KINGS POINT, N.Y. – Kings Point assistant men's basketball coach and former Widener standout Chris Carideo was promoted to head coach April 24, replacing Bill Lange, who took an assistant's job at Villanova.
Carideo joined the Mariners' staff during the summer of 2000, primarily working with the perimeter players, serving as the film exchange and scouting coordinator, overseeing the Blue and Gray's conditioning program and academics, and serving as the athletic department's assistant athletic recruiting coordinator working in the admissions office. During his first season with the team, the Kings Point Mariners were 22-8, won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game, and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
Carideo came to Kings Point after serving as an assistant men's basketball coach at Widener for three years. During his tenure at Widener, Carideo was responsible for recruiting, coordinating team travel arrangements and working primarily with players at the guard positions. In 1997, Carideo worked with coach C. Alan Rowe, who led the Pioneers for 32 years and won more than 500 career games before retiring at the end of the 1997-98 season. He then worked two seasons under head coach Dave Duda. Under Duda, Widener had a two-season ledger of 42-14 and made their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 10 years.
Carideo started coaching the Pioneers after graduating from Widener in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in psychology. As an undergraduate, Carideo was a standout basketball player for the Pioneers. He scored 2,100 points earning MAC First-Team All-Conference honors all four years and achieving All-America second team status in 1995. He currently holds or held five NCAA Division III records, including 3-pointers made in a career (402), 3-pointers attempted in a career (1050), consecutive games with a 3-pointer (75), career 3-pointers made per game, and free-throw percentage for a season (95.5%).
After college, Carideo spent his played for a number of professional leagues in the region: first for the New Jersey Turnpikes of the USBL, then for the Trenton Flames of the IBL, and finally the Atlantic City Seagulls of the USBL.