Staff Directory
Pecora, Tom
Tom Pecora
- Title:
- Men's Basketball Head Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- (203) 582-3786
PECORA IN THE MEDIA
- New York Post: How Tom Pecora went from near-exile to one step away from Quinnipiac’s first March Madness in just one year (by Mike Vaccaro)
- Washington Post: The other side of Cinderella - Almost two decades ago, Tom Pecora watched George Mason make the Final Four with an NCAA tournament bid he thought would be his. Why is he still smiling?
Tom Pecora will enter his third season as Head Coach at Quinnipiac University in 2025-26.
Pecora – a veteran with 16 years of experience as a head coach at the Division I level – has won back-to-back MAAC Coach of the Year awards after leading Quinnipiac to two consecutive regular season titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25. The Bobcats went 15-5 in league play during Pecora’s first season at the helm in 2023-24, then followed up with another 15-5 MAAC record in 2024-25.
Pecora just completed his eighth season in total with the Bobcats (previously served as Associate HC from 2017-2023). He was announced as Quinnipiac’s next Head Coach on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
Pecora has guided his teams to 305-279 record as a collegiate Head Coach (stops at SUNY Farmingdale, Hofstra, Fordham, and Quinnipiac).
He reached 300 total wins on Feb. 14, 2025 after helping lead the Bobcats to a win over Sacred Heart on ESPNU. Quinnipiac has won 130 total games during Pecora’s time on staff (since 2017), tallying double-digit win totals in seven of eight seasons.
Pecora has coached NBA players at his previous two stops as head coach – Speedy Claxton, Norman Richardson, and Charles Jenkins (at Hofstra), and Eric Paschall (at Fordham).
Pecora’s teams have also posted incredible success in the classroom over his time in coaching. He has graduated every student-athlete under his guidance over a 40+ year span.
YEAR 1 as HEAD COACH (2023-24)
Pecora led the Bobcats to a record-breaking 2023-24 campaign during his first year at the helm, eventually earning MAAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Bobcats to the top seed in the conference. Quinnipiac set a new program record for wins (24) during the benchmark season, as the Bobcats went 15-5 in league play to capture the program’s first-ever MAAC Regular Season Championship. The Bobcats set a new program record for total points (2,630) under Pecora. Quinnipiac defeated each MAAC opponent at least once.
QU's 19-4 start over their first 23 games marked the program's best start to a year since the 1965-66 campaign. Quinnipiac won 10 consecutive games from Jan. 5 – Feb. 8. The Bobcats finished the month of January with a 7-0 record, marking the first perfect month in the university's Division I history.
Graduate guard Matt Balanc earned MAAC Player of the Year honors under Pecora’s tutelage. Balanc also finished as a First Team All-MAAC selection after averaging 17.9 PPG, while Savion Lewis and Amarri Tice were named to the All-MAAC Second Team.
YEAR 2 as HEAD COACH (2024-25)
Quinnipiac went 15-5 in MAAC play once again in 2024-25, capturing the program’s second consecutive MAAC Regular Season Championship. The Bobcats went 20-13 in total during Pecora’s second season at the helm. QU went 12-2 at home during 2024-25.
The Bobcats had the MAAC Player of the Year for the second straight year, as well, as forward Amarri Monroe won the league’s award after averaging 18.1 PPG & 9.1 RPG. Monroe and teammate Paul Otieno were named to the All-MAAC First Team, while Jaden Zimmerman earned a spot on the league’s All-Rookie squad.
Prior to Quinnipiac
A native of Queens Village, New York, Pecora attended Martin Van Buren High School before moving on to Adelphi University, where he graduated in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health. He was inducted into Adelphi’s Hall of Fame in 2002.
Pecora entered the coaching profession as an assistant to Bob McKillop at Long Island Lutheran High School from 1984 through 1987. Pecora then served as an assistant coach to Stu Klein at Nassau Community College in Garden City from 1987 through 1989. During his tenure at Nassau Community College, the Lions posted back-to-back 25-win seasons and in 1989 played in the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament for the only time in school history.
Following his time at Nassau Community College, Pecora served as head basketball coach at the State University of New York at Farmingdale from 1989-92. In three seasons at SUNY Farmingdale, the Rams posted a 62-24 record, captured the Region 15 championship in 1992 (when they finished 20-9), advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament and were ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 junior college programs.
Pecora’s next stop was at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas in 1992-93, where he served as an assistant coach, along with Jay Wright, under legendary coach Rollie Massimino.
Pecora then first joined the Hofstra staff in 1994-1995 as an assistant under Jay Wright. In seven years as an assistant with the Pride, Pecora played an integral role in building the Hofstra program into one of the top programs in the country. The Pride registered a 50-12 record over the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons, ranking sixth in the nation in winning percentage over that span (.806). Hofstra captured America East Championships and earned NCAA Division I Tournament berths in his final two seasons as an assistant coach (2000 and 2001).
As a head coach at Hofstra, Pecora compiled a 155-126 mark in nine seasons, leading the Pride to four postseason appearances (three NIT and one CBI), the most for any New York City team over that nine-year span. In 16 years at Hofstra with Pecora on the staff (nine years as a head coach, seven as an assistant), the Pride averaged 19 wins a season (246-161).
