Tony Chiles officially announced as assistant coach
http://www.redstormsports.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040910aaa.htmlQUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's head men's basketball coach Steve Lavin announced today that Tony Chiles will join the Red Storm staff as an assistant coach. A veteran coach with ties to the New York area, Chiles' successful coaching career has included stints at Manhattan, Iona and Drexel, as well as two conference championships and four postseason appearances.
"Tony is as talented, capable and respected as any assistant coach in the country," said Lavin. "After delving through all the information during the search process for my staff, it became clear that Coach Chiles would be a perfect first choice as an assistant coach."
Chiles comes to STJ after spending the past six seasons at Drexel, where he was responsible for national recruiting, working with the guards and individual player development. Assisting with pregame scouting reports and game-day coaching, Chiles helped guide the Dragons to a Postseason NIT appearance in 2005 - his first season with the team - and to the semifinals of the Preseason NIT in his second year.
Prior to working at Drexel, Chiles was an assistant coach at Iona College under former NBA All-Star Jeff Ruland, helping lead the Gaels to consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of 20-win seasons. In his six-year tenure, he was instrumental in Iona's reemergence as one of the nation's top mid-major programs, developing strategies that enabled the Gaels to win 60 percent of their games. As the recruiting coordinator, he was responsible for landing prominent New York City talent, which included eight scholarship players from the New York Metropolitan area on the 2002-03 roster.
Chiles got his college coaching start at Manhattan College under Fran Fraschilla. In three seasons with the Jaspers, he assisted with recruiting, advanced scouting, bench coaching and individual player development. When Fraschilla left Manhattan to become head coach at St. John's, Chiles took over interim head coaching duties. Chiles played a major role in managing the community service activities of the team and the academic progress of the student-athletes.
A 1989 graduate of Columbia University, Chiles earned a degree in political science. A member of Columbia's Dean's List, Chiles was a four-year letterwinner and started at point guard for three seasons. Chiles still holds the school's single-game assist record with 19 against the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and is second on Columbia's all-time assist list with 323. He played his high school ball at All Hallows, leading his team to the New York City and New York State Championships in 1985. He was the valedictorian of his senior class.