Rob Pisanelli '00

August 13, 2001

GENEVA, N.Y.–Hobart College Head Basketball Coach Rich Roche has announced the appointment of Statesmen standout Rob Pisanelli '00, as assistant basketball coach for the 2001-02 season. He replaces Izzi Metz '98, who left the team after one season to join the Cornell University staff.

Pisanelli started 90 consecutive games for Hobart, while averaging 16.6 ppg. He holds the school records for both field goals made (593) and attempted (1,328), and is second on Hobart's all-time scoring list with 1,647 points. In his fourseasons, Pisanelli shot .447 from the floor and .367 from behind the arc, totaled 310 rebounds, 74 steals, and blocked 23 shots. He closed out his Statesmen career in style, garnering the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's Player of the Year Award, first-team UCAA and Rochester Area Colleges Athletics honors, as well as National Association of Basketball Coaches first-team All-East status. The guard was also named a Columbia Multimedia first-team All-American and D3hoops.com All-America honorable mention.

Last fall, Pisanelli joined the VASDA USA Silver team, a traveling club team that plays exhibitions against college teams, where he played in eight of the team's nine games, starting three and averaging 8.1 ppg. Pisanelli shot .413 from the floor, .375 from three-point range and was 18-of-19 from the free throw line.

After wrapping up the VASDA schedule, Pisanelli joined the Brooklyn Kings of the United States Basketball League in the spring of 2001. He played in six games for the Kings, averaging 5.3 ppg., while shooting .268 from the floor and .318 from three-point range.

Roche, the 2000-01 UCAA and NABC Division III East Region Coach of the Year, is pleased to have Pisanelli, whose primary responsibility will be recruiting, join his staff this season.

"It's nice to have an alumnus on board who knows the system, has played with some of the players, knows the program's expectations, and is one of the best players in school history," Roche said. "His knowledge of the school will be an advantage with recruiting."

Hobart finished the season 2000-01 campaign 20-8, capturing their first UCAA Championship, making their first NCAA Tournament appearance, and setting a school record for wins in a season. The Statesmen return eight lettermen, including UCAA Player of the Year Joe Corbett (18.9 ppg, 13.0 rpg), and will open the season at home with an exhibition game against Niagara College on Nov. 10, at 4 p.m