Hofstra University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Joe Mihalich announced today that Andrew Cobian has been promoted to director of player development and Sean Smith has been named the director of men’s basketball operations.
“We are thrilled to announce these new titles for Andrew and Sean,” commented Mihalich. “Andrew and Sean have been big parts of our success here at Hofstra and we look forward to them continuing to assist our program moving forward.”
Cobian is in his fourth season at Hofstra after three years as the video coordinator.
Cobian oversees the video exchange program as it relates to scouting opponents, practice filming and breakdown and the production of promotional videos for the program.
While on staff at Hofstra, Cobian has been part of 61 victories for an average of more than 20 per season. This past season he helped the Pride to a school-record 27 victories and berth in the National Invitation Tournament.
Cobian joined the Pride after spending the previous season at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York. While there he assisted head coach Matt Healing in all aspects of the program.
Prior to his stint at Pace, Cobian was a member of the staff at New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, New York, from 2011 to 2015. He played a key role at NYIT in the recruitment and development of student-athletes, while also assisting in the management of the program’s budget for travel. In addition, he also organized all team film exchange and has considerable knowledge of various video equipment and other analytics as it relates to basketball statistics.
In 2015 he helped NYIT to a playoff berth and also saw several student-athletes in the program earn all-conference honors.
Cobian graduated from Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey in 2011. He was a four-year member of the basketball program there and ranks fifth all-time in games played. He also was a member of the All-Academic Team and earned the Sportsmanship Award. Cobian also earned his master’s degree in media and communications from Pace University in 2018.
A Long Island native, Cobian attended St. Dominic’s High School and was part of two Long Island Championships in 2006 and 2007.
Smith has served the last two years as a graduate assistant with the Pride men’s basketball program.
During his time as a graduate assistant, Smith assisted the program with a multitude of tasks; including assisting with travel arrangements and compiling various statistics during practices and games. He oversaw the use of various content creation entities to assist the staff in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes and oversaw databases as it relates to recruiting. Smith also played a vital role in monitoring the academic progress of Pride student-athletes.
Prior to arriving at Hofstra, Smith worked as the director of basketball operations and video coordinator at Impact Basketball Academy in Sarasota, Florida. He oversaw the organization of the daily schedule and worked with more than 40 high school and postgraduate players in individual workouts and assisted in the preparation of highlight videos and breakdown of game film.
As an undergraduate at St. John’s, Smith served as a student manager with the men’s basketball program for three years and oversaw a staff of seven.
Smith has worked at a variety of camps including the Joe Mihalich Basketball Camp, Castleton, Army, Chris Mullin and Steve Lavin.
Smith graduated from St. John’s in 2016 with a degree in sports management and a concentration in business administration. He is currently working towards a dual master’s degree in entertainment management and marketing.
