Stash Foster

Stefan Thompson '13 was named the 20th head coach of the Hobart basketball program during the summer of 2019. In four seasons, he has climbed to No. 6 on the program's career wins list, tied the record for the most wins in a season, guided the Statesmen to two NCAA tournament appearances and won a Liberty League Championship. In his first season as a head coach, Thompson directed Hobart to a 23-5 overall record, earning an NCAA tournament at-large bid. In the first round, the Statesmen faced No. 14 Saint Joseph, which was led by Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Jim Calhoun. Hobart put five players in double figures in a 78-74 win over the Blue Jays to advance to the second round at No. 17 Springfield. With a last second layup, the Statesmen secured a 62-61 win to reach the Round of 16 for the first time in program history. How far that magical run would have gone remains a mystery as the pandemic forced the cancelation of the remainder of the tournament. Last season, Thompson engineered another 20-win season, securing the 2024 Liberty League Tournament Championship and another NCAA tournament bid. The Statesmen won a program record 10 straight games to start the season. After a 2-4 start to January, Hobart won eight of its final nine conference games to clinch the top seed in the Liberty League Tournament. The Statesmen defended their home court with wins over RIT and St. Lawrence to capture the program's fourth conference championship. Hobart's season came to an end in the first round of the NCAA tournament in a showdown with defending national champion Christopher Newport. Thompson and the Statesmen have earned Liberty League Tournament bids in each of his four seasons at the helm. His players have earned nine All-Liberty League awards, the 2021-22 Liberty League Rookie of the Year award and the 2022-23 Liberty League Player of the Year award, seven all-region awards and two All-America awards. Additionally, Jackson Meshanic was named the 2022-23 D3hoops.com Regional Player of the Year. Last season, Thompson and his assistants were voted the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year and tabbed the Rochester Area Coaching Staff of the Year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. In 2020, Thompson was recognized as one of the top young coaches in the collegiate game, earning a spot on the NABC Under Armour 30 Under 30 list, while also earning the D3hoops.com East Region Coach of the Year. In 2022, Thompson was presented with the HWS Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award. He serves as co-chair of the HWS Athletics Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Sustained Dialogue Team and is a member of the HWS Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  Off campus, Thompson is a board member for Willow Street Foundation, which provides education and leadership opportunities for financially disadvantaged students in Syracuse. He is also the founder and director of Bigger Than Basketball (BTB), hosting basketball camps in Rochester and Syracuse. BTB not only teaches the game, but also provides campers and their families with the knowledge needed to navigate the world of youth, college and professional sports. Thompson was an assistant coach for the Statesmen for two seasons before being named head coach. He and his co-workers were voted the 2017-18 Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year after Hobart posted a 21-5 record that included a program-record 15-game winning streak. Thompson returned to Hobart after three seasons as an assistant coach at Wilkes University. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, he also served as the director of intramurals. In 2016, Thompson earned a master's degree in education from Wilkes.   A native of Syracuse, Thompson graduated from Hobart in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in sociology and anthropology. The first NABC All-American in program history, he led the Statesmen to an 82-31 record over four seasons. He and his classmates were the first class of Hobart basketball players to produce four consecutive winning seasons in over 55 years and the first ever to make four consecutive postseason appearances.   The Statesmen made back-to-back ECAC Upstate Tournament appearances in 2010 and 2011, winning the regional crown on the second try. In 2012, Hobart earned its first at-large bid into the NCAA Championship field, beating Ohio Wesleyan in the first round before falling to eventual national runner-up Cabrini in overtime. A year later, Thompson and the Statesmen won the Liberty League regular season and tournament championships and returned to the NCAA tournament field.   Thompson was named to three All-America teams following the 2012-13 season, garnering a spot on the NABC second team, DIII News fifth team and D3hoops.com honorable mention.   Thompson reached a number of milestones in his senior season. He became just the seventh Statesman to record 1,500 career points. Thompson amassed a total of 1,643 career points which put him fourth on Hobart's all-time scoring list. He also became the only Statesman to score more than 1,000 points and record more than 400 assists. Thompson ranks second on the Hobart list with 492 career assists. He was also the first member of the Hobart basketball team to play in the NABC/Reese's Division III College All-Star Game, where he posted 12 points, four rebounds and three assists.   The three-time All-Liberty League selection and 2012-13 Liberty League Player of the Year finished his final season atop the conference with 5.4 assists per game and a 2.3 assist-to-turnover. Thompson ranked fourth in scoring (15.6 ppg), free throw percentage (.841) and minutes played (34.6), fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (.422) and sixth in 3-points field goals made (1.9).   Thompson earned All-East honors from the NABC and D3hoops.com in his junior and senior seasons. As a first-year, Thompson was named the Rookie of the Year for the Liberty League as well as the D3hoops.com East Region and the ECAC Upstate Region.

