Joe Mihalich Named 2013 the Rock MAAC Coach of the Year
MAAC Sports
Springfield, Mass. - Niagara University men's basketball head coach Joe Mihalich has been named the 2013 The Rock MAAC Coach of the Year by his peers - the MAAC's head coaches.
Mihalich previously was honored as the MAAC Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2005. He currently has 264 career victories, the most wins by any coach in conference history.
During his time at Niagara, he has yielded an NCAA Championship victory; two NCAA Championship berths; a pair of MAAC Championship titles; two berths into the National Invitation Tournament; four MAAC regular-season crowns; national, regional and conference accolades for his student-athletes and Top 25 rankings in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll.
In the 2008-09 season, Niagara won the second-most games in school history, compiling a 26-9 record and hosting an NIT game at the Gallagher Center for the first time in school history. Mihalich also guided the team to the MAAC Title game for the fifth time since 2002. On Valentine's Day of 2009, Mihalich earned his 200th career victory on national television with an 83-76 win over Fairfield. It marked just the second time an NU coach has won as many games on Monteagle Ridge.
In the 2006-07 season, Mihalich led Niagara to its second NCAA Championship, the MAAC Championship crown and a top-25 ranking in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll after opening the season 1-6. Under his guidance, the Purple Eagles won their first NCAA Tournament game in 37 years, beating Florida A&M in the Opening Round game. For his efforts, the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY) named Mihalich 2007 Coach of the Year. Niagara got its third 20-win season under Mihalich and 15th in the 101 years of the program as the Purple Eagles finished 23-12 overall and 13-5 in the MAAC. The 23 victories were also the most since the 1992-93 squad collected 23. With its late season surge, Niagara also finished the year ranked 24th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll for the second time in three years.
In addition to being honored as the MAAC Coach of the Year for the 2004-05 season, Mihalich was also named the District 2 United States Basketball Writers' Association Coach of the Year. That season, Niagara finished fourth in the country in scoring offense and also ranked in the top 10 in three other NCAA statistical categories - three-pointers per game, free throw percentage and rebounding margin.
The season before, Mihalich guided Niagara to postseason play, with the Purple Eagles defeating Troy State in the opening round of the 2004 Postseason National Invitation Tournament and falling short of reaching the second round with a loss to Big 12 power Nebraska. The team registered the fifth-most wins in school history with a 22-10 record, finished in the Top 25 in the Mid-Major poll and ranked eighth in the country in scoring offense. Mihalich was the first coach to reach 100 wins in just his sixth season at the helm.
The 2003-04 team matched the accolades of Mihalich's first squad and duplicated by the 2004-05 team. The teams finished their MAAC regular season with a 13-5 record, marking then the most victories by a Niagara team since joining the league in 1989. Niagara went 14-4 in MAAC play in the 2008-09 season.
Mihalich guided the 1998-99 Purple Eagles to their first-ever MAAC regular-season title, earning him his first MAAC Coach of the Year honors. The Purple Eagles and Mihalich claimed their second league title in
2000-01 when they posted a 12-6 mark. In 2001-02, Niagara made its first appearance in the MAAC title game.
Mihalich was named the 19th head coach in Niagara University's basketball history on April 8, 1998. Prior to Niagara, Mihalich was the assistant coach at La Salle University for 17 years. During Mihalich's career at La Salle, the Explorers earned five NCAA Tournament and three National Invitation Tournament bids and was 104-28 (.788) in the MAAC. On Jan. 4, 1992, Mihalich, in the absence of head coach Speedy Morris, guided La Salle to a 120-88 victory over Iona.
Mihalich was heavily involved at La Salle in the recruitment of five players who went on to the National Basketball Association. The list includes 1990 National Player of the Year Lionel Simmons, Doug Overton, Randy Woods and Tim Legler. Current Temple head coach Fran Dunphy was an assistant coach at La Salle with Mihalich.
A 1978 La Salle graduate with a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics and education, Mihalich earned his master's in athletic administration from Temple University in 1990. He also served as an adjunct professor of mathematics at La Salle. A co-captain of the 1978 La Salle basketball team under coach Paul Westhead, Mihalich was a four-time letterwinner. He helped the Explorers to two NCAA appearances and one Big Five title during his playing career.
Mihalich began his coaching career the next season under legendary high school coach and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Morgan Wooten at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md. Mihalich was the assistant varsity coach for three years and head junior varsity coach for two years. He served as an assistant with former Division I coaches Joe Cantafio (Furman and Virginia Military Institute) and the late Jack Bruen of Colgate at DeMatha. While at DeMatha, the varsity team went 82-8 and the junior varsity team posted a 34-5 record. Mihalich stepped in when Wootten had to miss the 1981 Washington, D.C., title game and he led the Stags to a victory over previously unbeaten Dunbar High.