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

Men's Basketball 2008-09 •TEAM PAGE | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | TEAM STATS

Bill Coen enters his third season as head coach of the Northeastern University men’s basketball team, and after two seasons of rebuilding, Coen’s squad is poised to rise to the top of the Colonial Athletic Association. Coen returns 12 lettermen, including all five starters, from last year’s team that finished 9-9 in the CAA for the second consecutive season and reached the CAA Tournament quarterfinals for the third consecutive season. Last season, Coen led a young Northeastern team to an improved 14-17 record. The team, which featured five freshmen and five sophomores on its 14-man roster finished sixth in the CAA after having been picked to finish eighth in the CAA preseason poll. With their CAA Tournament quarterfinals appearance, the Huskies are one of only four teams in the conference to reach the final eight. NU is also one of only four teams to have finished with a .500 or better winning percentage in conference play in each of the last three seasons. In building a successful program, Coen, 46, has given his players and recruits the indication that he wants to challenge them. For two seasons now, he has tested his team with tough non-conference opponents. Some of last season’s non-conference road opponents were Illinois, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Syracuse and Boston College, who have combined to have a .607 winning percentage and four NCAA Tournament appearances over the last two seasons. The Huskies finished the 2007-08 season having played 21 road/neutral games, which was sixth most in Division I basketball. Coen’s recruits have not disappointed, as Matt Janning made the All-CAA second team, a year after he won CAA Rookie of the Year honors. Also, freshman point guard Chaisson Allen led all CAA rookies in steals, assists and minutes en route to a CAA All-Rookie team selection. Coen’s athletes not only star on the court, but also in the classroom. The Huskies earned three CAA All-Academic awards with Nkem Ojougboh earning first team honors and Baptiste Bataille and Matt Janning earning second team accolades. The Huskies are one of two conference teams (William & Mary) to have accomplished this feat last season. 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. “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 is an active member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and resides in Charlestown.