release courtesy of Wheelock College

BOSTON, Mass. (January 6, 2012) – Stonehill College men's basketball assistant coach Matt LeVangie has been named head men's basketball coach at Wheelock College, it was announced today by Director of Athletics, Diana Cutaia.  

"I am so pleased to have Matt join the Wildcat Family," said Cutaia. "Matt brings with him a wealth of recruiting and game knowledge and a passion for the positive development of student-athletes. I know that he will take our program to a new level." 

LeVangie becomes just the second Head Men's Basketball Coach in school history since the program began in 2007.  

"I am extremely excited to be named head men's basketball coach at Wheelock College, and I would like to thank Director of Athletics, Diana Cutaia, and the college's administration for providing me with this tremendous opportunity," said LeVangie.  "This is an exciting time to be associated with the Wheelock Athletics program, and it is my goal to build a program at Wheelock that the college, alumni, and community can be proud of." 

He comes to the Riverway campus with 10 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, including the last three at the NCAA Division II level and has helped guide his teams to a combined 166-96 (.634) record.  His experience has allowed him to excel in scouting, recruiting and development of both frontcourt and backcourt players, including a number of all-conference honorees. 

The Scituate, Mass., native served as an Assistant Coach for the last three years at Division II Stonehill College, where he helped to direct the Skyhawks to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances as well as the Northeast-10 Conference regular season crown.  

Prior to Stonehill, LeVangie was the Associate Head Coach at Lasell College for three campaigns, where he helped lead the Lasers to a Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and NCAA tournament berth in 2008 and the GNAC regular season title the following season.  LeVangie spent two seasons as the Associate Head Coach at his alma mater, University of Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg, VA as well and began his coaching career with a two-year stint as an Assistant Coach at Suffolk University from 2002-04. 

The former point guard has also helped hone the skills of many players at various well-known area basketball camps. 

LeVangie enjoyed a four-year playing career at Mary Washington and was a Captain for his final season with the Eagles.  He graduated from Mary Washington in 2002 with a bachelor of arts degree in history and added a masters degree in special education from the same institution in 2008. 

A resident of Easton, Mass., LeVangie is currently a special education teacher in the Framingham school system. 

Wheelock men's basketball is currently 3-7 on the season and will be in action again on Saturday, January 7 when it takes on Newbury College for a 2:00 p.m. contest to be played on the campus of Hellenic College in Brookline, Mass.

"We are all thrilled for Matt and his new opportunity at Wheelock," said Stonehill head coach David McLaughlin. "Matt was an invaluable part of both our staff as well as the Stonehill community over his three years here at Stonehill. His role has increased each year, and his responsibilities were extensive both on and off of the court. His effectiveness in terms of on the floor coaching, scouting, and recruiting will be a loss for our program. 

"Beyond basketball-specific roles, Matt did a tremendous job of immersing himself in the Stonehill community," continued McLaughlin. "His ability to relate to and communicate with our players was one of his strongest qualities, and this will translate well in his new position. He has the skill set to hold his new players accountable both on and off the floor, yet be someone who will allow and help them to grow as young men during their respective college careers. We wish Matt the best of luck in his first head coaching position."