In just three years as head coach of the C.W. Post men’s basketball team, Tim Cluess has already taken the program to unprecedented heights, vaulting the Pioneers into the national spotlight and into a nationally-ranked caliber team.

 

Entering his fourth season at C.W. Post, Cluess will no doubt look for a repeat of 2008-09’s success.

Last season saw the East Coast Conference Coach of the Year guide the Pioneers to an undefeated regular season – the first in school history – and 30-1 overall record.

 

The Pioneers won their second straight ECC regular season and Championship title and defeated Bentley University, 82-76, in overtime in front of thousands on their home court to win the NCAA East Region Championship title and advance to the Elite Eight Tournament in Springfield, Mass. The second-ranked C.W. Post squad met top-ranked Findlay University in the semifinal round and lost a heartbreaker to the eventual National Champions, 89-79, in overtime. In the final Division II national rankings, C.W. Post was ranked first in scoring margin (22.4) and second in assists per game (20.3).

 

For his outstanding efforts, Cluess was named the Basketball Times Division II Co-Coach of the Year as well as All-Met Division II Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

 

The 2007-08 season saw Cluess’ squad post a 26-5 overall record, including an 18-2 clip in the conference. C.W. Post claimed its first regular season and conference titles since the 2003-04 season with a 60-57 win to advance to the NCAA Northeast Regional at Bentley College. He was voted the East Coast Conference Coach of the Year by his peers, and was named the All-Met Division II Coach of the Year.

 

In 2006, his first year at the helm, Cluess guided the Pioneers to a 19-11 record and an appearance in the East Coast Conference Championships final.

 

In addition to the team’s successes over the past three seasons, Cluess also mentored one of the best basketball players in the history of the program in Jonathan Schmidt. Schmidt, playing for three seasons under Cluess’ tutelage, was elevated to All-American his senior year by Basketball Times and Division II Bulletin. He ended his career with 1,980 career points, setting a new school record for career points scored. He also broke several other career records including three pointers made (213) and free throws made (517).

 

Cluess was named the eighth head men’s basketball coach in the 50-year history of the Pioneers’ program in April of 2006, after spending the 2005-06 campaign as the head men’s basketball coach at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood, N.Y. He led a team of eight players to a 22-10 record overall, as well as a Region XV championship and a fourth-place finish in the NJCAA Division III Tournament. The trip to the national tournament was the first in the Longhorns’ history, and Cluess was tabbed as the District 5 Coach of the Year.

 

Many in the Metropolitan area will remember Cluess from his time as head coach at St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset, N.Y. (1991-05), where the Gaels went a remarkable 264-78 (.772) during his tenure. St. Mary’s won a record eight consecutive Nassau-Suffolk Catholic League championships from 1997-98 to 2004-05. In that final season with Cluess as their mentor, the Gaels went 25-1 and finished the season ranked in the top-20 nationally after holding the No. 1 ranking for eight weeks of the campaign. Cluess helped develop over 50 players who moved on to the collegiate and professional ranks at St. Mary’s and won three state titles and two Federation championships at the Manhasset school. A seven-time coach of the year in the high school ranks, fans across the country may remember Cluess-led St. Mary’s squads winning such tournaments as the Beach Ball Classic and the Las Vegas Prep Classic.

Cluess played professional basketball in Europe and Australia after a collegiate career at both St. John’s and Hofstra. He attended St. John’s from 1978-81, before completing his coursework at Hofstra from 1982-83.

 

Cluess, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Hofstra, currently resides in Floral Park, N.Y. with his wife, Karen, and their two children – Kevin (13) and T.J. (11).