Ralph Tomasso, Jesyka Burks-Wiley, and Tyler Patch have been named assistant coaches for the Brown women’s basketball team in an announcement made by Head Coach Sarah Behn on Monday.
"I’m excited about the staff we have put together here at Brown, the coaches will bring in great and varying talents to the program," said Behn. "Ralph has been a head coach for many years and brings in a lot of experience. Jesyka was a terrific player at Boston University and brings experience recruiting at the Division I level, while Tyler was a great guard during his playing days and brings a terrific hunger for the game."
Tomasso spent the previous two seasons with Behn as an assistant at UMass-Lowell, primarily assisting with in-game strategy and recruiting. The West Warwick, Rhode Island native is no stranger to basketball in the Ocean State, formerly serving as the head coach of Bryant from 1986-91 before coaching his alma mater, West Warwick High School for six seasons (1992-98).
At Bryant, Tomasso amassed an 80-62 record, including two NE-10 and NCAA Tournament appearances. He guided the Bulldogs to NE-10 Tournament berths in all five seasons at the helm, including 20-plus win campaigns in 1987-88 and 1988-89. At West Warwick High School, Tomasso guided the Wizards to Rhode Island State Tournament quarterfinal appearances in 1992 and 1994.
Tomasso is a graduate of Barrington College, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health before earning Master’s certification in Education from Providence College.
Burks-Wiley spent last season as an assistant and recruiting coordinator on Behn’s staff at UMass-Lowell, helping the Riverhawks’ transition into full time Division I athletics. Prior to Lowell, Burks-Wiley joined the Nebraska-Omaha staff as an assistant for the 2012-13 season, guiding the Mavericks to a 17-11 record overall in only their second year of Division I play.
A 2009 graduate of Boston University, she boasted a standout career for the Terriers, becoming one of only eight players to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds in their career. A stellar final campaign saw the co-captain average 17.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, propelling her to America East Player of the Year honors and a Region I finalist for the 2009 State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team.
The Kansas City, Missouri native took her talents overseas after graduation, beginning with Romania ICIM Arad before making stops in the top leagues in Finland and Portugal. She concluded her professional career in Belgium, leading the Castor Braine squad to the second round of the league’s playoffs as the team’s leading scorer.
Patch, a North Attleboro, Massachusetts native, joins the Brown staff after serving one season under Behn as UMass-Lowell’s Director of Women’s Basketball Operations in 2013-14.
Previously, Patch was the Junior Varsity Head Coach/Varsity Assistant Coach at Dedham High School as the team qualified for the MIAA Division III State Tournament in 2012-13. During the 2011-12 campaign, he served as a Student-Assistant Coach under Bob Walsh at Rhode Island College, guiding the Anchormen to an at-large bid in the Division III NCAA Tournament.
As Seekonk High School’s all-time leading scorer with 1,746 points, Patch earned All-State recognition from the Boston Globe and Boston Herald before playing stints at Keene State College (2008-09) and CCRI (2009-10). Patch earned a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Rhode Island College in 2014.
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