After a season in which the SUNY Potsdam men's and women's basketball teams each went 1-24, the college announced new head coaches for both programs.
SUNY Potsdam athletic director James Zalacca announced James Bechtel as the Bears men's basketball program's 10th head coach. Bechtel comes to SUNY Potsdam after four years at SUNY-Canton.
"Jim's proven success and experience as a head coach clearly separated him from an otherwise extremely strong pool of candidates," said Zalacca. "He has demonstrated an ability to establish strong relationships not only with his athletes, both current and former, but also with the campus at large."
Bechtel spent the last four seasons coaching SUNY-Canton, overseeing the program's transition into the NCAA Division III ranks. Canton posted a 54-36 record for a .600 winning percentage under his leadership. Bechtel's Roos broke out this season with a 20-4 mark, the most by a Canton team in 30 years.
Brittany Cohen, who was a standout player at conference rival Cortland, takes over as the new head women's coach. Her grandfather Stan is a member of the Bears Hall of Fame.
"Her success as a player within the SUNYAC combined with her overall knowledge of our conference and ability to establish positive relationships quickly moved her to the top of an extremely talented applicant pool," said Zalacca. "The Cohen legacy has always commanded respect and admiration within our area and state. Grandpa Stan is sure to be smiling proudly. We're thrilled to have Brittany joining our staff and can't wait for her arrival on campus and beginning work with our program."
Cohen was a two-time SUNYAC Player of the Year at Cortland where she averaged over 15 points per game and nearly six assists per game. After graduating from Cortland in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology, Cohen turned her attention to coaching. She was a graduate assistant at Division II Le Moyne, an assistant coach at Nazareth and a player development intern for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.