March 3, 2005

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Nick Macarchuk, who guided the Stony Brook University's men's basketball program through the transition to NCAA Division I for six seasons as coach, will retire at the conclusion of the 2004-05 season. The announcement was made today by Macarchuk and Director of Athletics Jim Fiore. Macarchuk will remain on the Stony Brook staff as a Special Assistant to Fiore to assist with fundraising and community relations.

The Seawolves have an 11-16 overall record and finished 6-12 in America East conference play this season. The Seawolves play Hartford in the first round of the America East tournament on Friday in Binghamton, N.Y. In 28 years of coaching, Macarchuk has 373 career coaching victories. He is the only Division I coach Stony Brook University has ever had in six years at that level.

"Nick's decision to retire from coaching is a dramatic loss to the college coaching profession," Fiore said. "The unique qualities that have defined Nick's career; his desire to win, his passion for mentoring young men and most importantly his understanding that the proper role of a coach is to advance the educational mission of the university are qualities not often exhibited in our profession today. Nick's integrity and high standards helped raise the overall level of performance and expectations of our entire athletic department."

"He has left a tremendous and positive impact on the Stony Brook athletic program, our university and the entire basketball community," said Fiore. "Over the course of his career, he has touched the lives of many throughout the game of basketball and will leave a legacy of class and distinction behind him. Truly an ambassador of the game, we are extremely grateful to Nick for his tireless efforts on behalf of our basketball program and the university. He and his family are a special part of the Stony Brook University family. We are thrilled that he will continue to be a formal member of our department in his new role as Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics."

"Nick is more than just a skilled coach," said Stony Brook University President Shirley Strum Kenny. "He is a wonderful teacher. He has been an important part of the establishment of our Division I athletics program, and I am delighted that he will remain a vital contributor to our University."

Macarchuk took over at Stony Brook in 1999 as it prepared to enter its first season of Division I competition, guiding the program through its transition as an independent to its current membership in the America East conference. His head coaching career has spanned three decades at three Division I institutions during which he has registered seven "Coach of the Year" awards and five NCAA appearances. He entered the 2004-05 season ranked No. 33 amongst the winningest active Division I coaches and his six-year mark at Stony Brook is 63-107. His overall record is 373-427.

Fiore will coordinate a national search for Macarchuk's successor immediately to ensure a smooth transition.

"I've had a truly satisfying career, and now I look forward to working with Jim in fundraising and community relations, two areas I have always enjoyed", said Macarchuck. "I would like to thank President Kenny for the opportunity she gave me six years ago. Although the transition to Division I was a tremendous challenge, President Kenny and the entire Stony Brook community provided all the support and resources that were promised," said Macarchuk. "I also want to thank all of the players, managers, coaches and administrators for the effort that was put forth to get the program off the ground. I especially would like to thank my son Nick who gave of himself in many ways for five years as we started the climb together. I would like to thank the America East Conference for giving us a home. The opportunity to get to the NCAA tournament was not possible before joining the conference. I am confident that the basketball program at Stony Brook University is headed in the right direction. The returning players have the talent and the understanding to continue to move forward and enjoy success in the future. Lastly, I really look forward to continue working with the University community in advancing the mission and performance of Stony Brook athletics."

On June 10, 1999 Macarchuk became the ninth coach in the program's history and the first at the Division I level. After a six-win season in his first year, Macarchuk guided the Seawolves to one of the best turnarounds in the nation as the Seawolves posted a 17-11 mark in 2000-01, its best season since the move to Division I. He was then instrumental in helping Stony Brook gain membership to the America East conference the following year.

In its third season of America East play last March, Macarchuk's team authored one of the greatest upsets in conference history. Entering the 2004 conference tournament as a No. 8 seed, the Seawolves knocked off UMBC in the first round to set up a quarterfinal match up with No. 1 seed and regular season champion Boston University. The Seawolves upset BU, 62-58, becoming the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the history of the America East tournament, propelling Stony Brook to the America East semifinals for the first time in its history.

