Head coach Geno Ford is welcoming back a familiar face to his coaching staff in a marquee hire for the Stony Brook men’s basketball program.
Former student manager Mara Vaccaro will join the staff as the team’s graduate coach, starting this season. Vaccaro worked with the men’s basketball team during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, providing valuable assistance to Ford’s staff in his first season as head coach.
She will be one of six females on a men’s Division I basketball coaching staff this season and will continue a string of women on men’s staffs in the America East that dates back to 2018 when Edniesha Curry joined the University of Maine coaching staff.
“I am looking forward to working with Mara again,” the third-year head coach said. “She has many skills that will make her impactful to the team this season. She is a relentless worker who is always willing to pitch in and help in any area. She was an outstanding manager for us as an undergraduate student and I am very excited that she is back as a part of our program.”
Vaccaro will assist the program with film, basketball analytics, travel and also be on the floor to help during practices. Her proficiency in the analytics department landed her an internship with the New York Knicks during the summer of 2020.
“I am very thankful to Coach Ford for the opportunity to come back to Stony Brook and be part of our men’s basketball program,” she said. “I am excited to work with the great staff and many talented players we have here this season.”
Now getting her Master’s in Coaching, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from Stony Brook in May with a degree in Applied Mathematics and Statistics.
Her Seawolves tip off on November 9 at George Mason and will begin their home campaign on November 22 against Sacred Heart. That will be the first of a program-record 17 home games and tickets are on sale now!
