RIVERDALE, N.Y. ? Matt Alarcon has joined the Manhattan College women's basketball staff as an assistant coach, Head Coach Myndi Hill announced today. Alarcon, a 2005 graduate of Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, comes to Riverdale from Velocity Sports Performance, where he worked as a sports performance coach.
“I'm excited to have Matt join our staff,” Hill said. “His experience in strength & conditioning combined with his energy and enthusiasm will have an immediate impact on our program.”
“Being from New York, it's great to get my start in coaching at Manhattan,” Alarcon said. “As much as I loved training, I missed being part of a team. I like the feeling of getting ready for a game and knowing that I'm a part of it.”
Alarcon started at Velocity in 2007. He was responsible for implementing and executing high-performance training programs for athletes of all ages in a variety of sports. Among the players he worked with at Velocity were former Manhattan women's basketball players Caitlin Flood and Aubrie Dellinger. In addition to serving as an assistant coach, he will continue his strength & conditioning role with the Lady Jaspers.
“Velocity was a great experience because we had coaches from everywhere,” Alarcon said. “I was exposed to many different styles and methods, and I was able to learn from each of them.”
He has also run offseason training programs for basketball players at Island Garden in West Hempstead, N.Y., since 2005 and is a certified personal trainer.
As a point guard, Alarcon led Mount St. Vincent to the conference championship game and a No. 4 ranking during the 2004-05 season. He attended St. Mary's High School in Manhassett, N.Y., and helped the Gaels win three consecutive CHSAA championships. St. Mary's played in two state championship games, winning the title in 2000.
The Lady Jaspers open the 2008-09 season at St. Francis (N.Y.) on Nov. 14. Manhattan's home opener is against St. John's on Nov. 22.
