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James Santoro has more than 25 years of basketball coaching experience. Coach Santoro, a former Manhasset High School teammate of Duke University starting guard Tom Emma (1980-1984), has played with and against many former Division I and professional athletes including Matt Doherty (UNC), Frank Brickowski (NY Knicks), George Bruns (NY Nets), and Bill Wennington (Chicago Bulls). Coach Santoro started his coaching career while playing for Clarkson University. He worked the summer months as a coach/counselor for many basketball camps including Five Star and Eastern Invitiational. After graduating from Clarkson with a Bachelors of Science and a Masters of Business Administration, Coach Santoro moved to Poughkeepsie where he volunteered his time to both the Saint Mary’s Fishkill and Saint Martin De Porres CYO basketball programs. He was hired as the Junior Varsity Coach at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in 1987 under then Head Coach Tom O’Neill and was named the Varsity Head Coach two years later. He has directed the basketball program at Our Lady of Lourdes High School for the last twenty years. In 1996, coach Santoro, along with former Head Marist coach Dave Magarity, formed the Hudson Valley River Rats. One year later he formed and developed the now current Edge Athletics Club Sports Education Program. He currently serves as the Executive Director.
Over the many years of teaching and coaching, Coach Santoro has helped dozens of student athletes move on to play in college. In addition, more than ten former players of his have gone on to coach at either the high school or college level including Adam Crawford (NYU), Paul Fanuele (John Jay High School), Matt Hayes (John Jay High School), Ryan Peek (Millbrook High School), Matt Hoyt (Arlington High School), Andy Hoyt (Our Lady of Lourdes High School), Mark Brooks (Highland High School), Matt Donahue (Our Lady of Lourdes High School), Rob Pisanelli (East Carolina), Mark Kutchma (Dover High School), and Rob Santoro (Binghamton University). Today, he works with student athletes in multiple counties, helping them to achieve their goals.
Coach Santoro resides in Poughkeepsie with his wife Lynn and has four childeren, all boys, and all play the game.