Former Siena Assistants Now D-III Head Coaches

Good coaches don't stay unemployed for very long.

Two of Siena assistants from the Saints' women's team who lost their positions when the school fired its long-time head coach Gina Castelli this past March recently were name as head coaches at Division III programs in New York State.

Michelle Collins, a Siena assistant for the past five seasons, was recently named to take over the program at Hamilton College.

Josh Suttles, a member of the Siena staff this past season, was recently hired as head coach at Manhattanville.

Collins not only coached at Siena but played there (1988-89 through 1991-92). She is the MAAC's all-time leader in assists per game (5.69) and is eighth on the league's all-time list for steals per game (2.62).

Collins had also been an assistant coach at Canisius and the University of Buffalo. Before returning to Siena as an assistant she was the head coach at Division III SUNY Oswego where she compiled a 114-73 record.

She turned around a struggling program there, one that only won five games in her first season but had 20 or more victories in her last four seasons with the program.

Suttles also has an extensive background. Prior to spending last season at Siena he spent two seasons as the top assistant at Division I Sacramento State University.

Before that he was the head coach at SUNY Cobleskill from 2003-09. There he helped transition that program from the junior college level to NCAA Division III status, and coached the team to the most-successful years in program history. He had a 125-44 record there, after taking over a program that had nine total victories in the two seasons before his arrival.