One of the most respected college basketball coaches in the country, Mitch Buonaguro, has agreed to lend his expertise as a consultant to The College of Saint Rose men’s and women’s programs. Buonaguro brings more than 40 years of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I level to the Golden Knights.
“Mitch brings a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge to our basketball programs with his four decades of experience as a head coach and assistant coach at the Division I level. His high basketball IQ, coupled with his ability to connect with and develop players, has been a wonderful complement to what our coaches are building here at Saint Rose. We are very fortunate to have Mitch on our team,” said Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Lori Anctil.
Buonaguro started his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater, Boston College, from 1975-77. He joined Rollie Massimino’s Villanova staff for the 1977-78 campaign and stayed through 1985 after helping lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Championship. He then accepted the head coaching position at Fairfield, where he remained through the 1990-91 season. After Fairfield, Buonaguro joined the coaching staffs as an assistant at Texas A&M (1991-96), Cleveland State (1996-2003), UNC-Greensboro (2003-2005), and Siena (2005-10). He then took over the Saints’ head coaching position (2010-13) and returned to Fairfield as an assistant (2015-19).
“When John (assistant coach Ardizone) and I learned that the consultant was Mitch, we were all in. Mitch brings great experience and knowledge, and we’d be nuts to say no,” said head women’s basketball coach Karen Haag. “Mitch’s role with our program has been to help us with scouting and practice. Mitch has been a tremendous help to us already; we all love him. He’s a great coach and a great person as well.”
“It is great having Coach Buonaguro as a consultant for our program. He brings a wealth of knowledge and really understands the college game. He has been a great addition assisting us with practice, game film, and strategy. It is extremely beneficial for our team to have someone with his background and experience. We look forward to him working with us as we continue Northeast-10 Conference play here in the new year,” said head men’s basketball coach Mike Perno.
Buonaguro was an integral part of three straight MAAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships throughout his tenure in Loudonville. In addition, he led Fairfield to consecutive MAAC titles and NCAA Tournament berths during his first two years and was subsequently named Basketball Times National Rookie Coach of the Year and United States Basketball Writers Association and NABC District Coach of the Year.
Buonaguro graduated from Boston College in 1975 where he was a four-year point guard. He is a member of both the Bishop Loughlin Hall of Fame in Brooklyn, N.Y. and the Five-Star Basketball Camp Hall of Fame.
Mitch Buonaguro Consulting Saint Rose Basketball Staffs
