University of New England interim athletic director Curt Smyth
announced that Ed Silva will become UNE's next head men's
basketball coach. Silva will replace Jason Mulligan, who resigned
in February.
UNE went 6-19 this past season, including an 0-12 start.
Silva comes to UNE from Elms, where he put together a
206-111 record in 11 seasons at the head of the Blazer bench. Under
his direction, Elms won seven consecutive conference championships
from 2005-11, leading to six NCAA Tournament appearances during
that time.
Inheriting a team that went 2-21 prior to his arrival, Silva
had the Blazers in the NCAA Tournament four years later. More
recently in 2008-09, Silva guided Elms to a program-record 26-2
mark and the school's first national ranking. The Blazers peaked at No. 12 in the
D3hoops.com Top 25 that season while leading the country in
steals per game and scoring margin. The following season Elms
captured the Eastern College Athletic Conference New England
championship.
Prior to his time at Elms, Silva served as an assistant
coach at Eastern Connecticut from 1996-2001, helping guide the
Warriors to a Little East Conference title and NCAA Championship
appearance in 2000. He also served as an assistant coach at Hesser
College during the 1993-94 season.
A graduate of Eastern Connecticut, Silva earned his
bachelor's degree in sociology in 1997 and went on to attain a
master's degree in social work from the University of Connecticut
in 2002. He was an all-conference basketball player while at
Eastern Connecticut, and participated in the 1996 New England
Senior All-Star Game, as well as being named a Met Life
Scholar-Athlete.
In addition to his coaching duties at Elms, Silva was a
faculty member and part of numerous campus committees. He
is very active in the coaching profession and currently serves on
the NCAA New England Regional Championship Committee and the
NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee. Silva is a member of the
National Association of Basketball Coaches and Black Coaches and
Administrators.
Silva is eager to take over the Nor'easters'
basketball program.
"I am extremely excited and thankful for this
amazing opportunity," he said. "From the moment I arrived on
campus, I was captivated by the picturesque location, warmth of the
people, and commitment to excellence. The energy is inspiring and
will drive all that we do with the men's basketball program in the
classroom, community, and on the court. I look forward to sparking
a new era in Nor'easter men's basketball."
"We feel Ed is the ideal candidate to lead us to
prominence within our conference, as well as
regionally," Smyth said of Silva. "He has demonstrated an
ability to build a program designed to sustain competitive success,
and he places a high value on developing student-athletes in all
facets of their lives. We are thrilled to add him to our
outstanding coaching staff."