Joe Pellicane has always been focused on doing the right thing for his players and students. Whether as a guidance counselor or a basketball coach, Joe has always seen himself as an educator who helps his kids grow and develop.
Born in Brooklyn, Joe’s family moved to Long Island and he attended North Babylon High School. While at North Babylon he played for basketball coach Brendan McCann and earned All-County honors in both baseball and basketball. After graduating in 1965, Joe started his college career at Southampton. He then transferred to Biscayne College in Florida, but decided to return home to attend Adelphi Suffolk in 1967. Joe played point guard under coaches Frank Layden and Dick Berg, and held several records for assists. In his senior year, Joe played alongside fellow honoree Ed Ehmann, and helped the team to a 23-2 overall record. That team finished in the top ten of the NAIA post-season rankings, and defeated Marist for the CIAC championship. Joe’s former coach Dick Berg describes him as: “A hard-working, intense competitor that made the team go… He had great basketball knowledge and court awareness that made him a successful player, and that translated into his coaching.”
After graduating Dowling in 1970 with a BS in Education/Social Sciences, Joe returned to North Babylon as a social studies teacher. He eventually moved from teaching into guidance, where he has worked predominantly with special education and ESL students during the past several years. Joe retired this year having contact with over 5000 students during his 30 years in the North Babylon School District.
After coaching in the North Babylon and Huntington School Districts, Joe began his college coaching career with the development of a new program at Suffolk Community College West. In one year at Suffolk West, Joe led the team to a 17-7 overall record. The following year he started his three-year tenure as head coach at SUNY-Farmingdale, posting a 65-23 record and a national ranking all three years. Joe spent one year assisting his former coach Dick Berg at Hofstra, and returned to Dowling as head coach in 1986. In his 13 seasons as Dowling’s men’s coach, Joe compiled an overall record of 205-161, and became a highly regarded coach in a very competitive region. His 1988 squad won an ECAC championship, and in 1995 and 1998 Dowling earned NCAA playoff bids. After a year away from coaching, Joe returned to Dowling and took over the women’s program. In two seasons the team posted a 38-20 record. In 2001-2002 the team won 21 games and appeared in the NYCAC conference finals.
In the summer of 2002 Hoe decided to take a major step in his career by leaving Dowling to become an assistant women’s basketball coach at Division I St. John’s University. Joe and his wife Linda reside in Deer Park. They have three children: Andrea, Keith, and Lauren.
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