Named the first head coach in Wells College history in 2007, Wojtylko guided the Express to an average of 17 wins a season through the first four years of the program's existence. Since the 2008-09 season, Wells has appeared in the North Eastern Athletic Conference championship game three times, missing the playoffs only twice. The Express captured the 2010-11 NEAC Championship and went on to make an appearance in the 2011 NCAA Division III tournament, the first such time in program history. Under the guidance of Wojtylko, the Express became the fastest Division III program in history to reach 20 victories in a season, a feat which they accomplished during the 2009-10 season by posting a 21-7 overall record. He earned his 100th career victory as a Head Coach on Jan. 22, 2015 following a 68-31 win against Wilson. At the time of his 100th career victory, Wojtylko had coached the fifth-most games in school history (178) and his 90 wins in one sport at Wells were the most by any individual dating back to the 1975 season, the dawn of intercollegiate athletics in Aurora. Wojtylko is also the only coach in the NCAA Division III era of Wells athletics to boast a .500-or-better winning percentage with over 100 games coached. Wojtylko has also coached nine NEAC All-Conference selections (including six First-Team All-Conference honorees), three All-East Region players, and one Division III News Preseason All-Americans. His teams have also led 17 individual and team categories within the NEAC during his tenure. Most notably, Juan Paulino led all NCAA Division III men's basketball players in field goal percentage (.701) in 2009-10. Prior to Wells, Wojtylko served as the assistant men's basketball coach at Hamilton College, helping his team capture both the Liberty League regular season and championship titles. Additionally, his team claimed two-holiday tournament titles and was ranked both regionally and nationally. Wojtylko also helped develop a Second Team All-American and mentored two other All-Conference players. In 2005, Wojtylko served as the interim head coach of Hobart College, coaching 17 games. Following a 2-5 start, Wojtylko assumed the reins and concluded the season with the ninth-best record in the school's 100-year basketball history. During the season, the team set several season statistical records, including the most wins by a first-year head coach in school history. Hobart also captured their first-holiday tournament championship in over 20 years. Prior to assuming the head coaching position at Hobart, Wojtylko served as the assistant basketball coach and recruiting coordinator for three years. His recruiting efforts resulted in the third-best season in the school's history, their first postseason victory, their first Liberty League championship appearance, and the first Liberty League regular season title in school history. Additionally, Wojtylko was a member of the 2004-05 Coaching Staff of the Year in the Liberty League. In 2001, Wojtylko was named the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator of West Virginia Wesleyan College, his alma mater. He helped to guide the team to the most wins in 10 years as well as their first Final Four conference tournament appearance as a Division II school. His recruiting efforts resulted in signing student-athletes that became large contributors to the 2002 team that garnered an NCAA at-large tournament bid, won the WVIAC regular season championship and was voted as high as 16th in the nation (first in the East Region). During his playing career at West Virginia Wesleyan, Wojtylko was a three-year starter and was named the team's best defender twice. Serving as a captain during his senior season, Wojtylko joined the team in 1997 and helped to guide the team to the third-largest turnaround in terms of victories in all three NCAA divisions. During the season, WVWC finished high enough in the conference standings to host their first WVIAC playoff game as a Division II participant and advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in five seasons. Wojtylko is a 2000 graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan with bachelor's degrees in history and philosophy.

