Johnson & Wales (RI) University Director of Athletics Dana Garfield has announced the hiring of Dino Porcic as head coach of the women’s basketball program.
Porcic comes to JWU after spending the 2022-23 campaign as an assistant coach at Merrimack College, a Division I institution in Andover, Massachusetts. Playing a non-conference schedule which featured two NCAA Tournament teams (Notre Dame & USC) and two more which qualified for the NIT Tournament (Boston University & Harvard), the Warriors won 15 games (10-6 Northeast Conference), which was four more than the previous season. Three MC student-athletes earned NEC All-Conference honors as the Warriors went from seventh-place in 2021-22 to third this past season.
“I am beyond excited and honored to become the next women’s basketball head coach at Johnson & Wales University,” said Porcic. “I want to take time and thank Director of Athletics Dana Garfield, David Kulik, Julie Beer, Jamie Benton, and Maddy Santore for giving me this opportunity and believing in me to lead this amazing program. This is a dream come true for me. I look forward to inspiring these student-athletes to be successful on and off the court. I can’t wait to get started!”
Porcic handled all operations duties for the Warriors, including team meals and travel, scheduling, budgeting, scouting, and academic supervision. He was also a key recruiter for head coach Kelly Morrone, using both the transfer portal as well as relationships fostered with high school, club, and junior coaches.
A 2016 graduate of Nichols College, Porcic cut his teeth in the coaching ranks as an assistant coach with the Lady Rivals AAU program. From there, he moved on to Rhode Island College, where he spent three seasons as an assistant coach (2019-22). Porcic helped the Anchorwomen to back-to-back Little East championship game appearances (2021-22) and the 2022 LEC Championship, which resulted in a berth into the NCAA Tournament. RIC posted a three-year combined record of 56-11 (.836 winning pct.) with Porcic on staff, and he played a key role in recruiting student-athletes from across New England. Working primarily with the guards, he was also responsible for practice planning and created recruiting videos for the program.
“Dino emerged from a qualified pool of candidates as the ideal candidate to lead our women’s basketball program,” said Garfield. “He has a track record of success at both Merrimack and Rhode Island College, and a solid background of building relationships with his student-athletes. As we prepare to enter the Commonwealth Coast Conference in the coming years, we feel Dino will elevate our program to where it belongs, which is among the best in the northeast.”
Porcic is a native of Putnam, Connecticut, Porcic was a member of the 2012-13 men’s basketball program at Nichols, which advanced to the CCC Tournament. He graduated NC with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management.
https://providence.jwuathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2022-23/releases/20230525gml81k
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