Waynesburg University announced the hiring of Tim Fusina as its new head men’s basketball coach. Fusina brings a wealth of head coaching experience from both coasts of the country in the Division III landscape.
“It is truly an honor to be named head men’s basketball coach at Waynesburg University. I would like to thank the entire search committee, President Lee, new Director of Athletics Adam Jack and Larry Marshall for this tremendous opportunity,” Fusina said. “I had the chance to speak with the entire team this weekend and they all are excited to get started. I look forward to getting to know them on a more personal level over the next few weeks.”
Fusina, a native of Charleroi, Pennsylvania, spent the past two seasons at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California. During his time with the Kingsmen, he coached three second-team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) players and oversaw tremendous growth in the roster, bringing in 33 incoming freshman in his first recruiting class.
His players excelled in the classroom where they boasted a 3.51 overall team GPA and saw one of their own named CoSIDA Academic All-District. Fusina is not one to shy away from elite competition either, as is evident by his 2018-19 schedule being ranked in the top 50 of Division III in terms of difficulty.
Fusina also implemented several fundraising strategies, developed and marketed a youth camp that was attended by over 600 local children and put together four Elite Recruiting Camps that brought over 250 prospective student-athletes to campus.
Prior to his time on the West Coast, Fusina was the leader of the Centenary men’s program in Hackettstown, New Jersey, from 2013 to 2017. He boasted a winning record over the final three years of his tenure (41-40) that included a 29-25 mark in the Colonial State Athletic Conference (CSAC). Over that same stretch, he put together the first two winning seasons in school history and the first two seasons with winning conference records.
Fusina was honored as the 2015 Centenary Athletic Department Coach of the Year. He also groomed six All-CSAC performers, the program’s all-time assists leader and the first 1,000-point scorer at the school since 2006.
His Cyclones qualified for three-straight conference tournaments for the first time in school history, and, during that same stretch, hosted Centenary’s first conference tournament game and advanced to the conference semifinal round for the first time. The Cyclones also punched their tickets for consecutive ECAC tournaments in 2015 and 2016.
Much like his time on the West Coast, Fusina made academics a priority during his time in the Garden State. He coached five NABC Honors Court student-athletes, 11 CSAC All-Academic Team members and saw his team compile a 3.1 cumulative team GPA over his four seasons on the bench.
“I think each experience has helped me evolve both as a coach and as a person. I’ve been able to figure out what works and what doesn’t at each spot and intend to continue to develop as a coach here at Waynesburg,” Fusina said. “I am excited for the challenge ahead and look forward to getting to know everyone. I am proud to be a part of the Waynesburg Family.”
Fusina has also held several Division III assistant positions along his professional journey and held a myriad of other positions that have greatly increased his knowledge if Division III intercollegiate athletics. He served as compliance director at California Lutheran, athletic department budget coordinator and coordinator of athletic events at Centenary and sports information director while also working as an assistant men’s coach at Pitt Greensburg.
He has been an active member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches since 2006 and was a member of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee (Atlantic Region) from 2015 to 2017. Fusina has also been associated with USA Basketball’s NCAA Basketball Academy in Phoenix since April.
Fusina graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Management Studies from California University of Pennsylvania in 2007. He added a Master of Science degree in Sport Management Students from Cal. In August of 2008.
He is a 2004 graduate for Geibel Catholic High School in Connellsville.
https://waynesburgsports.com/news/2019/7/19/fusina-named-mens-basketball-coach.aspx
