Monroe University Director of Athletics Lou Melendez has announced the hiring of Mike Seney as the new women's basketball coach ahead of the 2025-26 season.
"I am very interested to see how Mike adapts and grows into the fabric of New York City and to the Monroe University community," Melendez said. "He brings tons of enthusiasm and excitement along with a history of winning and transitioning student-athletes to four-year programs. I look forward to working with him in providing a nationally competitive program with sustained success both on the court and in the classroom."
Seney has coached for more than ten years at the junior college level, starting out as an assistant coach with Harford Community College before taking over the program ahead of the 2014-15 season. After five years in Bel Air, Seney was appointed head coach of CCBC Essex, guiding the Knights to four consecutive Final Four appearances and a national championship in 2023 behind a 36-1 record.
During his time in the Maryland coaching circuit, Seney has taken notice of Monroe, citing it as "the gold standard of JUCO on the East Coast."
"Monroe gives us a platform and I think I'm the type of coach that can come right in and put those type of expectations on a program because I know we are worthy of them," Seney said.
Seney is all about his student-athletes getting as much exposure as possible to excel and move onto the next level. He credits the social media aspect of the team's exposure as "giving the student-athletes' game a voice."
The national champion winning coach also preaches togetherness. Whether that's having fun on the court or attending other events on the athletic calendar, Seney's units have showcased familial camaraderie at each of his stops.
"The number one thing that you have to bring as a head coach is culture, an identity," Seney said. "[During my time with other programs], our culture has always been based off of we, the team, and the family part of it."
And that culture has translated to performance on the court. During his five years at Essex, Seney accumulated an impressive 161-14 record, including a 57-1 home record. His team shoots threes, plays fast and aggressive, and the ball always finds the energy.
No stranger to the national stage, Seney is ecstatic to begin working with the Mustangs and showcase his culture on the grandest stage in JUCO women's basketball.
"At Essex, we always left an impact when we were at the national tournament, and I can't wait to get out to [the Division I National Tournament] and really show how together a team can be," Seney said.
Seney's goal is to win a national championship from day one, citing that his team must live up to the gold standard on the court and in the classroom.
"We want to be a flagship program, not just on the East Coast, but all across JUCO athletics," Seney said. "We're going to put a product out there each and every night that Monroe Mustangs fans can be proud of."
