Bill Coen Head Coach First season at NU: 2006-07 Alma Mater: Hamilton College '83

Men's Basketball 2007-08 •TEAM PAGE | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | TEAM STATS

Bill Coen enters his second season as head men’s basketball coach at Northeastern University in 2007-08. In his first season at the helm, Coen guided the Huskies to a highly successful 2006-07 season. Coen finished second in the voting for CAA Coach of the Year, as he led NU to a 9-9 conference record and a fifth place finish in the standings. The fifth-place finish matched the Huskies’ finish from the previous season despite losing 69.9 percent of the team’s scoring and 72.2 percent of the rebounding. The Huskies had been picked to finish ninth in the CAA preseason poll. In building a successful program, Coen, 46, has given his players and recruits the indication that he wants to challenge them. Last season, his non-conference schedule included games on the road against Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Louisville and Boston College. Overall, the Huskies played 20 games away from Matthews Arena. This season, Coen once again has scheduled tough competition; the Huskies will play at Maryland, Illinois, Connecticut, Syracuse and Boston College, who combined to have a 110-58 (.655) record last season. Coen led NU to a 7-2 record at home in 2006-07 and went 9-6 in the second half of the season, as the Huskies won six of their last eight games. Despite only having the late signing period and summer to recruit, Coen found three first-year contributors, including CAA Rookie of the Year Matt Janning. Coen has built a reputation for success in the Boston area. He came to Huntington Avenue after spending nine seasons coaching at Boston College. A longtime member of head coach Al Skinner’s staff, Coen served four years as an assistant coach before being promoted to the role of associate head coach in May 2001. While at Boston College, Coen played a large role in the Eagles’ success by recruiting top talent from around the nation and the globe. On top of his recruiting responsibilities, he was active in practice and game preparation, as well as scouting, academic monitoring and individual player development. During Skinner and Coen’s nine years at Boston College, the Eagles posted a 175-108 (.618) overall record and enjoyed six postseason berths, while winning three Big East regular season crowns. In 2000-01, the Eagles went 27-5 and defeated Pittsburgh, 79-57, to take home the school’s first-ever Big East Tournament Championship. Between 2000-01 and 2005-06, the Eagles posted more victories than any other team in school history in any six-year span. “Bill was my top assistant and he played a big role in the success we enjoyed,” Skinner said. “I believe that Bill will make an outstanding head coach. He is detail-oriented, hard-working, thorough and, most importantly, he cares about his players.” Similar to Northeastern’s recent move to the CAA, Boston College also managed its conference realignment successfully, when it joined to the Atlantic Coast Conference from the Big East in 2005-06. The Eagles finished third overall in the regular season and advanced to the ACC Championship game, where they were edged by Duke, 78-76. Boston College’s success continued in the NCAA Tournament, as Skinner and his staff helped guide the Eagles to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 1994. Matched up against former Big East rival Villanova, the Eagles bowed out, 60-59, to the Wildcats in a thrilling overtime game. Prior to his arrival in Boston, Coen worked under Skinner for eight seasons at the University of Rhode Island, two as a graduate assistant and six as an assistant coach. During that time, the Rams enjoyed four seasons of postseason play, heading to the NCAA Tournament in 1993 and 1997, while receiving NIT bids in 1992 and 1996. Combined, the Rams’ postseason record under Skinner was 5-4. In 1991, Coen received his MBA from Rhode Island. A 1983 graduate of Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y., Coen played four years for the Continentals, winning three ECAC Championships. As a senior, he served as team captain and led Hamilton to a national ranking. After graduation, Coen spent three years working in the computer software industry, before accepting his first coaching position at Canajoharie (N.Y.) High School. In his one year as head coach, he led the school to a 19-3 mark and was named Coach of the Year. The following year, he returned to his alma mater and served two seasons as assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach. During his tenure, Hamilton compiled a 38-10 mark. Coen, who is single, is an active member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and resides in Charlestown, Mass.