(SYDNEY, N.S.) – Cape Breton University's department of athletics is pleased to announce David Petroziello as the new head coach for the Capers men's basketball team.
"We are very excited to have David joining the Capers family," said CBU director of athletics John Ryan. "He has great passion for the sport and his knowledge of the game is second to none.
"We feel David is an excellent choice to lead our basketball program for years to come and we want extend a warm welcome to he and his family."
Petroziello will take over Matt Skinn, who stepped down in March for family reasons after guiding the Capers for the past four seasons.
"The tradition of winning and support at CBU is second to none," said Petroziello. "I love and respect the game and I felt from the beginning that I would certainly not be the only one to feel that way here. Where there is commitment, passion and support great things can happen.
"I love smaller schools and the sense of family we get from being a part of a university community like this one. Family is everything to me, so knowing that our students here at CBU are more than faces in the crowd means a lot because I want to be a part of an institution that cares about its students as individuals, not just numbers."
Cape Breton offered more than just a rich basketball history for Montreal-native Petroziello, who admittedly fell in love with the sense of community when he visited CBU and knew it would be the perfect place to begin his CIS career.
A former assistant coach with Simon Fraser University, Petrroziello comes to the Capers with head coaching experience at both the college level with Keyano College (Alberta) and Saint Mary's University (Alberta) and the professional level in Australia with Toowoomba Basketball Association and Bunbury Basketball Association.
"I am thrilled to be stepping into my first CIS head coaching role in a place like Cape Breton and at an institution like CBU," he said. "My whole family is excited to be joining such a welcoming and warm community where my wife Seema and I can see our two boys benefiting so greatly from an amazing extended Capers and Cape Breton family."
With his first season only a few months away, Petroziello knows he will have his work cut out for him, but is confident the Capers will be back in title contention before long.
"My expectations for the season are simple: we want to attack each day with a humble attitude, focused on getting better and making the improvements we need to grow as a team," said Petroziello. "We will keep our focus on improving each day on the court, in the weight room, as well as academically and in the community. Every day we want to make an impact and move the needle towards where we want to be.
"In the end we want to do the work every day to be ready come game day. There is a fantastic nucleus of guys with the talent and experience to compete in the AUS. We want to add the pieces we need so the team is ready to go come the fall. Keeping our focus on development and growth will help us put a team on the floor the community can relate to and get behind; it's going to be a great ride!"
Petroziello is expected to arrive in Cape Breton in early June.
Source: Cape Breton University Sports Communications