Assistant mens basketball coach at West Virginia Wesleyan

2025-26 marks Sean Smileys fifth full season as head coach of the Fredonia State University mens basketball program. Under Smileys leadership, the Blue Devils have emerged as one of the most dynamic and efficient offenses in the SUNYAC (State University of New York Athletic Conference), creating a high-powered, fast-paced style of play that has progressively elevated the program. In the 2024-25 season, Fredonia dominated the offensive side of the game, leading the SUNYAC in overall field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and assists per game, while finishing second in points per game. Smileys offensive system maximized the talents of his players, with seven Blue Devils ranking among the top 8 in the SUNYAC in 11 individual offensive categories. Notable standout performances came from All-Conference senior Brandon Kulakowski, who led the conference in scoring and ranked second in rebounding, and senior Aiden Proudfoot, who finished second in three-point field goal percentage. Smiley's ability to foster individual development while maintaining a team-oriented approach has been a key to Fredonias growth. As head coach, Smiley has expanded the reach and reputation of the Fredonia State mens basketball program through strategic and inclusive recruiting efforts. He has successfully attracted student-athletes from across the United Statesincluding Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C.as well as internationally from England, Germany, Israel and Switzerland, bringing a diverse mix of talent and experience to the team. In addition to building a competitive roster, Smiley has prioritized academic excellence. The 2024-2025 academic year saw the Blue Devils achieve the highest team GPA in over 25 years of the program.  Off the court, Smiley has made a significant impact by revitalizing support for the Fredonia State mens basketball program. He has actively re-engaged alumni, donors, and members of the campus and local communities, strengthening ties and boosting enthusiasm for Blue Devils basketball. Under his leadership, the program raised over $20,000 to renovate and modernize the men's basketball locker room, and it set new records for contributions during Fredonia States annual Day of Giving. Coach Smiley also founded an annual Martin Luther King Jr. High School Basketball Showcase, bringing together top regional boys' teams and attracting sponsorship support. In addition, he has fostered strong community connections. Before taking the reins at Fredonia, Smiley had an impressive tenure as an assistant coach at Hobart College in Geneva, N.Y. During his three years at Hobart, Smiley helped lead the Statesmen to a Liberty League regular-season championship and a No. 19 national ranking in his first year (2017-18), the highest in program history. Hobarts coaching staff was named Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year, following a 21-5 record and a program-record 15-game winning streak. In 2019-20, Smiley helped guide the Statesmen to their first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, a run that was tragically cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. His work at Hobart contributed to the development of two All-East Region players, two first-team All-Liberty League selections, the 2018 Liberty League Freshman of the Year, and Hobarts all-time leader in three-point shooting. Smileys coaching journey also includes two seasons on staff at his alma mater, the University at Buffalo (UB). While on the UB staff, the Bulls posted a 20-11 record during the 2011-12 season and ranked among the best in NCAA Division I in four statistical categories, including fourth in rebounding and ninth in assists. Smiley contributed to the development of several standout players at UB, including multiple All-MAC (Mid-American Conference) selections and players who went on to play professionally. As a player at the University at Buffalo, Smiley was a key contributor to the Bulls success. He scored 631 points, made 132 three-pointers (which was fourth on the schools all-time list at the time of his graduation), and served as team captain during the 2007-08 season. Smiley was part of the Bulls 21-12 squad in 2007-08, which won the MAC regular-season championship, and during his senior year, he averaged a career-high 8.7 points per game while making 52 three-pointers. His leadership and shooting ability made a significant impact on the program, and he also earned a spot on the 2010 MAC All-Academic Team. Smileys basketball journey began at McDowell High School in Erie, Pa., where he was inducted into the McDowell High School Hall of Fame in 2015. The schools all-time leading scorer and leader in three-point field goals upon graduation, Smiley helped his team to two Class AAAA District 10 championships, three Erie Metro League championships and three straight 20-win seasons. In addition to his college bench experience, Smiley has coached at the high school and AAU levels. He served as assistant varsity boys basketball coach at Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, Fla., from 2014-16, and spent a season as head coach with the Team Carolina AAU program in Raleigh, N.C. Smiley earned a bachelors degree in communication from the University at Buffalo and a masters degree in sports management from SUNY Cortland. He resides in Fredonia with his wife, Brooklynn, and their son, Amari.

My name is Mike Sugamosto and I am the Assistant Mens Basketball Coach at SUNY Morrisville! I am entering my second season with the Mustangs.  Prior to Morrisville, I served as the General Manager of the Syracuse Stallions (TBL) where teams formed under my guidance achieved an overall record of 90-18. With that record, we made 1 National Championship and 1 Final Four Appearance. In 2019, I was named the National Executive of the Year. In 2020, I was named National General Manager of the Year.  Prior to my time in Syracuse, I spent two seasons coaching at Cazenovia College.