Staten Island, NY | The College of Staten Island Department of Athletics and Recreation has announced that Men’s Basketball Head Coach T.J. Tibbs has been elevated to full-time employment, coinciding with duties as Camps & Clinics Coordinator, a new position at CSI.  Tibbs will oversee the installment of camps and clinics programming designed to enhance community involvement and relations with the College’s Sports & Recreation Center and surrounding facilities.

“When we initially hired T.J. we hoped to develop the position into a full-time role, ” said CSI Director of Athletics Charles Gomes. “After working with him for the past year and getting to know the type of individual he is, we felt strongly that this position would be a perfect fit. We believe the skill set he possesses will benefit not only our entire athletic program, but also our institution and the larger Staten Island athletics community as well.”

A former men’s basketball player at CSI, Tibbs took over in an interim capacity as the part-time head coach during the 2017-18 men’s basketball season, taking over for long-tenured head coach Tony Petosa.  The Dolphins rallied to a 17-12 overall record that included a back-to-back CUNYAC Championship and a trip to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.  Heavily involved with community relations, Tibbs has lent himself to numerous community outreach programs, including three different basketball AAU programs, free basketball clinics at local parks and facilities, and camp activities such as Staten Island’s University Basketball Camp, and St. Peter’s Boys Basketball Camp.  He worked with Staten Island’s United Activities Unlimited program for over two years, programming hundreds of youth events on Staten Island leading to his hire at CSI last summer.  According to Tibbs, working with youth organizers like UAU Assistant Executive Director Dr. Kim McLaughlin and Assistant CEO Liz Licata invigorated him and his passion for working primarily with the area’s youth.  That said, he is eager to build similar outreach programs through the College and its facilities.

“I am very excited to be here in this new role and to be contributing to the growth of the College of Staten Island athletic program,” said Tibbs.  “This role puts me in the unique position to coordinate with youth development which is a passion of mine.  To do it through various sports is a landscape I am not as familiar with but one that is truly exciting to be a part of.  I’m excited to work with all of our dedicated staff on another level and with different platforms.”

As Camps and Clinics Coordinator, Tibbs will focus on working with CSI’s entire coaching staff and outside professionals to provide year-round camps and clinic programs housed at CSI, bridging the gap to the Staten Island and neighboring communities.  He will work hand-in-hand with youth groups and established recreational outlets currently partnered with CSI to grow community outreach and programming.  Tibbs will help spearhead the effort to monitor and provide services across all sports platforms that will populate the program’s offerings.  As a newly-established position, Tibbs sees the benefits of working with the program from the ground-up.

“Building the foundation is the most exciting part of anything in my opinion,”  he said. “There will be some trial and error, but I know from being the men’s basketball coach that there will be a tremendous amount of support from President Fritz on down.  Starting on the ground floor allows me to try new things that work best for the department, and it also means I have a lot of work to do in front of me, which is exciting as well.”   

Now as a full-time employee at the College, Tibbs knows that his duties as Camps and Clinics Coordinator will help enhance his role as the Men’s Basketball Head Coach and vice-versa.  “I think the most important thing is that it will continue to provide me with perspective,” he noted.  “Games are fun.  Sports opens doors and gives us all opportunities we normally wouldn’t have.  This position fulfills my dreams of being full-time within an athletic department.  Many important relationships in my life have been built through athletics and sport and it’s what I now try and teach others.” 

Tibbs is the latest full-time hire for the College’s Athletics program.  In June, the College welcomed Erin Van Nostrand as its new Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Women’s Soccer Head Coach Brittany Casares began her full-time position coupled with Equipment Manager on July 1.  Head Men’s and Women’s Volleyball Coach Lak Wai (Larry) Ng is also a recent full-time hire, serving as a Facilities Supervisor since the summer of 2017, and the College is adding Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field programs in time for the 2018-19 school year, with Head Coach Jason McFall also a full-time addition to the staff.  For Gomes, it is part of a vast effort to further the program and provide the ideal experience for its student-athletes and the Staten Island community.

“Through the amazing support we have had from our administration at CSI we’ve been able to restructure and form a truly dynamic program with dedicated coaches and staff who are tied in with the overall success of our institution,”  Gomes said.  “We are certainly moving in the right direction with our recent staff additions and we are truly excited to see the value they bring to the department and the Staten Island community.  We hope it leads to continued progress and the enhanced competitive development we hold our program to.” 

Tibbs officially begins his appointment on July 5.