May 13, 2010
Bronx, N.Y. - Fordham University head men's basketball coach Tom Pecora announced his staff today with the hiring of Van Macon as Associate Head Coach and David Duke and Michael Kelly as assistant coaches. In addition to the coaches, Pecora named John Corso as the Director of Basketball Operations and Mike DePaoli as Video Coordinator. All five were members of Pecora's staff at Hofstra.
Macon served at Hofstra the past nine years, the last three as Associate Head Coach under Pecora. He joined the Pride staff in 2001-02 after spending the 2000-2001 season as an assistant at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York.
At Hofstra, Macon served as the recruiting, scheduling and scouting coordinator for the Pride. He was also responsible for offensive execution and the development of Hofstra's frontcourt players.
Macon began his college coaching career in 1995 as an assistant at SUNY-Farmingdale and then moved to Adelphi for a one-year stint as an assistant, leading the Panthers to an NCAA Division II tournament berth. In June 1997 Macon moved up to the Division I ranks as an assistant at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He helped coach the Leopards to a 19-9 overall record, which included a regular-season Patriot League championship and a spot in the Patriot League championship game.
After one season at Lafayette, Macon left to become an assistant coach at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York for two seasons and then returned to Adelphi in July of 2000, leading the Division II Panthers to a 31-1 record, the best in the country in any division.
Macon began his collegiate playing career at Nassau Community College, where he was recruited by Pecora, who was an assistant coach at Nassau at the time. He was voted the Region XV and Region XV Tournament Most Valuable Player as he led Nassau to the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament in 1990. A team captain in 1991, he earned All-Region XV accolades on his way to graduating as Nassau's second all-time leading scorer.
After graduating from Nassau, Macon went on to Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York, where he was a medical red-shirt for one season (1991-92) before transferring to Southampton College. He played at Southampton for two seasons and was team captain and Most Valuable Player as a senior. Macon graduated from Southampton in 1994 with a degree in English literature.
Duke just completed his tenth season as an assistant coach at Hofstra, after serving two years as a graduate manager.
At Hofstra, Duke was responsible for budgeting and purchasing, defensive execution, guard development, and the supervision of Hofstra's team managers. He also assisted in all aspects of the recruiting process and coordinates home game day procedures.
In his first season as an assistant coach in 2000-01, Duke helped the Pride to a 26-5 record, tying the record for the most wins in school history. Hofstra also captured America East regular season and postseason championships and won 18 straight games at one point, the longest single-season streak in school history.
In the summer months, Duke has coached the Long Island Men's Open team Division team at the Empire State Games, winning consecutive championships in 2003 and 2004. Long Island had only won two gold medals in the previous 25 years of the competition.
Duke is a 1997 graduate of the State University at Albany with a dual major in communications and education. He was a four-year starter at Cardozo High School in Bayside, New York, where he shared the backcourt with current NBA star Rafer Alston. He also played on the basketball team at the New York Institute of Technology during the 1997-98 season.
Kelly, a 2005 graduate of Haverford College, arrives at Fordham after serving four years on the Pride staff, being named an assistant coach in June of 2006.
Kelly spent the 2005-06 season a graduate manager at Hofstra, assisting with the individual instruction of the Pride's players, as well as the program's video scouting reports and film exchange. His efforts helped the Pride to a 26-7 record and a quarterfinal appearance in the Postseason National Invitation Tournament. The 26 wins tied a school record for most victories in a season, while the Pride's two wins in the Postseason NIT represented the first two Division I postseason wins in school history.
At Hofstra, Kelly coordinated the individual instruction programs of all players, supervised the Hofstra Basketball academic program, and directed the film exchange program. Kelly's responsibilities also include serving as facilities coordinator, and scheduling practices, workouts, walkthroughs, and weight training sessions. In addition, Kelly worked on the development of Hofstra's guards, the team's overall execution, and assisted with recruiting, playbook and basketball organization.
While at Haverford, Kelly played for four seasons on the men's basketball team. He ranks third all-time at Haverford in career three-pointers made and in career free throw percentage, and was also chosen for the team's Best Defensive Player Award. He also was a member of the Haverford track and field team, earning a bronze medal at the prestigious Penn Relays as a member of the 4x400 relay team. Kelly graduated from Haverford with a degree in mathematics.
Corso just completed his eighth season as the Assistant to the Athletic Director for Men's Basketball Operations at Hofstra. He served as the Basketball staff liaison to the Athletic Department and Colonial Athletic Association. He also acted as student services coordinator for the men's basketball team, as well as handling all travel arrangements for the squad and assisting with NCAA compliance. Corso also assisted in the production of a quarterly newsletter, and in the areas of community relations and summer camps.
Corso returned to coaching after working in the private sector since 1990. He began is coaching career in 1983, serving as the assistant basketball coach at Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville, New York. In 1985 he moved on to Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, New York, as an assistant to Bob McKillop. In 1989 Corso followed McKillop to Davidson College in North Carolina, and served as his assistant for one season before leaving the coaching ranks.
A native of Jackson Heights, New York, Corso enjoyed a stellar scholastic career at Holy Trinity High School in Hicksville, New York. The 1978 graduate was a three-year varsity starter and was the first 1,000-point scorer in school history. He was a two-time Newsday All-Long Island selection and a Street and Smith honorable mention All-American, as well as earning team Most Valuable Player honors as a junior and senior.
Following his high school graduation, Corso played basketball at Davidson from 1978 through 1980 before transferring to Adelphi University. He graduated from Adelphi in 1982 with a degree in social sciences. He then earned a master's in athletic administration from Adelphi in 1984.
DePaoli arrives at Rose Hill after spending the past two years as a graduate assistant under Pecora at Hofstra. He was responsible for game and practice preparation, on-court and individual instruction as well as film-exchange and video editing.
Prior to his stint at Hofstra, DePaoli was a graduate assistant at Pace University in Pleasantville, N.Y. in 2007-08, where his duties included recruiting, creating scouting reports, organizing film exchange and video editing.
DePaoli has worked at numerous camps both during and after college. Most recently he served as a camp director for the Tom Pecora Basketball Camp in 2008 and 2009. He also served as an instructor at the Duke University Basketball Camp and Five Star Camp in 2007.
A 2007 graduate of The College of Saint Rose with a degree in Adolescent Education, DePaoli is currently completing a master's degree in physical education from Hofstra. He was a four-year letter winner with the men's basketball program at St. Rose, helping the Golden Knights qualify for two NCAA Division II Tournaments (2005, 2007), and served as a team captain his senior year (2007).
