SUNY Orange Women’s Basketball Coach John Lauro, who has guided the Colts since 2010, has announced his retirement from coaching. A career educator and coach, his coaching career spanned decades, including the past 11 years at the College.
Lauro compiled a 122-115 overall record with the Colts, helping him surpass 500 coaching victories in a career that included stints at both the high school and collegiate levels, as well as leading successful medal-winning teams at the Empire State Games.
“John has been a tremendous leader for our women’s basketball team,” said Wayne Smith, SUNY Orange athletic director. “He is respected in basketball circles for his knowledge of the game and his coaching expertise. But more importantly, he cared deeply for his players and was committed to their success and growth both on and off the court. He will leave a lasting impact on our athletic program because he made all of us better as students, athletes, coaches and administrators. We wish he and his wife Cathy a wonderful retirement.”
Under Lauro’s tutelage, SUNY Orange’s women’s basketball team was a perennial conference title contender and appeared in many Region XV championship games and district tournaments. In addition to the many all-conference and all-region selections who played for Lauro, he also coached a pair of All-Americans.
Lauro’s resume includes four New York State Championships while at Tuxedo High School and 10 league titles at various schools in Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties. Equally impressive are the programs that the respected mentor turned around. In 2002, he took over a Sleepy Hollow High School team that had gone 0-20 and guided it to two Sectional qualifiers in 2004 and 2005.
Collegiately, he coached at the NCAA Division I and II levels. As head coach at Pace University, Lauro oversaw a team that was ranked in the NCAA Division II Top 20 for four consecutive years. His Pace teams participated in the ECAC Tournament, the NCAA playoffs, the Empire State Conference championship, and the Empire State Tournament. His success at Pace led to him being named the Converse Division II Eastern Region Coach of the Year. After Pace, Lauro coached at the United States Military Academy at West Point and Mercy College.
A search for Lauro’s replacement is currently under way.
https://sunyorange.edu/athletics/coltnews/john-lauro-to-retire.html
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