During his time in Hempstead, Hofstra was the winningest program in the Metropolitan New York area. Over his last six years, Hofstra won 121 games, including four 20-win seasons. In 2006 and 2009, he was named Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) and he also received regional Coach of the Year honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY).
Pecora also had tremendous success in developing guards while at Hofstra. As an assistant, he recruited NBA guards Speedy Claxton and Norman Richardson, while as a head coach, he recruited three guards who scored over 2,000 career points -- Loren Stokes, Antoine Agudio and Charles Jenkins. Claxton, Richardson, Stokes and Jenkins all won their conference Player of the Year Awards, while Jenkins also played in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers.
Pecora’s teams combined for a 69-26 record in the three years from 2004-07, registering three consecutive 20-win seasons and making three straight postseason National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearances. He was on the bench for seven of the nine 20-win seasons that Hofstra has recorded at the Division I level.
In 2005-2006, Pecora led the Pride to a history-making 26-7 record, tying the school’s wins record and advancing to the quarterfinals of the NIT. Hofstra’s two wins in the NIT marked the school’s first two postseason wins at the NCAA Division I level. In addition, the Pride placed third in the Colonial Athletic Association regular season with a 14-4 conference mark, continuing a five-year streak of improving its CAA record in every season since joining the league in 2001-02 (Pecora’s first season). The MBWA named Pecora their 2005-2006 Division I Coach of the Year, while the NABC named him their District 2 Coach of the Year.
Pecora then served as Head Coach at Fordham from 2010-25. In his first season at Fordham in 2010-11, Pecora picked up a big local win over St. John’s while in 2011-12, he guided the Rams to a win over Georgia Tech from the ACC in a sold out Rose Hill Gym and then upended nationally ranked Harvard, Fordham’s first win over a Top 25 team since 2000. Pecora took a program that won two games in all of 2009-2010 to nine home wins in 2011-2012. Fordham also notched a winning non-conference record that winter, the first winning non-conference slate for the Rams since 2006-2007. Pecora also had success on the recruiting trail at Fordham, as his 2013-2014 class was led by Jon Severe, a Parade All-American and the first ever New York State Mr. Basketball to sign with the Rams.
Pecora and his wife, the former Mary Beth Cantwell, have two daughters, Amanda and Brianna, and a son, Sean.
- New York Post: How Tom Pecora went from near-exile to one step away from Quinnipiac’s first March Madness in just one year (by Mike Vaccaro)
- Washington Post: The other side of Cinderella - Almost two decades ago, Tom Pecora watched George Mason make the Final Four with an NCAA tournament bid he thought would be his. Why is he still smiling?
Tom Pecora will enter his third season as Head Coach at Quinnipiac University in 2025-26.
Pecora – a veteran with 16 years of experience as a head coach at the Division I level – has won back-to-back MAAC Coach of the Year awards after leading Quinnipiac to two consecutive regular season titles in 2023-24 and 2024-25. The Bobcats went 15-5 in league play during Pecora’s first season at the helm in 2023-24, then followed up with another 15-5 MAAC record in 2024-25.
Pecora just completed his eighth season in total with the Bobcats (previously served as Associate HC from 2017-2023). He was announced as Quinnipiac’s next Head Coach on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
Pecora has guided his teams to 305-279 record as a collegiate Head Coach (stops at SUNY Farmingdale, Hofstra, Fordham, and Quinnipiac).
He reached 300 total wins on Feb. 14, 2025 after helping lead the Bobcats to a win over Sacred Heart on ESPNU. Quinnipiac has won 130 total games during Pecora’s time on staff (since 2017), tallying double-digit win totals in seven of eight seasons.
Pecora has coached NBA players at his previous two stops as head coach – Speedy Claxton, Norman Richardson, and Charles Jenkins (at Hofstra), and Eric Paschall (at Fordham).
Pecora’s teams have also posted incredible success in the classroom over his time in coaching. He has graduated every student-athlete under his guidance over a 40+ year span.
YEAR 1 as HEAD COACH (2023-24)
Pecora led the Bobcats to a record-breaking 2023-24 campaign during his first year at the helm, eventually earning MAAC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Bobcats to the top seed in the conference. Quinnipiac set a new program record for wins (24) during the benchmark season, as the Bobcats went 15-5 in league play to capture the program’s first-ever MAAC Regular Season Championship. The Bobcats set a new program record for total points (2,630) under Pecora. Quinnipiac defeated each MAAC opponent at least once.
QU's 19-4 start over their first 23 games marked the program's best start to a year since the 1965-66 campaign. Quinnipiac won 10 consecutive games from Jan. 5 – Feb. 8. The Bobcats finished the month of January with a 7-0 record, marking the first perfect month in the university's Division I history.
Graduate guard Matt Balanc earned MAAC Player of the Year honors under Pecora’s tutelage. Balanc also finished as a First Team All-MAAC selection after averaging 17.9 PPG, while Savion Lewis and Amarri Tice were named to the All-MAAC Second Team.
