Keystone College Director of Athletics Kacy Manning has announced the hiring of Justin Stern as its new head men’s basketball coach.
“We’re excited to welcome Coach Justin Stern as our new Head Men’s Basketball Coach,” Manning stated. “He comes to us with a strong background in Division III basketball and a clear understanding of what it takes to build a successful, student-centered program. We’re looking forward to the experience and leadership he’ll bring to our campus and our team.”
Stern comes to Keystone after a second stint as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Oswego State. The Lakers went 17-9 (13-5 SUNYAC) and earned a spot in the SUNYAC Tournament this past season.
In addition to Oswego, Stern served a second term as an assistant coach at Morrisville State College during the 2023-2024 campaign. The Mustangs coaching staff earned North Atlantic Conference staff of the year honors and were NAC West regular season champions.
That season, the Mustangs led the conference in scoring with an average of 88.4 points per game, while claiming the top slot with a .470 field goal percentage in shooting from the floor. They also led the conference in assists per game, an average of 18.72.
Stern previously served as the head men’s basketball coach at Cazenovia College from 2016-2023. He finished his tenure at Cazenovia with the second most wins and second-best winning percentage in school history. His teams had three NCAA tournament appearances, three conference championships, and three coaching staff of the year awards.
In Stern’s first tenure at Oswego State, the school finished with two NCAA tournament appearances, a SUNYAC championship, and the first Sweet 16 appearance in program history.
Stern began his collegiate coaching journey at Morrisville State. He helped improve the team’s record from 12-13 to 19-9. They won the North East Athletic Conference title for the first time in school history and gained its first NCAA Tournament berth.
He later coached at Nazareth College (now university) where the Golden Flyers went a combined 34-18 with him as assistant coach.
Stern spent two seasons at Jamesville-DeWitt High School where the team won two state championships and produced a record of 48-4. He also has worked at summer camps and done individual work for young athletes.
The Dewitt, N.Y. native played two seasons of basketball at Keuka College before graduating in 2010 with a degree in Education Studies. He also played two seasons at Onondaga Community College and helped the team to a conference title. He was NJCAA Player of the Week for the first week of February 2007 and was named to the Mid-State Athletic Conference all-star team.
Stern played basketball and baseball at Jamesville-DeWitt High School in suburban Syracuse. He was an all-league selection in basketball and was a member of an undefeated state championship team in 2003-2004.
