Men's Basketball

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Tony Staffiere

Mercy College Head Men's Basketball Coach Tony Staffiere to be Featured in Slamonline.com During 2007-08 Season

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DOBBS FERRY, NY - If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a head coach at the collegiate level, now you've got your chance to take a glimpse. First year Mercy College Head Men's Basketball Coach Tony Staffiere will be featured on SLAM Magazine's website, http://www.slamonline.com/, throughout the 2007-08 season with regular entires in "A Coach's Diary".

SLAM was founded in 1994 as the "in your face basketball magazine," covering all things hoop-related, from NBA, college ball and high school hoops to old-school stories, kicks, streetball and the fashion of the game.

Staffiere's diary will run in Slamonline's Too Real for the League section, and will give an insider's perspective on small college basketball with daily interactions of coaches, student-athletes, and administrators. Fans are invited to spend the year with Staffiere as he takes the reigns of the Mavericks.

"I'm extremely honored to be asked to contribute to their publication," said Staffiere.  "I grew up on SLAM magazine and was one of their first subscribers. This is a chance for people to read about collegiate hoops from the view of the programs that really fly under the radar. It gives us a chance to put ourselves out there.  I have a tremendous amount of respect for the profession and everyone in it.  All coaches can be represented by something like this diary."

Tony Staffiere was appointed head men's basketball coach in June of 2007, after serving the previous year as an assistant on Mercy's women's basketball staff, helping to turn that program around with a seven-game improvement.  A 1999 graduate of Westfield State College with a B.A. in mass communications, he has also served as a head women's coach at Regis College and Northern Essex Community College. Staffiere began his career at Maine Maritime Academy as a men's assistant and also served as a men's assistant at Onondaga Community College.

The 31-year old native of Maine, has been on staff at various basketball camps and clinics, including Five Star Boys Basketball Camps and Five Star Girls Basketball Camps in Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati Boys Basketball Camp. He has also contributed to Five Star Basketball Publications, Maine Roundball, and was featured in Adrian Wojnarowski's best seller "The Miracle of St. Anthony." In the spring of 2007, Staffiere earned a Master's of Organizational Leadership from Mercy, and is an adjunct lecturer of physical education at the College.

About Mercy College Athletics
Mercy College is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II institution and a member of the East Coast Conference (ECC). The College sponsors 14 men's and women's sports. To learn more about Mercy's Department of Athletics and Recreation, call (914) 674-7220 or visit http://www.mercyathletics.com/.