"Sam is one of the brightest young coaches in the profession and has a major role in all areas of the program," said Santa Clara head coach Dick Davey. "More specifically, he excels in recruiting, academic affairs and helping create our defensive game plans. We are lucky to have him on our staff."

One of the bright young assistant coaches on the West Coast, Sam Scuilli has now spent seven seasons at Santa Clara during his second tour of duty. He spent four seasons at Santa Clara as a graduate assistant coach from 1994-1998. He then spent two seasons as an assistant at Portland State before returning to the Mission Campus.

His current duties focus primarily on the program's defensive game plan as well as a number of areas related to scouting, recruiting and player development.

Scuilli was the team manager for the Stanford Cardinal for four seasons as an undergraduate. He supervised a staff of four assistant managers, organized and prepared equipment for practices and games, and assisted the coaching staff in coordinating the video scouting program. Scuilli also served as the team's traveling manager for two seasons, handling airport, hotel and game site responsibilities.

The 33-year-old Scuilli is an active coach and counselor at numerous summer basketball camps throughout the country. A native of Short Hills, N.J., Scuilli earned a degree in Public Policy from Stanford in 1994. He received a MBA from Santa Clara in 1997.

Scuilli married the former Melinda Owen on May 10, 2003 and the couple welcomed their first child, Stella, on January 30, 2007.