YEAR 2 as HEAD COACH (2024-25)
Quinnipiac went 15-5 in MAAC play once again in 2024-25, capturing the program’s second consecutive MAAC Regular Season Championship. The Bobcats went 20-13 in total during Pecora’s second season at the helm. QU went 12-2 at home during 2024-25.
The Bobcats had the MAAC Player of the Year for the second straight year, as well, as forward Amarri Monroe won the league’s award after averaging 18.1 PPG & 9.1 RPG. Monroe and teammate Paul Otieno were named to the All-MAAC First Team, while Jaden Zimmerman earned a spot on the league’s All-Rookie squad.
Prior to Quinnipiac
A native of Queens Village, New York, Pecora attended Martin Van Buren High School before moving on to Adelphi University, where he graduated in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education and health. He was inducted into Adelphi’s Hall of Fame in 2002.
Pecora entered the coaching profession as an assistant to Bob McKillop at Long Island Lutheran High School from 1984 through 1987. Pecora then served as an assistant coach to Stu Klein at Nassau Community College in Garden City from 1987 through 1989. During his tenure at Nassau Community College, the Lions posted back-to-back 25-win seasons and in 1989 played in the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament for the only time in school history.
Following his time at Nassau Community College, Pecora served as head basketball coach at the State University of New York at Farmingdale from 1989-92. In three seasons at SUNY Farmingdale, the Rams posted a 62-24 record, captured the Region 15 championship in 1992 (when they finished 20-9), advanced to the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament and were ranked as one of the nation’s top 20 junior college programs.
Pecora’s next stop was at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas in 1992-93, where he served as an assistant coach, along with Jay Wright, under legendary coach Rollie Massimino.
Pecora then first joined the Hofstra staff in 1994-1995 as an assistant under Jay Wright. In seven years as an assistant with the Pride, Pecora played an integral role in building the Hofstra program into one of the top programs in the country. The Pride registered a 50-12 record over the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons, ranking sixth in the nation in winning percentage over that span (.806). Hofstra captured America East Championships and earned NCAA Division I Tournament berths in his final two seasons as an assistant coach (2000 and 2001).
As a head coach at Hofstra, Pecora compiled a 155-126 mark in nine seasons, leading the Pride to four postseason appearances (three NIT and one CBI), the most for any New York City team over that nine-year span. In 16 years at Hofstra with Pecora on the staff (nine years as a head coach, seven as an assistant), the Pride averaged 19 wins a season (246-161).
During his time in Hempstead, Hofstra was the winningest program in the Metropolitan New York area. Over his last six years, Hofstra won 121 games, including four 20-win seasons. In 2006 and 2009, he was named Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) and he also received regional Coach of the Year honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY).
Pecora also had tremendous success in developing guards while at Hofstra. As an assistant, he recruited NBA guards Speedy Claxton and Norman Richardson, while as a head coach, he recruited three guards who scored over 2,000 career points -- Loren Stokes, Antoine Agudio and Charles Jenkins. Claxton, Richardson, Stokes and Jenkins all won their conference Player of the Year Awards, while Jenkins also played in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers.
Pecora’s teams combined for a 69-26 record in the three years from 2004-07, registering three consecutive 20-win seasons and making three straight postseason National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearances. He was on the bench for seven of the nine 20-win seasons that Hofstra has recorded at the Division I level.
In 2005-2006, Pecora led the Pride to a history-making 26-7 record, tying the school’s wins record and advancing to the quarterfinals of the NIT. Hofstra’s two wins in the NIT marked the school’s first two postseason wins at the NCAA Division I level. In addition, the Pride placed third in the Colonial Athletic Association regular season with a 14-4 conference mark, continuing a five-year streak of improving its CAA record in every season since joining the league in 2001-02 (Pecora’s first season). The MBWA named Pecora their 2005-2006 Division I Coach of the Year, while the NABC named him their District 2 Coach of the Year.
Pecora then served as Head Coach at Fordham from 2010-25. In his first season at Fordham in 2010-11, Pecora picked up a big local win over St. John’s while in 2011-12, he guided the Rams to a win over Georgia Tech from the ACC in a sold out Rose Hill Gym and then upended nationally ranked Harvard, Fordham’s first win over a Top 25 team since 2000. Pecora took a program that won two games in all of 2009-2010 to nine home wins in 2011-2012. Fordham also notched a winning non-conference record that winter, the first winning non-conference slate for the Rams since 2006-2007. Pecora also had success on the recruiting trail at Fordham, as his 2013-2014 class was led by Jon Severe, a Parade All-American and the first ever New York State Mr. Basketball to sign with the Rams.
Pecora and his wife, the former Mary Beth Cantwell, have two daughters, Amanda and Brianna, and a son, Sean.
Women's Rugby: Quinnipiac vs. Brown
Saturday, September 06
Coaches Road Show at Bears BBQ
Thursday, September 04
Alumni Game Mic'd Up (pres. by Aunt Chilada's) - Chris Cerella and Mike Lombardi
Thursday, August 21
The Roar - Episode 1: Greg Amodio
Friday, August 15
