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| Merchant Marine athletics photo |
David Muchnick spent 12 games calling the shots at Merchant Marine last season after men's basketball coach Danny Nee was suspended. Now he'll be taking over as head coach at Maine Maritime.
Muchnick replaces Chris Murphy, who retired this offseason after 22 years on the sidelines for Maine Maritime. The Mariners slipped to 2-23 last season.
Muchnick, who had been an assistant coach at Merchant Marine for four seasons, was also previously an assistant at Denison and Cortland State.
"I'm incredibly humbled and appreciative of the support from (athletic director) Steve Peed and the entire athletic department as we begin a new era for the Maine Maritime men's basketball program," Muchnick told Hoopsville's Dave McHugh. "This is an tremendous opportunity for me, and I'm ecstatic to begin working with our players and immediately getting to know them personally."
"What struck me about David, and resonated with the committee, is his love of the game and his genuine leadership," Peed said. "He is unabashedly himself and earnestly wants to pay forward every good deed every coach and mentor has done for him through the game.
"That approach created buy-in during a tumultuous time at Kings Point. He was put into a sink-or-swim situation, and he swam like hell. He is obviously a tenacious competitor and cares deeply about his students as athletes and individuals."
The Mariners went 6-6 under Muchnick's tenure and qualified for the Landmark Conference tournament, where they lost to Scranton in the semifinals.
Muchnick also comes in with some idea of how a maritime school works. "David's experience at USMMA provided him with insider's knowledge of a number of our academic programs and challenges facing regimental students," Peed said. "That will help him in recruiting from Day One, and he'll be speaking the same language as our current players from the outset."
Women's basketball has outpaced men's basketball significantly at Maine Maritime in recent seasons, including a 25-4 season in 2006-07 and regular trips to the North Atlantic Conference tournament. The men's program last had a winning record in 2003-04, going 13-11.
"I am looking to David to help build a buzz on campus and in Castine. We only have two sports in the winter, and we have a monopoly on entertainment in a quiet coastal village in a state that loves basketball," Peed noted. "We need to capitalize on that in order to make the programs a source of pride for the Academy. I believe we can achieve that. I saw fans pack in for the women's playoff game. I want to fill our stands on both ends of a doubleheader."
"From the infectious energy on campus, to the outstanding young men that attend Maine Maritime, I know Castine is a special place. A championship culture doesn't happen overnight, or by accident. But with a collaborative effort from our coaching staff and players, we will work tirelessly to build a basketball program that the entire Maine Maritime community and fan base can take pride in, and will be proud of.
Muchnick graduated from Geneseo State in 2005 with a degree in communications. He appeared in 65 games for the Blue Knights, finishing his career with a 41.4% three-point shooting percentage, good for top-10 in Geneseo history.