John D. Coffino is an American and international basketball coach, athletic mentor, and scout. He has coached in the NBA, G-League, FIBA, Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East, NCAA Div I & NCAA Div II, the ABA, ABL other leagues, and high school. After a long tenure coaching overseas, in 2018 Coach Coffino returned home and most recently has been a head coach at multiple
post-graduate
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree.
The organization and stru ...
sports academies at
IMG Academy
IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...
, a 4A academy in Florida, and FC
Coastal Prep Sports Academy He brings that vital experience of coaching, player development, and college placement of players with him as he builds th
Prestige Worldwide Sports Academy BasketballProgram. In addition to coaching and recruiting, Coffino also trains and certifies coaches and runs grassroots youth programs. Every summer, Coffino works overseas and at U.S. basketball camps in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York.
Coffino speaks several languages and is active on social media.
Biography
John D. Coffino was born November 7, 1962, in New York City and raised in the Bronx. He is an American and international basketball players' coach, scout, and athletic mentor whose career started in 1992 and he has coached at all levels from associate head coach at Westchester Community College to NBA D-League head coach. In 2011, Coach Coffino started his overseas coaching from Qatar and continues to several countries including Spain, China, Kenya, the Republic of Georgia, the United Kingdom, the Republic of the Maldives, and Denmark. He gained a nationwide reputation for his ability to identify outstanding talents and effectively recruit both high school and junior college players. Coach Coffino has extensive recruiting contacts in the New York/NJ area and all of the East Coast that stretches across the United States to the West Coast as well as internationally. Coffino has also been a West Coast scout for the NBA with Clibhoops.net Draft Services.
Coffino, a graduate of
St. Peter's College in Jersey City, began his coaching career at
Westchester Community College
Westchester Community College (WCC) is a public community college in Valhalla, New York, in Westchester County. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system.
History
New York Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences becomes Westc ...
(1992–97) in Valhalla, New York, where he guided the Vikings to the National Junior College Athletic Association DI Tourney in 1993. While coaching at St. Peter's, Coffino and Wagner head coach
Mike Deane
Mike Deane (born September 27, 1951) is an American college basketball coach who most recently was a men's assistant coach at James Madison University. He retired at the end of the 2017 basketball season. He was previously head basketball coach ...
were NCAA Tournament analysts on ''The Wally and the Keeg Show'' on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York City.
In April 2012, Coffino was named the head coach of the
Albany Legends of the Independent Basketball Association (IBA) where he steered them to the IBA championship game. Coffino came to the Legends from the
Qatar Sports Club
Qatar Sports Club ( ar, نادي قطر الرياضي) is a sports club based in Doha, Qatar. It is best known for its football team which competes in the Qatar Stars League. The club was founded in 1961 as a merger of two Qatari football club ...
, the State of Qatar in the Middle East, where he was a head coach. Before Qatar Sports Club, Coffino was the head coach for the
Albuquerque Thunderbirds
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
('08-'10) of the NBA Development League where he coached
Alando Tucker
Alando Forest Tucker (born February 11, 1984) is an American former collegiate basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketba ...
,
D. J. Strawberry (
Phoenix Suns),
Carlos Powell
Ricardo Auturo "Carlos" Powell (born August 29, 1983) is an American basketball player, who last played for Trotamundos de Carabobo of the Liga Profesional de Baloncesto in Venezuela.
He is notable for receiving the NIT Most Valuable Player awar ...
(NBA player),
Kevin Pittsnogle
Kevin Lee Pittsnogle Jr. (born July 30, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for the Pittsburgh Xplosion of the CBA ,
Keith McLeod
Keith McLeod (born November 5, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player and current varsity boys basketball head coach at East Canton High School in Canton, Ohio. He is tall. He has also played in the NBA for the Minnesota Timbe ...
(NBA) and
Antoine Agudio. Coffino was originally asked to join the Thunderbirds by then head coach
Jeff Ruland
Jeffrey George Ruland (born December 16, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He is the former head coach of the Iona Gaels men's basketball team and the UDC Firebirds men's college basketball team.
Early life an ...
as an assistant coach. It was a reuniting; Ruland and Coffino were former head and assistant coaches, respectively, for some very good Iona College teams in late 1990s.
