Coach Jim Santoro
Head Coach – Our Lady of Lourdes High School
Founder & Executive Director – Edge Athletics
A Lifetime Devoted to the Game
Jim Santoro has dedicated more than 50 years to the game of basketball as a player, teacher, mentor, and leader. A native of Manhasset, New York, he played alongside Tom Emma (Duke University, 1980–1984) and against future Division I and professional players including Matt Doherty (UNC), Frank Brickowski (New York Knicks), George Bruns (New York Nets), and Bill Wennington (Chicago Bulls).
Early Coaching Roots and Education
Santoro began his coaching career while attending and playing for Clarkson University, where he earned both a Bachelor of Science and MBA in 1982. During his college years, he spent his summers as a coach and counselor at the prestigious Five-Star and Eastern Invitational (now Hoop Group) basketball camps—experiences that fueled his passion for teaching the game.
After graduation, he accepted a position with IBM and relocated to Poughkeepsie, New York, where he volunteered for the St. Mary’s Fishkill and St. Martin de Porres CYO programs. From 1982 to 1987, he led sixth- and seventh-grade travel teams, establishing the coaching foundation that would define his career.
Our Lady of Lourdes: Building a Legacy
In 1987, Santoro joined Our Lady of Lourdes High School as Junior Varsity Head Coach under Tom O’Neil. Two years later, he was promoted to Varsity Head Coach—a position he still holds today.
Over the past 35 years, Santoro has built one of the Hudson Valley’s most respected high-school programs, amassing more than 450 career wins and numerous championships:
– 8 League Championships
– 5 Section I/IX Final Appearances
– 2 NYS Section I Titles & 2 Section IX Titles
– 6 Westchester County Center appearances
– 2 Regional Championships
– 1 NYS Class AA Semi-Finalist
– 1 NYS Class A Finalist
Following the move to Section IX after the 2021–22 season, Lourdes captured its division, won two consecutive MHAL titles, reached the Section IX Championship (2023), and captured back-to-back Section IX Championships (2024 and 2025) after securing the AA Regional Title and advancing to the NYSPHAA Final Four (2024). As a result of that immediate success in Section IX, the program was elevated to the AAA classification—the highest level of competition in New York State.
Santoro has been honored ten times as Coach of the Year — by the Poughkeepsie Journal, BCANY Section IX, MSG Varsity, and Hudson Valley Sports Report — and was the inaugural recipient of the Our Lady of Lourdes Coach of the Year award, presented annually to one coach across all school sports.
In 2016, Old Fashioned Mom Magazine named him one of its Top 5 Celebrity Dads. In 2023, he was selected as one of 80 coaches nationwide for the NCAA College Basketball Academy (Memphis) and was later inducted into the Our Lady of Lourdes Hall of Fame.
Coach Santoro has served as Treasurer, Vice President, and President of the Dutchess County Basketball Coaches Association and has directed the Duane Davis Memorial Tournament for over 20 years, where his teams have claimed six titles.
Beyond his work at Lourdes, Mr. Santoro extended his influence into regional and national player development. During his high-school coaching tenure, he also worked with the Hoop Group as a counselor and coach and later served as a talent evaluator for the National Recruiting Report (NRR), one of the nation’s premier scouting services.
“Jim had a knack for seeing and evaluating college talent at every level,” said Steve Keller, owner of NRR. “He was one of several scouts who evaluated athletes for us at high-profile AAU tournaments, exposure events, and camps.”
His growing reputation for identifying and nurturing talent laid the groundwork for one of his most enduring contributions to Hudson Valley basketball — the creation of Edge Athletics.
Expanding the Game: Edge Athletics
In 1996, Santoro partnered with Dave Magarity, then Head Coach at Marist College, to launch the Hudson Valley River Rats—a pioneering AAU program. One year later, he founded Edge Athletics, a non-profit sports-education organization that remains the longest-running boys’ AAU program in the Hudson Valley.
Now entering its third decade, Edge Athletics offers spring AAU teams, six weeks of summer camps attracting over 800 athletes annually, and year-round training clinics focused on skill, teamwork, and personal growth.
Shooting Instruction and Development
In 2001, Santoro began training under world-renowned shooting coach Dave Hopla, whose clients include multiple NBA teams. Through years of mentorship, Santoro refined a distinctive, video-assisted approach that allows players to see and correct their mechanics with precision.
Hopla later called him “the finest shooting instructor in the Northeast,” citing his rare ability to teach proper form to players of every age. Today, Santoro and his staff work with student-athletes across several counties, using film study and repetition to build efficient, confident shooters.
Recruiting, Mentorship, and Legacy
Throughout his career, Santoro has guided more than 100 student-athletes through the college-recruiting process—personally advising families and connecting them to his vast network of collegiate coaches, always at no cost.
His coaching tree includes over 20 former players who have gone on to coach at the high-school and collegiate levels, among them: Adam Crawford (NYU), Rob Donaldson (Atlanta), Paul Fanuele (John Jay HS), Matt Hayes (Red Hook HS), Ryan Peek (Millbrook HS), Matt Hoyt (Arlington HS), Andy Hoyt (OLL), Mark Brooks (Highland HS), Matt Donahue (OLL), Rob Pisanelli (East Carolina), Mark Kutchma (Dover HS/NJ Charter), Rob Santoro (Binghamton University), Martin McCann (Lynn University/Palm Beach State/Daytona State College), Brandon Breitfeller (Dover HS), Dom Garbellano (OLL), Chris Santoro (Poughkeepsie Day School/OLL), Matt Covucci (OLL), Tom Jordan (Carmel HS/Daytona State College), Kelby Santoro (SUNY Oneonta/OLL), and Cameron Crowley (OLL).
Professional Career and Personal Life
After 25 years with IBM, where he rose to Program Director, Santoro left the corporate world in 2007 to dedicate himself fully to coaching and mentorship. He resides in Poughkeepsie, New York, with his wife Lynn, and together they have raised four sons, all of whom played the game their father loves.
“Basketball has been the vehicle, but teaching, mentoring, and watching young people grow—that’s always been the reward.”
For more than four decades, Coach Jim Santoro has been a cornerstone of Hudson Valley basketball—respected for his integrity, leadership, and enduring passion for helping athletes become their best on and off the court.