Eric Eaton, who is in his second season on the UAlbany staff, was promoted to associate head coach on May 4, 2006 after the Great Danes captured their first-ever America East Conference championship and reached the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time.

In his position, Eaton is responsible for a wide range of duties including recruiting, on-court coaching, scouting, coordinating individual workouts and managing the team's academic progress.

Eaton coached at the College of the Holy Cross from 2000-04 as a member of Ralph Willard's staff. He assisted in all aspects of the program, including recruiting, player development and scouting. The Crusaders won the Patriot League championship and reached the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons. In 2000-01, Holy Cross achieved one of the greatest turnarounds in school history by posting a 22-8 record. The 2002-03 squad tied the program's standard for most wins in a season with a 26-5 record.

During that period, Eaton recruited the Patriot League's rookie of the year and assisted in the development of 15 players who earned all-league and/or all-rookie recognition, including three player-of-the-year award winners.

Previous to Holy Cross, Eaton was an assistant coach for one year at Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. He also worked at Anna Maria College from 1997-99 and was a volunteer assistant at UMass-Dartmouth when that program won 20 games and made an NCAA Division III Tournament appearance.

A member of the UMass-Dartmouth Athletic Hall of Fame, Eaton played on three Little East Conference championship teams that reached the NCAAs in the mid-1990s. He averaged 11.7 points per game as a senior, when the Corsairs won the Little East regular-season title and advanced to the ECAC semifinals. He earned his undergraduate degree in business management.

Eaton, 33, is married to the former Alexis Leacu, who played as a collegian on the Assumption College basketball team. They are the parents of infant twin boys, Evan and Owen.