Michael Coppolino joined the Bruins' coaching ranks in May of 2019 as the George Fox women's basketball coach. He enters his fourth season at the helm in 2022-23.
Coppolino shepherded the Bruins through two challenging seasons in the wake of the COVID outbreak, leading the team to a combined 17-16 record overall and a 13-10 showing against Northwest Conference opponents from 2020-21 to 2021-22. Ella Roberts emerged as an all-confernce wing during that time and earned a second-team All-NWC honor in 2021-22.
The women's basketball team at Fox has established itself as one of the nation's most consistent winners at the D-III level, with three Final Four appearances, six Elite-8 seasons, ten Sweet-16 showings, and one national championship (2009) since the 2000-01 season.
In 2019-20, the Bruins finished the season with a 23-6 overall record, an NWC Tournament win at Whitman, and a berth in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen round of the national tournament. While COVID-19 halted the Bruins' progress, they also notched two All-Conference selections in Emily Holder and Emily Spencer, while also watching Spencer eclipse 1000 career points in what proved to be her last game as a Bruin. As a team, the Bruins tallied the No. 12 team GPA in all NCAA DIII women's basketball and were ranked as high as No. 8 during the season, finishing at No. 17 in the final 2019-20 poll.
Prior to joining the Bruins' staff at Fox, Coppolino most recently led Mount Saint Mary College of Newburgh, New York, to an 18-0 Skyline Conference record and 23-6 overall mark in 2018-19.
In his six seasons as head coach at Mount Saint Mary College, Coppolino posted a 91-69 overall record, including a 69-27 mark against Skyline Conference rivals. In the past two years combined, his Knights went 35-1 in Skyline Conference play, and in 2019 the squad recorded the school's sixth-ever win in the NCAA Tournament with an 85-80 victory over Westfield State in the opening round.
Mount Saint Mary's recent success stands in contrast to the 2013-14 season, when the Knights went 5-20. Coppolino, an interim head coach on that squad, turned the program's fortunes around, making the jump from nine wins to 14 victories from year two to year three before posting 19-, 21- and 23-win seasons. For his accomplishments, he was named the Skyline Conference's Coach of the Year in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
"I am excited to be bringing Michael Coppolino into our program and am confident he understands our values of athletic excellence, academic success and Christ-like character, recognizing the high bar set by previous coaches Michael Meek and Scott Rueck," said George Fox Athletic Director Adam Puckett.
"The head coaching position for our program attracted an incredible number of talented coaches from across the nation. I am thankful for a fantastic group of coworkers who served on our hiring committee, spending countless hours selecting the right coach. Mike's passion, determination to win, and his basketball acumen shined through during the interview process, and I am confident we have found the best candidate to lead our program into the future."
Coppolino said he is looking forward to the opportunity to coach at a university "that values each student individually – where they are known by name and not just a number."
"Looking at George Fox, I was so impressed by its 'students first' motto and the belief in empowering each student throughout their college experience," he said. "My coaching philosophy is to help each student find their passion while being an educator and role model both on and off the basketball court.
"As a coach, my core values are honesty, discipline, attitude and passion. These are important traits to have and develop in college and well beyond in your career and livelihood. Being able to strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ while learning, growing and developing as a young student and person is what makes playing at a Division III school like George Fox so unique and special."
Prior to taking over the women's basketball program at Mount Saint Mary, Coppolino served as the assistant coach on the school's men's basketball team, helping with recruiting, on-court coaching and player development during the 2012-13 campaign. He helped steer the Knights to a 19-9 overall record, including a 14-4 mark in Skyline play. Coppolino has also led the college's men's golf program since 2014.
Before his arrival at Mount Saint Mary, Coppolino was an assistant coach with Alfred University's men's basketball program in 2011-12. Previously, he was a clubhouse attendant with the Boston Red Sox from 2000 to 2011, where he won two World Series rings in 2004 and 2007.
A 2007 graduate of Eckerd College with a degree in business management, Coppolino completed a master's degree in business administration at Alfred University in 2012. He and his wife, Jessica, make the move from New York's "Newburgh" to Oregon's "Newberg" with the new role as the Bruins' head coach.
GFU Milestones
Sweet 16 Appearance - @ Amherst - Mar. 13, 2020
25th win - 68-52 @ Linfield - Mar. 20, 2021
