Veteran mentor Buonaguro consulting Golden Knights Basketball staffs
coach at the Division I level. His high basketball IQ, coupled with his ability to connect with and develop players, has been a wonderful complement to what our coaches are building here at Saint Rose. We are very fortunate to have Mitch on our team,” said Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Lori Anctil.
Buonaguro started his coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater, Boston College, from 197577. He joined Rollie Massimino’s Villanova staff for the 1977-78 campaign and stayed through 1985 after helping lead the Wildcats to the NCAA Championship. He then accepted the head coaching position at Fairfield,
where he remained through the 1990-91 season. After Fairfield, Buonaguro joined the coaching staffs as an assistant at Texas A&M (1991-96), Cleveland State (1996-2003), UNC-Greensboro (2003-2005), and Siena (2005-10). He then took over the Saints’ head coaching position (2010-13) and returned to Fairfield as an assistant (2015-19).
“When John (assistant coach Ardizone) and I learned that the consultant was Mitch, we were all in. Mitch brings great experience and knowledge, and we’d be nuts to say no,” said head women’s basketball coach Karen Haag. “Mitch’s role with our program has been to help us with scouting and practice. Mitch has been a tremendous help to us already; we all love him. He’s a great coach and a great person as well.”
“It is great having Coach Buonaguro as a consultant for our program. He brings a wealth of knowledge and really understands the college game. He has been a great addition assisting us with practice, game film, and strategy. It is extremely beneficial for our team to have someone with his background and experience. We look forward to him working with us as we continue Northeast-10 Conference play here in the new year,” said head men’s basketball coach Mike Perno.