MONCTON, N.B. — Former Island Storm bench boss has repeated as the National Basketball League of Canada’s coach of the year.
The Moncton Magic head coach is the first person to solely win the award in back-to-back seasons. Salerno and Michael Ray Richardson of London tied for the award in 2012-13 after Richardson took the honours in 2011-12, the league’s first season.
Salerno led Moncton to the league title in 2019 and the squad picked up this season where it left off. The Magic had the league’s best record (19-4) and was on an eight-game win streak on March 12 when the season was halted by the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) pandemic.
“What we witnessed from the Magic organization under coach Salerno’s leadership coming off a championship season was truly remarkable,” said deputy commissioner Audley Stephenson. “The task of defending a championship title on a nightly basis is a difficult challenge that involves a deep level of preparation and dedication. Coach Salerno along with his coaching staff did a phenomenal job of ensuring that the Magic were prepared every single night.”
Crazy seeing some of these old clips! I am fortunate to have coached so many incredibly talented players over the years in the @NBLCanada #Grateful 🙌🏀🙏 https://t.co/PTstAoNUUb
— Joseph Salerno (@CoachSalerno1) May 14, 2020
Salerno coached the Storm for its first six seasons, dating back to the league’s first season in 2011-12. He is the only person to have his name on the top coach award three times in the 10-year history.
