HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College men's basketball team honored the career of former head coach Mike Mucci before the final game of the 2017-18 season on Saturday against Johns Hopkins. Mucci retired from Haverford after serving as the Fords' head coach for 22 years following the 2016-17 season.
Among his coaching accolades, the Fords' former leader was named the Philadelphia Small Colleges Coaches Association Coach of the Year following the 2002-03 season. Coach Mucci was recognized with the Sam Schoenfield Sportsmanship Award by the College Basketball Officials Association at the conclusion of the 2011 campaign. He became the program's all-time winningest coach with a 64-59 victory against Dickinson inside the Calvin J. Gooding '84 Arena during the 2009-10 season.
Mucci's student-athletes stood out among the best at Haverford College as three were named Varsity Cup recipients, three were named Gregory Kannerstein '63 Award recipients, six were named A.W. Haddleton Award winners, and one was named the Archibald MacIntosh '21 Award recipient.
Haddleton Award recipient Timothy Mulvaney '00, who later served as an assistant coach on Mucci's staff, summed up his experience at Haverford by saying. "Haverford's basketball team enjoys the thrill of participating in one of the most competitive Division III Conferences in the country, yet coach Mucci and his colleagues in the athletics department strike an important balance by concentrating not only on competition but on sportsmanship, leadership, community service, and of course, academic excellence."
Saturday was also the program's Alumni Day where former student-athletes – the majority of which were coached by Mike Mucci – returned to campus for a friendly competition before the retirement reception.
Alumni returning on Saturday included George Shotzbarger '73, Ryan Hoffman '97, Will McCulloch '99, Kevin Gregory '01, Jack Reynolds '01, Christopher Riley '02, Sam Adams '03, Brent Anderson '09, Matthew Stitt '09, Lekan O'Nicholson '11, Sam Permutt '11, Ian Goldberg '12, Bo Abrams '14, Sean Bernhard '14, Louis Cipriano '14, Brett Cohen '14, Gibby Graves '15, James Levine '15, Henry Stevens '16, Justin Winkler '16, and Matt Sherman '17. Former assistant coaches Jim Rowe and Jason Rash were also in attendance along with the 2017-18 Fords.
At the end of the reception, the Haverford College Athletic Department announced that it was establishing "The Mike Mucci Award" in honor of the program's longest tenured coach. The Mike Mucci Award will be presented when the coach staff feels it is warranted based on an upperclass member of the team who consistently displays high character, sportsmanship, and an unwavering commitment to the values of the program, athletic department, and broader Haverford community.
Senior Jeremy Evans was announced as the first-ever recipient of that award. A team captain this year, Evans finished his collegiate career with 50 appearances. He was named to the Centennial Conference All-Sportsmanship Team during the 2016 season and will be a three-time selection to the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll after postseason awards are announced in the coming weeks.