Enrico Mastroianni has been named Centenary's new men's basketball coach.
Mastroianni comes to Centenary after spending the last four seasons as the associate head coach at Misericordia. He replaces Andy DeStephano, whose contract was not renewed after four seasons in which the Cyclones went 9-88. Centenary was 4-20 this past season.
During his time at Misericordia, Mastroianni was also the head JV coach, academic coordinator for the men's basketball team, top recruiter and major contributor to all strategic game-day and practice planning.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to lead the Cyclones into the future," said Mastroianni. "I believe in this team and our administration. I have no doubt that together we will do what is necessary to be successful!”
When asked how she feels about Mastroianni taking over the program, Centenary AD Billie Blackwell said: "We are very excited to have Enrico join our staff. He brings great passion and energy for the game. I am pleased to have him take over our men's basketball program and look forward to a new era of Cyclone basketball."
Mastroianni is a 1999 graduate of Penn State where he completed his undergraduate degree in marketing and international business. He completed a master's in education at Misericordia.
Last season, the Cougars ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense and 11th in field goal percentage defense, finished in a tie for second place in the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference and reached the semifinals of the ECAC tournament. Improving the team's defense will be the first point of focus for Mastroianni. Last year the Cyclones gave up 83.3 points per game to their opponents.
"It isn't really hard to figure out what we need to do in order to be better right away; play better defense and take care of the basketball," said Mastroianni. "I believe this team has great potential — now we need to focus on being more disciplined and making better decisions."
The Cyclones have not had a winning season in the past 10 years. The program returns six players from last year's roster, including five individuals that each averaged nearly 25 minutes a game.
"We have some challenges ahead, but they are challenges we will face head on and as one unit together," Mastroianni said. "I want to improve the culture and attitude of this program, we have to get to a place where we can expect to be competitive and win. Success cannot be measured only by wins and losses; I want our guys to understand that they are preparing for the next step in life. Our players will understand that the classroom comes first and if we can have success in there, the wins will follow.”