|
 Tom
Pecora enters his fifth season as the Head Coach of
the Hofstra Men's Basketball program in 2005-06.
Pecora was named the 10th Head Coach in Hofstra
Men's Basketball history when he was promoted to the
position on March 28, 2001, after serving for seven
years as an assistant under former head coach Jay
Wright.
Over his seven years as an assistant, Pecora had an
integral role in building Hofstra up into one of the
top mid-major programs in the country, including a
50-12 record and back-to-back America East
Conference Championships in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
His efforts as an Assistant Coach culminated in a
26-5 record in 2000-01, when the Pride tied the
school record for most wins in a season.
Pecora stepped into the head coaching position in
2001-02 and led a Pride team with no seniors on the
roster to the semifinals of the Colonial Athletic
Association tournament in its first season as
members of the CAA. His first two career coaching
victories came over teams which would move on to the
2002 NCAA Tournament, including a 67-64 victory over
Kent State, which eventually reached the Elite
Eight.
Hofstra has improved its Colonial Athletic
Association record in each of its first four seasons
under Pecora, including a fourth-place finish in
2004-05. Hofstra ended last season with a 21-9
overall record, only its sixth 20-win season at the
NCAA Division I level, and earned a berth in the
Postseason NIT. The NIT bid was Hofstra's sixth
all-time Division I postseason appearance, an
accomplishment which helped Pecora earn the Coach of
the Year award from the Basketball Coaches
Association of New York (BCANY).
In 2003-04, Pecora guided Hofstra through the
toughest schedule in the history of the program,
including a four-game stretch against Georgia Tech,
Providence, Maryland and St. John's. The Pride
finished 14-15, including its first winning record
in the CAA at 10-8, while handing St. John's its
second-worst loss ever at its on-campus facility
(81-64).
Pecora spent his last three seasons under Wright as
the program's Associate Head Coach. Under his
direction as recruiting coordinator, the Pride was
consistently recognized as having the top recruiting
classes in both the America East Conference and the
East by publications such as Eastern Basketball and
Hoop Scoop. In 2000-01, recruiting analyst Clark
Francis referred to Hofstra's recruiting class as
"the steal of the early signing period" in USA Today
as the Pride landed two players who were among the
100 finalists for the McDonald's All-American game.
In addition to his duties as recruiting coordinator,
Pecora served as Hofstra's director of scouting,
scheduling coordinator and was responsible for the
individual development of post players while an
assistant.
Pecora also had prior experience in running a
program, serving as head basketball coach at the
State University of New York at Farmingdale from
1989-92. In three seasons at Farmingdale, the Rams
posted a 62-24 record, captured the Region 15
championship in 1992 (when they finished 20-9),
advanced to the National Junior College Athletic
Association Tournament and were ranked as one of the
nation's top 20 junior college programs. He quickly
built the program up from an 18-11 record in his
first season (1989-90) to a 24-4 record in 1990-91.
Along the way, Pecora coached two junior college
All-Americans, Sam Rowe (1990) and Arthur Anderson
(1991).
Pecora came to Hofstra in 1994 after serving as
assistant coach/recruiting coordinator under John
Olive at Loyola Marymount during the 1993-94
basketball season. He also served as an assistant,
along with Jay Wright, to Rollie Massimino at the
University of Nevada at Las Vegas in 1992-93.
A native of Queens Village, New York, Pecora is a
1983 graduate of Adelphi University in Garden City,
New York. Following graduation from Adelphi with a
bachelor's in physical education and health, he
served as an assistant coach to Bob McKillop at Long
Island Lutheran High School from 1984 through 1987.
Pecora then served as an assistant coach to Stu
Klein at Nassau Community College in Garden City
from 1987 through 1989. During his tenure at Nassau
Community College, the Lions posted back-to-back
25-win seasons and in 1989 played in the National
Junior College Athletic Association Tournament for
the only time in school history. He was inducted
into the Adelphi Hall of Fame in 2002.
Pecora is also a familiar figure in the community,
as he is actively involved with several charities,
including Coaches vs. Cancer, Wheelchair Charities,
Father Hartman's Christa House, the Dante Foundation
and several others. He also organizes free
basketball clinics for local children at several
Long Island area recreation centers and parks during
the summer. He has served as the co-chairman for the
annual Coaches vs. Cancer Charity Golf Classic,
which is entering its fourth year this summer.
Pecora and his wife, the former Mary Beth Cantwell,
reside in Williston Park, New York, with their
daughters, Amanda (13) and Brianna (8), and their
son, Sean (2). |
