MILTON, Mass. – Curry College Athletic Director Vinnie Eruzione announced on Friday the appointment of Joseph Busacca as the Colonels' head men's basketball coach.

"We are extremely excited to announce the hire of Joseph as our new head men's basketball coach," said Eruzione. "Joseph will be bringing a great deal of energy and confidence to the program which we feel will only lead to success moving forward. He comes to Curry College from Manhattanville College highly recommended as an excellent student of the game, an outstanding communicator, and a tireless recruiter. Joseph has a passion for the game at the division three level and understands the importance of academics, community outreach, and alumni involvement."

During his two-year stint on the staff at Manhattanville, he coordinated the development of student-athletes on and off the floor, counseling the squad to a 3.42 team cumulative grade point average. On the court, Busacca helped develop and recruit the 2017-18 Middle Athletic Conference (MAC) Freedom Rookie of the Year, among other All-Conference performers.

"I am very grateful for the opportunity to be the next men's basketball coach at Curry College," Busacca said. "I'm extremely thankful for President Quigley, Vinnie Eruzione, and the rest of the College for entrusting me with taking the program over. My main job is going to create a culture and an identity for our student-athletes that will allow them to be successful in the classroom as well as on the court. Curry College has an incredibly bright future all around and I'm excited to be apart of it."

In addition to his player and academic development background, he assisted in conditioning, planning practices, and assisted sports programs assigned by the Athletic Director or Head Coach. On the court, Busacca served as the Offensive Coordinator and was in charge of the substitution pattern and rotation for every game.

Busacca also had administrative duties that included film and scouting, scheduling and managing facilities, coordinated all travel and meals for away games, and worked closely with the Assistant AD who oversaw the budget.

Busacca has experience conducting clinics at the Hoop Group Top 100, PGC and OneBasketball while also serving as the assistant coach for the Staten Island Musketeers Association AAU Program and a junior varsity assistant coach at Moore Catholic High School.

As a student-athlete at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa., Busacca was a four-year member of the basketball team. He served as a captain during 2015 and captured many individual honors. Busacca was the Wendy's Male Athlete of the Year in 2015, the MAC Conference Player of the Year, MAC First Team All-Conference, D3 Hoops All-Region First Team, NABC First Team All-Region, D3 News Honorable Mention All-American, Freedom Conference Championship MVP, ECAC Second Team All-Star, Misericordia Team MVP, and a 1,000 point scorer.

Outside of coaching, Busacca has volunteered for many community services projects which include the Special Olympics, runner recruitment for the road races, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Busacca and the Colonels open up the 2018-19 season at home against Rivier University on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 6:00 p.m.