The Hartwick College Athletic Department has announced the appointment of Brad M. Cooper as the new Head Men’s Basketball Coach.
“I am thrilled to welcome Coach Cooper to the Hawk family and cannot wait to see what he will accomplish with our men’s basketball program,” said Executive Director of Athletics, Paul Vecchio. “He possesses all the qualities we are looking for in our staff: tremendous passion for teaching and developing student-athletes, the ability to recruit outstanding students to Hartwick College and a willingness to ingratiate himself and his program into our campus and community. I want to especially thank Associate AD Betty Powell and co-chairs Brittany Stroop and Sarah Lombard for their leadership in helping identify an excellent pool of candidates in which Coach Cooper emerged as the best fit to lead our program forward.”
Cooper comes to Hartwick after serving as an assistant coach at Hamilton College. Prior to his time at Hamilton, Cooper served as the head coach at Keystone College in LaPlume, Pa. At the time of Cooper’s appointment at Keystone, he was the youngest head coach at any NCAA level.
During his tenure at Keystone, the SUNY Fredonia graduate coached 13 Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) all-conference players, including the 2023 CSAC Player of the Year. Under his guidance, four of Cooper’s players were D3hoops.com All-Region Selections. In addition, he coached back-to-back D3hoops.com Region 5 Rookies of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
In his final two seasons at Keystone, Cooper led the Giants to the conference semifinals and the championship game while upsetting a pair of higher-seeded teams in the process while mentoring 2022-23 CSAC Player of the Year Jack Anderson. He has also been extremely active on the AAU Circuit, coaching the NEPA Elite team to a pair of national championship appearances at the U16 level.
As a player at Fredonia, Cooper was named All-SUNYAC twice. He currently sits in the second spot in career steals and first in career 3-pointers made.
“I am tremendously honored for the opportunity to represent Hartwick College and lead the men’s basketball program,” said Cooper. “I want to thank Mr. Paul Vecchio and the search committee for believing in me and my vision for the future of the program. I couldn’t be more excited to carry on the proud tradition of the program.”
“The opportunity to coach college basketball and support the growth of student-athletes has been one of the great privileges in my life,” added Cooper. “I want to thank my family, former players, and mentors for helping me grow along the way. I will lead with enthusiasm, pride, and passion. Go Hawks!”
Hartwick selects Cooper as new Head Men’s Basketball Coach
