Siena Basketball Head Coach Carmen Maciariello has announced the hiring of Bobby Castagna as an assistant coach. The Brooklyn, New York native brings a wealth of experience with him to Loudonville, having spent more than four decades at both the collegiate and professional athletics levels, including the past 19 years as an NBA scout with the Utah Jazz.
“It is such an honor that I am able to announce the addition of Coach Bobby Castagna to our coaching staff,” said Maciariello. “He is a tremendous teacher who builds lifelong relationships with the student athletes that he mentors not only in the game of basketball, but in life, with myself and Andy Cavo ’02 being two prime examples. I cannot wait to welcome Coach C and his wife Kim to Loudonville.”
In addition to his nearly two decades serving in the scouting department for the Jazz, Castagna has also spent 14 years as a Division I assistant coach and 11 years as a Division I athletics administrator. He began his collegiate career as both a head and assistant coach at the junior college level following a three-year stint as a high school coach.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank the Utah Jazz for giving me the opportunity to work for them for the past 19 years,” explained Castagna. “The Jazz are a great organization with first class people in it. I’m leaving a job that I’ve loved for nearly two decades, but this was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. Carmen is family. I’ve mentored him for 25 years, and I look forward to continuing that mentorship while helping him, the staff, and the players achieve their goals. I’m a teacher above all else, and I can’t wait to get started working with our players.”
Castagna joins the Saints after having worked in the scouting department for the Utah Jazz since 2002. He was their West Coast Regional scout on a part-time basis from 2002-10, while concurrently serving as the Senior Associate Athletic Director at the University of California, Santa Barbara during those eight years. After retiring from UCSB in 2010, Castagna continued as the Utah Jazz West Coast Regional Scout on a full-time basis.
As the Senior Associate Athletic Director at UCSB, Castagna supervised nine sports and was heavily involved in the department’s facilities projects, including overseeing the construction of the new athletic department facility. He previously served as the Director of Intramurals and Assistant Director of Recreation from 1999-02.
Castagna first joined UCSB as an assistant coach from 1989-96, helping guide the Gauchos to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament in 1990 and a pair of NIT appearances (1992, 1993), while recruiting All-Big West selections Raymond Tutt (Big West Player of the Year), B.J. Bunton, Lelan McDougal, and Josh Merrill. During his time in Southern California, he also spent 11 years as the director of the Los Angeles Lakers Basketball Camps (1999-10).
In addition to UCSB, Castagna has served as a Division I assistant coach at New Hampshire (1996-99), Baylor (1988-89), and Fresno State (1985-88). He recruited future Saints Maciariello and Cavo to UNH, and both coached and mentored current Utah Jazz Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Dennis Lindsey at Baylor.
Castagna began his collegiate coaching career spending seven years at the junior college level. After serving as an assistant coach at Los Angeles Valley College (1979-81) and Los Angeles Mission College (1977-79), he spent three years as the head coach at LAVC (1982-85). Castagna led Los Angeles Valley College to back-to-back 20-win seasons, earning him 1983-84 Mountain Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors. He guided LAVC to the 1983-84 MVC Championship, while coaching two-time Junior College All-American Larry Middleton. Castagna first began coaching as the assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach at Chatsworth (CA) High School from 1975-78.
Castagna is a 1975 graduate of California State University, Northridge, with his B.A. in Physical Education. He was a member of the CSUN basketball team, where he started his senior year.
“Coach Castagna’s knowledge of the game is vast, and his relationship building skills are second to none,” added Maciariello. “He will be a tremendous asset in all phases of our program. It’s a great day to be a Saint!”
Castagna named Assistant Basketball Coach at Siena