At Stony Brook, he has recruited and coached some of the great players in the program's history, including four America East All-Conference selections. In his six years, two players were recognized by the N.Y. Metropolitan Basketball Writers as some of the finest in the metropolitan area. Leon Brisport, who sparked the 2000-01 team to a 17-11 record, was a second-team selection in 2001 and guard D.J. Munir, who finished fourth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,590 points, was a third-team pick in 2002 and 2004. Four of the players under his tenure at Stony Brook have gone on to play professionally in Europe.

In 2003, he recorded his 350th career victory against Boston University and at season's end will finish as one of only three coaches in the program's history to coach more than 150 games at the university. Stony Brook's final game of the 2004-05 regular season was Macarchuk's 800th as a Division I head coach, making him one of only 17 active Division I coaches to have reached that milestone.

Macarchuk's effect on the coaching profession has been deep and long lasting. Over 30 of his former assistants have gone on to distinguished coaching careers including Miami Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy and Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt. His son, Nick III, was a member of his staff for 10 years at both Fordham and Stony Brook before joining the Iona College coaching staff last spring.

He is also a very active member of the community, appearing at speaking engagements throughout the tri-state area to promote Stony Brook and the sport of basketball. He has teamed with Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora to host the annual Coaches for Cancer Golf Outing on Long Island each summer for the last 3 years.

Macarchuk began his coaching career at St. Thomas More Preparatory School where he compiled a nine-year record of 155-48 and led his team to three New England Prep School Championships (1969, 1970, 1971). He coached many collegiate players, including Providence College All-American Ernie DiGregorio, during his stay at St. Thomas More.

His success at St. Thomas More landed him a job on Dave Gavitt's staff as an assistant at Providence College in 1972. During the next five years, Macarchuk was part of one of the great eras in New England college basketball history, as the Friars made NCAA Tournament appearances in 1973, 1974 and 1977. In 1973, Providence made it to the NCAA Final Four and finished in the Top 10 in both the 1973 and 1974 campaigns.

Following the 1977 season, Macarchuk left Providence to take over a struggling Canisius program. After posting a 9-17 record in his first season, he led the Golden Griffins to three straight near .500 finishes before a 19-8 breakthrough year in 1981-82. Over the next five years, the Golden Griffins averaged 17 wins a season, making it to the National Invitation Tournament in 1985, its first postseason appearance in 28 years. He compiled a 149-128 record in 10 seasons and coached four NBA draft picks. In 1990, he was inducted into the Canisius College Hall of Fame.

Macarchuk took over the Fordham program in 1987 after the school had suffered its first back-to-back losing seasons in 10 years. In his first season, the Rams went 18-15, making the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament finals and qualifying for the NIT. Fordham's success continued in the upcoming years as they again went to the NIT in 1990 and won the inaugural Patriot League Championship in 1991 while advancing to the second round of the NIT. In 1992, the Rams repeated as Patriot League champs and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1970-71. The bid marked the first time in Macarchuk's career that his team qualified for the NCAA tournament.

In 1995, Fordham made the unprecedented move from the non-scholarship Patriot League to the Atlantic-10 Conference, one of the top eight basketball conferences in the country. Macarchuk led the Rams to a 12-15 record in his final season at Fordham, its best mark since making the jump to the Atlantic-10, earning 1998-99 Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year honors for that performance.

His exploits on the court have earned Macarchuk numerous coaching honors. Among his awards are seven league or district "Coach of the Year" awards, three at Canisius and four at Fordham.

A 1963 graduate of Fairfield University, the 6-4 forward was a two-time All-East selection (1962, 1963) with the Stags. He scored 1,217 points in just 73 games, while grabbing 942 rebounds. The senior captain graduated with a business degree in 1963 and was later inducted into the Fairfield Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2002, he was honored by the St. Thomas More School at its annual Founder's Dinner and in September of 2004, he was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, his third Hall of Fame honor.

Macarchuk is a native of Norwich, Connecticut and currently lives in Mt. Sinai, New York. He and his wife Patricia have three children: Nick III, Chris and Patrick. He has five grandchildren.