Coach Joseph Cocozello enters his 21st season as the Bears head coach after serving as an assistant from the summer of 1999 up until he was promoted to head coach following the 2002 season. The 1995 alumnus of St. Joseph's saw immediate success on the hardwood as he guided his alma mater to an 18-11 record and its first-ever USCAA National Tournament appearance. Under his tutelage, the sixth-seeded Bears pulled off back-to-back upsets to reach the USCAA Division II National Tournament Championship before falling to Johnson and Wales University of Florida.
During the 2005-06 season, Cocozello guided the Bears to a school-record 21 wins, surpassing the 20 wins garnered by his 1992-93 squad; repeating the feat the following year. During his 13 years with the Bears as members of the USCAA, St. Joseph’s qualified for six National Tournament appearances, most recently in 2015 capping their third straight winning season after back-to-back 18-win campaigns.
Prior to entering the Skyline Conference, Cocozello enjoyed tremendous success posting an impressive 71-14 (.835) mark and having won six regular-season championships as members of the then-Hudson Valley Men’s Athletic Conference (HVMAC). In 2008, St. Joseph’s won their first-ever conference championship as they defeated Berkeley College, 74-54. The Bears won their second title in 2010 after completing an undefeated season against conference opposition. In 2014, Cocozello led the Bears to the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Conference (HVIAC) title after finishing an unbeaten campaign through conference play with an 18-win season.
Since taking over at the helm for the Bears he has overseen the Bears transition into the NCAA and has been named HVIAC (formerly HVMAC) Coach of the Year seven times, USCAA National Coach of the Year in 2005, and Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Coach of the Year four times. However, he is most proud of having two student-athletes being named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans—David Louison '15 and Michael Megafu '16, as well as the successes of all of his former players.
In their first Skyline Conference season in 2015-16, Cocozello guided the Bears to runner-up honors after a cinderella run in the Skyline title; entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed and knocking off the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds before falling one game shy of the program's first NCAA Championship berth.
Despite his success on the court, Cocozello places winning as his third priority. "First and foremost, the primary goal is to instill in our student-athletes that it is honor and a privilege to represent St. Joseph’s University, and it is to be done at all times with pride and dignity both on and off the court. Second, our expectations for our student-athletes in the classroom supersede our on-the-court expectations. We want them to graduate in four years as well-prepared men, ready to enter the next phase of their life. Ultimately, if we can be successful in accomplishing those first two goals, the basketball will take care of itself.
It is with great satisfaction that Cocozello has alums, Alec Willis (’18) and Sebastien Etheart (’20) back on the sidelines with him for the 2023-2024 season. Their addition to the coaching staff has been instrumental for our program. Both have stepped up into a leadership role in all facets of the day-to-day activities. They have allowed for Cocozello to take a step back and view things from a different perspective. “It is my goal to give Alec and Seb as much coaching experience as possible and prepare them to one day lead their own programs.”
Cocozello had an accomplished career for the Bears scoring close to 1500 points and his teams compiled a 58-55 record during his four years. After a one-year hiatus from the court, he was offered the freshman head coaching position at Tottenville High School in Staten Island where he also served as an assistant to Mike Reape on the varsity bench. Cocozello then spent two seasons at St. Peter’s High School in Staten Island where he was mentored by his high school coaches, Rich LaGrotta and Charlie Driscoll, two of the winningest coaches in the history of Staten Island High School basketball before receiving the offer to return to his alma mater. “I am grateful to Joe Ross for bringing me on staff in 1999 and to Sherrie Van Arnam for entrusting me with the program and supporting me throughout the years.”
Cocozello earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from St. Joseph’s College, and a Masters in education from St. John's University. After 18 years in the classroom, he is currently in his 10th year as principal at Blessed Sacrament School in Staten Island. He is also managing partner of J&J Sea Tackle Company, a wholesale fishing tackle manufacturer. Cocozello resides in Lincroft, N.J. with his wife Jennifer, and is the proud father of son Jackson and daughters Morgan and Jordyn.
