Utica University Men's Basketball

·       2021-22 Empire 8 Coach of the Year 20  21-22 Empire 8 Regular Season Champions (First in Program History) 2021-22 - #3 Regional Ranking  ·      Empire 8 Rookie of the Year 19-20, 20-21       Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year - 16-17, 17-18, 21-22 92-51 in Six Seasons (51-14 in Past Three Seasons)  23 Wins in 2021-22 (Ties Program Record of Wins in a Season) Coffey has pieced together winning seasons in each of the last five years. He is the first Utica College head basketball coach to do so in over a decade. The Spring 2021 season was one to remember for Coffey and the Pioneers. The fifth-year coach led his team to a 10-2 record overall, and an 8-2 record within the Empire 8 Conference. The season culminated with an 89-65 win over top-seeded St. John Fisher to win the program's first Empire 8 Conference title. Damien Call was chosen as the E8 Rookie of the Year, and six Pioneers in all were named to the Empire 8's All-Conference teams.  Coffey's 2019-20 season saw tremendous progress within the program. He led UC to an 18-8 overall record while finishing third in the Empire 8 at 9-5 during the 2019-20 season. That edition of the Pioneers sported three all-conference selections, including Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Thomas Morreale. Sophomore Darius Hopkins was named First-Team All-Conference, while junior center Kimedrick Murphy and Morreale were named to the third team. All three players earned the first All-Conference honors of their careers under Coffeys guidance in the 2019-20 season. The 2019-20 regular season was highlighted by a non-conference win over local rival Hamilton College, a game that also doubled as Coffeys 50th win at Utica. The Pioneers made a school-record 48 foul shots to take down the No. 22 Continentals. Additionally, Utica also held the national lead in three point shooting percentage for a lengthy stretch of the regular season, and the team was successful at home with a record of 10-2 when playing on Miga Court. The 2018-19 season brought with it a 14-11 mark, and an 8-8 ledger in Empire 8 play. Avery Coston was a second team All-Conference selection, and was one of two Utica players to earn All-Conference honors from the Empire 8 Conference.   In the 2017-18 campaign, he led the team to its first Conference Championship Game appearance since the 2006-07 season. Utica entered the E8 tournament on a six-game winning streak. The Pioneers took down Stevens in the first round of the tournament in thrilling fashion, as freshman Avery Coston nailed a buzzer-beater for the win. Coston was selected to the All-Tournament team, while the senior Ivan Iton won his second consecutive Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year Award. Iton was also voted First-Team All-Conference in the Empire 8 as well, and also made a repeat appearance on the D3Hoops All-Region team while adding on NABC All-District honors. In Coffeys first season, the Pioneers experienced an incredible turnaround. After not posting a winning result before December 31st, 2016, a young UC team went on to record a 10-6 conference record in the second half of the season and qualify for the Empire 8 Conference Tournament. Ivan Iton was the Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a first team All-Conference selection.  Before coming to Utica, Coffey spent a highly successful half decade at Empire 8 rival St. John Fisher College. During his five-year tenure at Fisher, Coffey helped guide the Cardinals to 89 victories, including 52 wins in Empire 8 Conference play. His time at Fisher included three Empire 8 Conference Tournament appearances and in 2014-15 the Cardinals won the Conference tournament championship, earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Tournament and advanced as far as the Sweet 16. He recruited and developed an All-American, Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year and multiple All-Conference and All-East Region selections. Prior to Fisher, Coffey spent one season as an assistant men's and women's basketball coach and fitness center coordinator at Corning Community College. Prior to CCC he had two separate stints at Hudson Valley Community College as the assistant director of athletics and sports information director (2009-2010) as well as men's basketball assistant coach (2006-2008). He helped guide HVCC to a 51-11 record, including a 30-1 record in 2007-08. Originally from New Paltz, New York, he graduated from SUNY Oneonta in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication Studies and he was also a member of the men's basketball team. Coffey then went on to earn his Masters in College Student Service Administration from the College of St. Rose in 2008. While at Oneonta as a student-athlete, Coffey broke several records under the guidance of Head Coach Vince Medici. He broke the school's all-time record for three point field goals with 173 3-pointers in three seasons, and currently sits second all time in this category. He holds the single game record for 3-pointers made with nine, and has games where he hit eight, seven, and six 3-pointers, which are all in the top 10 for the Red Dragons. After college, Coffey played professional basketball in the Irish Superleague (the top league in Ireland) in 2008 and 2009. He played for the Limerick Lions and led the league in 3-pointers and in scoring. His performance earned him spots on the Irish Superleague All-Import First Team and the Eurobasket.com first team. Coffey was also Head of Basketball Operations for the Claregalway Basketball Club in Claregalway, Ireland. Coffey attended New Paltz High School and is also a National Strength and Conditioning Association certified strength and conditioning specialist. Sean and his wife Gabrielle, who is the head basketball coach at Mohawk Valley Community College, reside in Utica with their daughter Brielle and son Richard "Rip" Sean Coffey Jr.