A familiar face will join the University of Southern Maine Department of Athletics as Mikey Coppersmith returns to the Gorham campus as Interim Head Men’s Basketball Coach. Coppersmith replaces former coach Rob Sanicola who resigned this summer to pursue an opportunity with the NBA’s G-League.
“I’m thrilled to be back at USM and working with such a talented group of student-athletes,” said Coppersmith. “I’m eager to contribute to the program’s growth, helping the team reach its full potential both on and off the court. I can’t wait to get started and I’m excited for what’s ahead.”
Coppersmith has a broad range of high-level basketball coaching experience, including stops as an assistant coach at Colby College, UMaine Farmington and the University of Southern Maine. Additionally, since 2020, Coppersmith has been the CEO and Director of Next Level Athletics, and has worked with athletes that have competed across all NCAA levels.
Coppersmith most recently has been a member of the Colby College coaching staff and was involved in all facets of the program, leading national recruitment initiatives, overseeing basketball operations, game-day scouting and analysis, and off-season and individual one-on-one training sessions.
“Mikey is an outstanding addition to our department, and is the right choice to keep Huskies’ men’s basketball moving in the right direction,” said Interim Director of Athletics Mike Keller. “Mikey is a talented recruiter and a dedicated student of the sport.”
During his time at UMaine Farmington, Coppersmith played critical roles in game planning, monitoring academic progress, and one-on-one development sessions. Coppersmith’s ability to develop players included a 2022 preseason All-American, two 1000-point scorers, and All-North Atlantic Conference selections. At Southern Maine, Coppersmith worked with Sanicola, and contributed to the team’s achievement of its best win total in more than 30 seasons with 16 wins in 2022-23. Coppersmith also played a crucial role in recruiting seven student-athletes from underrepresented states for the 2023-2024 season, and helped coach two players to All-Little East Conference and Maine Men’s Basketball All-State honors, and well as one LEC All-Defensive selection.
A 2022 graduate of the University of Southern Maine with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication with a minor in Race & Ethnic Studies, Coppersmith is pursuing his Master’s degree in Leadership Studies at the University of Southern Maine with an anticipated graduation in Spring of 2025.
D3 NEWS: Coppersmith named Interim Head Basketball Coach at Southern Maine
