After a successful season as the interim head coach, Mikey Coppersmith has been announced as the head coach of the University of Southern Maine Huskies’ men’s basketball program. Coppersmith was tabbed after a national search.
“Mikey did an outstanding job during the 2024-2025 season,” noted Interim Director of Athletic Mike Keller. “He hit the ground running with just a week before preseason, and has successfully led all facets of the program in his first season as a head coach. He’s a strong recruiter and is an tremendous addition to our athletic department staff.”
With 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, Coppersmith helped to guide the Huskies to their fourth consecutive appearance in the Little East Conference Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament. The Huskies finished with an 8-8 mark in highly competitive Little East Conference, and with a record of 12-14 overall.
A pair of Southern Maine student-athletes, graduate student Bryce Lausier (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) and junior Thomas Whelan (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) earned All-Conference and All-State honors, while Lausier was named to the D3hoops.com All-Region second team.
“I am excited to take on the role of head coach at the University of Southern Maine and lead this program on a full-time permanent basis,” noted Coppersmith. “I am truly grateful to our athletic department leadership for their confidence in me and for providing me the opportunity and privilege to continue to lead this team forward in the years ahead. Huskies’ men’s basketball has a great foundation with tremendous, hard-working and talented student-athletes, and the University’s academic, athletic and co-curricular resources are a valuable recruiting asset. I’m looking forward to digging in and continuing to build up the program’s recent successes.”
Previously at Colby College before being named interim head coach at USM prior to the 2024-25 season, Coppersmith was involved with 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.
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 former head coach Rob Sanicola (who left Southern Maine prior to the 2024-25 season for a coaching position in the G-League), 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.
Actively engaged in the local community, Coppersmith participates in local summer camps and youth basketball organizations, aiming to foster a growing basketball community in Maine and with the University.
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.