From 2010 to the present, Coffino has run and worked several Basketball and Day camps all over the U.S. and internationally and has been a guest speaker at several Basketball Clinics. In 2011-2012, Coffino worked as an Analyst at Aljazeera's Sports Show and EuroBasket Academy. Coach Coffino is a frequent guest on different sports programs and podcasts like, MPV cast, Never Follow Trends Podcast, The Mindset Athlete, FBBL360's show., Never Follow Trends Podcast, The Mindset Athlete, FBBL360's show.
International Coaching
Coach Coffino’s international experience started in 2011 as a head coach of Qatar Sports Club.
After a year of successful coaching in Qatar, Coach Coffino returned to the US, before deciding in August 2013 to continue his overseas coaching journey with Dankind Academy in Nairobi as a head coach and a director of basketball operations. During that time his team won the NBA championship.
Right after the Dankind Academy in June 2014, Coach Coffino became the head coach of
British Basketball League
The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...
side
Cheshire Phoenix
The Cheshire Phoenix are a professional basketball team based in Ellesmere Port, England. Founded in 1984, they are members of the British Basketball League and play their home games at the Cheshire Oaks Arena. From 1993 until 2015 the team was ...
, some notable names from the NBA who worked with Coffino endorsed the move. “Congratulations to the Cheshire Phoenix! Not only have you hired a great coach and teacher but also a person of high character and integrity. Coach Coffino will not be outworked,” said Mitch Kupchak, general manager of the Los Angeles Lakers Bob Hill, former coach of the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs, and the Seattle Supersonics said: “The Cheshire Phoenix have hired a terrific person as well as an outstanding coach! Congratulations on an excellent hire!” And Jeff Ruland, NBA All Star and former coach at the Philadelphia 76ers stated, “I have known John for over 20 years. He is a tireless worker and has great people skills. Cheshire is very lucky to have him.” But for Coach Coffino, the focus is on the future and how he can help Phoenix achieve success on and off the court. Coffino was awarded the Molten BBL Coach of the Month award for December 2014 after having led the Phoenix on an eight-game winning streak during the month. Coffino is the best coach Cheshire has had in the last decade.
In the summer of 2015, Coffino was appointed as the head coach of
BC Sukhumi
BC Sukhumi ( ka, ს.კ. სოხუმი) is a professional basketball club from the city of Sukhumi, that plays in the Georgian Superliga. The club is currently based in Tbilisi.
History
The club was established in 1991 in Sukhumi. Shortly af ...
of the
Georgian Superliga
The Georgian Basketball Super League ( ka, საკალათბურთო სუპერლიგა, Sakalatburto Superliga), also known as the Georgian Top League, is the highest professional basketball league in Georgia. The first season ...
. After already coaching the 2015 edition of the Scorers 1st Showcase, Coffino returned there in the 2016 edition of the event and served as the head-coach for Team E in July. From 1 July 2017 to August 2017 Coffino was a head coach at Europrobasketball Academy. The same year, November 2015, Coffino was offered the position of director of player development and a head coach, Boys Basketball Program in
QSI International School of Tbilisi. The High School Boys basketball team coached by Coffino won 1st place in the Basketball Classics Tournament on Feb 2015, 2016, 2017,2018 hosted by QSI Tbilisi and International School of Kiev, Ukraine.
From September 2017 to May 2018, Coach Coffino was Supervisor of Basketball Coaches, Zaza
Pachulia Basketball Academy in Tbilisi, Georgia. From May 2018 until December 2018, Coffino was the head basketball coach for the men's senior national team for the Republic of the Maldives. He guided his team to the gold round of the regional tournament in Bangladesh. In June 2019, he signed a contract with the Vejen Basketball Klub in Denmark.
Coach Coffino managed to guide the club that was at the bottom of the league to one of the most respectful teams in Denmark. In October 2019 he moved back to Florida, U.S., where he coaches and recruits for several sports academies.
Career Timeline
Games Coached
Camps
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coffino, John
Living people
Albuquerque Thunderbirds coaches
Basketball coaches from New York (state)
Iona Gaels men's basketball coaches
Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States
Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball coaches
Place of birth missing (living people)
Saint Peter's Peacocks men's basketball coaches
Saint Peter's University alumni
1962 births