Hofstra Head Coach Danielle Santos Atkinson announced a pair of new assistant coaches to the women’s basketball program on Tuesday, August 27. Mike West and Preston Beverly, who both have substantial head coaching experience, will join Santos Atkinson as well as assistant coach Camille Collier on the bench for the 2019-20 season.
“We are thrilled to add Preston and Mike to our coaching staff,” said Santos Atkinson. “They both arrive to Hofstra with head coaching experience, proven success as player developers, and a vast knowledge of the game that will help us continue to raise the standard of Hofstra women’s basketball.”
Mike West, Assistant Coach
West arrives at Hofstra after spending four seasons at the helm of the Division II Chestnut Hill College women’s basketball program. Under his watch, the Griffins recorded a 56-54 record that included three-straight Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) appearances. In addition, West mentored five All-CACC performers and three-straight CACC Rookies of the Year including Jaeda Wildgoose, who became the program’s all-time leading scorer upon the exhaustion of her eligibility.
Prior to Chestnut Hill, West spent time as an Assistant Coach for the Lady Rams of Jefferson College (Philadelphia University) since 2011, and aided head coach Tom Shirley, the current second-winningest coach in NCAA Division II, to three 20-win seasons, a 2014-15 CACC Championship appearance, and 2015 NCAA Division II East Region tournament berth.
West graduated in 2006 with a degree in History from Lebanon Valley College, where as a Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Academic team representative, helped the Dutchmen to an East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southeast Regional Championship and an NCAA Division II Tournament second-round appearance in 2005.
Preston Beverly, Assistant Coach
Beverly is entering his first season at Hofstra in 2019-20. Beverly comes to Hofstra by way of NJCAA D1 Richard Bland College of William & Mary, where he served as the Head Men’s Basketball coach for the Statesman for the 2018-19 season and was an assistant since 2015. Under his guidance, seven student-athletes were named to the All-Region team, while one earned All-American distinction. Beverly saw great success during his 2016-17 season when the squad posted a 30-6 overall record as the Region 10 Tournament Champions before advancing to the NJCAA Final Four.
Beverly also gained administrative experience while at Richard Bland, serving as an Assistant Athletics Director in addition to his coaching duties. Before his time in Virginia with the Statesman, Beverly served as the Athletic Director and head coach at NJCAA DIII Lincoln College of New England from 2012-15. Before his time at Lincoln College, Beverly spent time as an Assistant Coach for the men’s basketball program at Nyack College from 2010-12 and Bowdoin College from 2007-10.
Outside of coaching, Beverly was appointed to the National Association Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) Board of Directors in 2017, which promotes equitable employment opportunities for minorities in the athletics industry.
Beverly completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 2006.
