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Head Coach
First season at NU: 2006-07
Alma mater: Hamilton College '83
Bill Coen has rebuilt the Northeastern University men’s basketball team and has taken it to new heights. After posting a 19-13 record and leading the Huskies to their first postseason victory in 25 years, Coen is ready to take the team even further with a CAA championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in sight. In his fourth season as head coach, Coen returns eight lettermen, including four starters, in Northeastern’s quest for a title.
In three seasons, Coen has built the program from the ground up. When he arrived in 2006, the Huskies had lost 70 percent of the previous season’s scoring. He took that team to a .500 conference record. He then lost 56 percent of his scoring the following season and had a 14-man roster that included 10 underclassmen. He again led Northeastern to a .500 conference record.
In 2008-09, Coen’s squad broke out. The Huskies picked up a signature win at Providence, and the experience of beating a BIG EAST team on the road propelled them to win at Indiana and hold the Hoosiers to their fewest point total ever at Assembly Hall. They followed by winning nine of their first 10 conference games en route to a third-place finish in the CAA. Northeastern ended the season by earning a bid to the College Basketball Invitational postseason tournament.
In the CBI, the Huskies traveled across the country to Wyoming for a first-round matchup and knocked off the Cowboys. The season ended in the quarterfinals at UTEP, but not before the Huskies had their first postseason win since 1984.
At season’s end, Coen was named the 2008-09 New England Division I Coach of the Year by the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
Coen’s teams have proven that they are a contender in the CAA. The Huskies have finished .500 or better in each of the four seasons they have been members of the conference, one of only four teams to do so. The Huskies are also one of only four teams in the league to reach the CAA Tournament quarterfinals in each of the last four seasons.
In building a successful program, Coen has given his players and recruits the indication that he wants to challenge them. For three seasons now, he has tested his team with tough non-conference opponents. Coen has brought his squad to some of the biggest arenas to play some of the best teams in the country. Some of the teams the Huskies have played in the Coen era include Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Memphis, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Syracuse, Providence and Boston College.
The Huskies also are not adverse to travel. In 2008-09, the Huskies traveled over 31,000 round-trip miles. In 2007-08, they played 21 road or neutral games, which was sixth-most in Division I basketball.
Coen’s recruits have not disappointed. Matt Janning has been Coen’s biggest acquisition. He is a two-time All-Conference selection, earning first-team honors in 2008-09. He was also CAA Rookie of the Year in 2006-07. Point guard Chaisson Allen was named to the CAA All-Defensive team, and Manny Adako was named to the All-CAA third team after finishing second in the league in field goal shooting.
Coen’s athletes not only star on the court, but also in the classroom. The Huskies have had three CAA All-Academic award honorees in each of the last two seasons, with Nkem Ojougboh earning first team honors both years. Baptiste Bataille was first team in 2008-09, second team in 2007-08. Matt Janning earned second team accolades both seasons. Northeastern was the only team in the CAA to have three players earn the academic honor in 2008-09.
Coen has built a reputation for success in the Boston area. He came to Northeastern 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 to take home the school’s first-ever Big East Tournament Championship. Between 2000-01 and 2005-06, the Eagles posted the most victories in any six-year span in school history.
Similar to Northeastern’s recent move to the CAA, Boston College also managed its conference realignment successfully, when it joined 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 is an active member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and resides in Charlestown.
