On Wednesday, and after months of research and consulting with college Athletic Directors, Presidents, search firms, and numerous influencers on the basketball scene, Silver Waves Media released it's 50 Impactful Division II/NAIA Head Coaches.
St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Basketball Head Coach Tobin Anderson was among the who's who of coaching talents given such distinction.
The Spartans have been a consistent face in the NCAA Division II tournament the past four consecutive seasons with Anderson in charge. In 7 seasons with the program, Anderson has gone a blistering 167-55 (.752) with the program's first-ever Elite Eight appearance, an East Region title, two ECC Regular Season Championships, and four ECC Tournament Championships. Coach Anderson came to Sparkill with plenty of experience at various levels. He was an assistant at Siena (DI) for two seasons, a head coach at Hamilton College (DIII) for seven seasons, a head coach at Clarkson University (DIII) for five seasons, and an assistant at Le Moyne College (DII). He has a career record of 352-184 (.657) in 19 total seasons as a head coach.
Here is a look back at Head Coach Tobin Anderson's seven seasons at STAC:
This past season, Coach Anderson led St. Thomas Aquinas College to a 25-5 mark, captured the program's fourth East Coast Conference Championship in the last five seasons with victories over Daemen (91-78) and Bridgeport (74-67) and a fifth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. However, the team's season was cut short before being able to return to the tourney due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2018-2019 Anderson guided STAC to a 25-7 record, and the program's fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Spartans took down Le Moyne (61-59) in the quarterfinal and defeated Dominican in overtime in the semifinal 86-83, before losing to the top seed and host Saint Anselm 74-49 in the East Regional Final.
Anderson led the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, finishing with a record of 26-7 in 2017-18. STAC downed Bridgeport 82-65 to capture their third consecutive ECC Championship. St. Thomas Aquinas fell to Bloomfield in the NCAA East Region Quarterfinal, 91-78.
Anderson guided the Spartans to their best season finishing with a record of 28-6 in 2016-17 and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in the programs history. STAC beat Molloy 97-86 in overtime to win the ECC Championship for the second year in a row. STAC went on to win its second ever NCAA tournament game 91-72, with a rematch win over St. Anselm, who had knocked them out of the tournament the year before. The Spartans won two more NCAA games with a 73-70 win over Merrimack and a 69-66 win over Le Moyne advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Spartans fell 79-70 to Northwest Missouri State, who went on to win the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Anderson led the Spartans to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history in 2015-16. The Spartans finished 27-5, winning the ECC Regular Season and the ECC Conference Championship to advance to the NCAA's. The Spartans played their first NCAA game on March 12th, earning an exciting 92-90 victory over Southern Connecticut, before falling, 77-73 in the next round to St. Anselm College. The 2015-16 season was also highlighted by an exciting 90-58 win over NCAA Division I opponent, St. John's on November 4th.
In 2014-15, Anderson led the Spartans to their first ECC Regular Season Title, finishing with a record of 21-11. The Spartans fell to University of Bridgeport, 82-78 in the ECC Championship game.
2013-2014 marked the beginning of Tobin Anderson's tenure as Head Coach at St. Thomas Aquinas College. The team went 15-14 in his first season and returned to the postseason for the first time in five seasons. STAC took ECC tournament victories over LIU Post (64-62) and Dowling (84-81), before falling to Bridgeport (94-73) in the final.
Over Tobin Anderson's seven seasons as Head Coach at St. Thomas Aquinas College, he has received many personal awards and accolades for his work with the Spartans. Anderson has twice been named the ECC Coach of the Year (2015 & 2016), along with being selected as the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Division II Coach of the Year on three occasions (2015, 2016 & 2017).
Official Silver Waves Media Release