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| Staten Island athletics photo by Brian Wong |
After an 11-year run with the women's basketball program, including the last six as head coach, Tim Shanahan has resigned from his position, it is announced today. Shanahan announced his resignation to staffers earlier this week, leaving as the school's third-longest tenured head coach, amassing a 116-54 record capped with two consecutive 20-plus win seasons.
"It's hard to walk away from something you love, but I felt it was the right time," said Shanahan. "I am not sure if the enormity has truly hit me yet because I know there will be so much I will miss, but when you have to talk yourself into doing something you love to do, it's a signal to step away, and I felt this was the right choice right now for myself, my family, the school, and most of all, the women on the team. Fifteen years ago if someone would have told me I would have been a collegiate coach for 10 years, no one would have laughed harder than me, and to step away now seems surreal. I don't think I am done by any stretch, it was just the right time for a break. Everyone associated with the school has done everything to welcome me and make me feel at home and support me and so I never wanted to give less than everything I had to the job, and so it was the right time to step aside."
Shanahan began his collegiate coaching career with CSI in 2007-08 under Marguerite Moran, coinciding with his daughter, Allie, also joining the squad as a freshman that same season. The Dolphins immediately posted a 21-8 season and the following year the team finished 23-6 en route to the school's first and only ECAC championship in the sport. In 2012-13, Shanahan took over as head coach following the departure of Moran, and he led the team to the first of four consecutive CUNYAC semifinal appearances and ECAC tournament berths.
In 2016-17, while winning CUNYAC Coach of the Year honors, Shanahan led the Dolphins to a 22-7 finish and the school's first CUNYAC championship in 12 years thanks to a 53-42 win over Brooklyn in the title game. The next weekend, CSI would make their fifth trip to the Division III NCAA Tournament, achieving the destination for the first time since the 2004-05 season. CSI's latest installment in 2017-18 finished with a CUNYAC finals appearance and a 21-6 overall record. In Shanahan's six seasons as head coach, a total of seven CSI single-season and career individual and team records have been set.
"I've been very fortunate," said Shanahan. "The kids do the hard part. They put the ball in the net, set the screens, run the floor, and I am so grateful for the success we've had. What I am most proud of, however, is that our kids graduate. It's the one thing we stress all the time and our team buys into that. I could not have asked for more effort from them than what they did for me on the court, but more importantly, in the classroom."
While Shanahan has not ruled out coaching in the future, he does intend to take a break from the sidelines, enjoying more time with his family away from the court and enjoying the game from a different perspective. His daughter joined him on the sidelines in time for the 2017-18 season, while his niece, Victoria Gallinaro, was a four-year standout for the team while serving as an assistant coach the past two years. Shanahan's 116 wins as head coach are second only to Moran's 253. His winning percentage of .682, however, is tops of all coaches who have spend five or more seasons at the helm.
"How many fathers get a chance to coach their daughter and then coach with them along with my niece?" he said. "I've been blessed. The relationships we forge, from the administration, the custodians, the security personnel at the front gate, the fellow coaches and support staff, my assistants, they carry the entire program and help us achieve what we have. They are all friends and family before colleagues. It's been a fabulous place to work. I am truly heartbroken to leave, but I know it is for the right reasons."
The search for a replacement will begin immediately at the school. The CSI women's basketball season officially starts on Oct. 15 with preseason practice and officially commences play on Nov. 8.