University of Maine women’s basketball head coach Amy Vachon has announced a pair of updates to her coaching staff for the 2018-19 season. Tom Biskup has been promoted from director of operations to an assistant coach while Matt Peyton will rejoin the team in a full-time role as sports performance coach and director of operations.
“I am very excited to announce these changes in our staff for the upcoming season,” said Vachon. “Our fans will be familiar with our staff as everyone had an integral role in our success last season.”
Biskup, who earned his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from UMaine in 2012, served as the Black Bears’ director of operations during their America East championship season in 2017-18. In that role, Biskup oversaw the day-to-day operations of the program including, but not limited to, travel accommodations, coordinating practices both home and away and booking all hotels, meals, bus travel and flights. Prior to joining the UMaine staff, Biskup spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Roanoke College and Southern Maine Community College. Biskup spent the 2014-17 seasons at Division III Roanoke where he assisted in multiple duties including coaching, recruiting, practice planning, film breakdown, monitoring of academic progress and the overall coordination of the program’s day-to-day events. In his two seasons at Southern Maine Community College, Biskup was involved in the recruiting process in Maine and New Hampshire as well for the overall skill development of the perimeter players. In addition to his coaching roles, Biskup has participated and run numerous camps during his time at UMaine, Roanoke and served as co-director of the Hoop Magic Basketball Clinic in South Portland, Maine.
“Tom is a true ‘Mainer’ and bleeds blue,” said Vachon. “As an undergraduate student, Tom was a manager for our team and after graduation he continued to learn about the game, working as an assistant coach. Last season, Tom served as our director of basketball operations. During that time, his work ethic and commitment to our program was unmatched. I have no doubt Tom will continue to learn and grow and we are so fortunate to have him at UMaine.”
Peyton spent a portion of the 2017-18 season at UMaine where he served as an assistant sports performance coach, assisting specifically with the women’s basketball, baseball and track & field programs. After his time with UMaine wrapped up, Peyton honed his craft by joining the Rome Braves, a minor league affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, in April of 2017. While with the Braves, Peyton oversaw the implementation of the strength and conditioning program along with oversight of team nutrition. Peyton began his strength and conditioning career by serving two years as the head strength and conditioning intern at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Following his time with Nebraska Omaha, Peyton joined Creighton University for a five-month internship before accepting a position as an assistant sports performance coach at UMaine. Peyton was the strength and conditioning coach for the 2017-18 America East champion Black Bears’ women’s basketball team. While at UMaine, Peyton designed and implemented all aspects of the strength and conditioning program for the teams in which he was responsible for. Peyton utilized Polar Team Pro to track student-athlete’s progress and analyzed player’s performance and recovery while also coordinating the post-game and travel recovery program for the women’s basketball program.
“Matt worked with our team last year on a temporary basis and I was so impressed with his commitment to our team and his ability to connect with our players,” said Vachon. “I have no doubt that our success on the court was a direct reflection of how Matt trained our players throughout the season. I am thrilled that Matt will be on our staff full-time and I know we will continue to see positive results on the court because of his work with our players in the weight room.”
“Along with Tom and Matt, Jhasmin Player and Courtney England will return to our coaching staff,” Vachon continued. “Both Jhasmin and Courtney have proven themselves invaluable to our program. I am so fortunate to work with some amazing coaches and outstanding people.”
Tagged with: DI Staff Update
