's Degree of Science in education from Wagner in December of 2013, he was honored by his alma mater with inclusion in the Drexel Magazine's '40 Under 40' list.

Pedro "Pete" Cipriano enters his fourth season as an assistant coach for the Saint Peter's men's basketball team in 2025-26. He entered his role with the Peacocks ahead of the 2022-23 season. Cipriano came to Saint Peter's after spending nine years at Southern University in New Orleans, La. He returns home after growing up in Jersey City and playing high school basketball for legendary Bob Hurley at national powerhouse St. Anthony High School. As a senior, Cipriano led the Friars to an NJSIAA Championship. Cipriano started at Southern in the 2012-2013 season, serving as a student assistant coach for one year and spending the last eight seasons as an assistant coach. In his time with the Jaguars, Cipriano helped Southern win the 2016 SWAC Tournament Title and earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He also helped the Jaguars to the 2014 SWAC Regular season title and was a student assistant for the 2013 season which saw Southern win the 2013 SWAC Tournament Championship. Prior to working at Southern, Cipriano played professionally overseas from 2006-2011. He spent five seasons playing in Germany, Finland, Sweden and Poland. Cipriano averaged 7.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a professional. Cipriano was also a member of the Cape Verde national basketball team that won a bronze medal at the FIBA Africa Championship in 2007, qualifying for a wildcard for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Cipriano was also a member of the Jaguars men's basketball program for five seasons (2001-2006). Cipriano led the Jaguars to a 2006 SWAC Tournament Title and an NCAA Tournament berth. Cipriano was a First Team All-SWAC player in 2005 and a Second Team All-SWAC player in 2003 as a redshirt freshman. In 118 career games, he averaged 9.4 points and 8 rebounds per game. Cipriano earned his degree from Southern University in interdisciplinary studies in 2013.

Keydren Clark ('06) enters his fourth season as an assistant coach for the Saint Peter's men's basketball team in 2025-26. He entered his role with the Peacocks ahead of the 2022-23 season. Clark was one of the all-time greats in men’s basketball history at Saint Peter’s. He was one of the most prolific scorers in NCAA Division I history, amassing 3,058 points and averaging 25.9 points per game for his career. He played at then Saint Peter's College from 2002 to 2006. He scored 435 3-pointers in his college career, briefly holding the record for the most 3-point shots made in NCAA history during the end of his senior season. He finished as the career leader at the end of the 2006 MAAC tournament, but was soon passed by J. J. Redick of Duke, who held the NCAA record for 3-point field goals made with 457 at the time.  Clark finished his career as number six on the list of all-time NCAA scoring leaders. Along with legends like Pete Maravich of LSU (3,667), Freeman Williams of Portland State (3,249), Lionel Simmons of La Salle (3,217), Alphonso Ford of Mississippi Valley State (3,165), Harry Kelly of Texas Southern (3,066), Hersey Hawkins of Bradley (3,008), and Doug McDermott of Creighton (3,180). He is one of ten players to score over 3,000 points in their college careers. In 2003, Clark averaged 24.9 points per game, leading all freshmen in Division I. In 2004, he averaged 26.7 points per game and in 2005 averaged 25.8 points per game. Clark led the nation in points scored per game during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons, becoming just the eighth player in history to repeat as NCAA Division I scoring champion. Clark also was one of the Division I steals leaders with 3.3 per game.  Standing only 5’11”, Clark is the all-time leading scorer in Saint Peter's and New Jersey collegiate history. He led the MAAC in scoring for all four seasons he was at Saint Peter’s. He also is the all-time leader in steals and 3-point field goals for the Peacocks.

Vince Johnson enters his second season as an assistant coach for the Saint Peter's men's basketball team in 2025-26. He joined the Peacocks' staff ahead of the 2024-25 season. Johnson came to Jersey City from Robert Morris University, where he was a men’s basketball assistant coach for the Colonials from 2020-2024. Johnson, a native of Harlem, N.Y., spent the 2019-20 campaign in Neptune, N.J., as camp director with the Hoop Group. As part of his role, Johnson assisted in recruiting for various tournaments as well as overseeing middle school tournaments.   Prior to his position at the Hoop Group, Johnson spent three years as the head coach at Pope John XXIII High School in Sparta, N.J. Johnson had multiple student-athletes earn all-county accolades during his stint as head coach from 2016-19.   In the collegiate ranks, Johnson began his NCAA Division I career as director of basketball operations at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., during the 2014-15 campaign. The Mountain hawks finished the season with an overall record of 17-15 (.533), finishing second in the Patriot League standings with a mark of 10-8 (.556).   Johnson is a 2010 graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas in Sparkill, N.Y., where as a senior in 2009-10 he averaged 8.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 26 games for the NCAA Division II Spartans. Johnson played his prep career at Rice High School in New York, N.Y.