Fairfield, Conn. – Fairfield University head women’s basketball coach Joe Frager announced his coaching staff today, naming Laura Scinto Aliya Cox and Dennis Masi assistant coaches.  Frager also announced that Clare Faurote has been named Director of Basketball Operations.

“I am extremely pleased with the coaching staff that we have assembled,” said Frager.  “I believe they are a great fit for our women’s basketball program and for Fairfield University.  They embody the proper balance of basketball knowledge, commitment to academic excellence, work ethic and determination that I was looking for.”

Scinto has been by Frager’s side for the last 11 years, including nine years at Southern Connecticut State University.  She helped coach SCSU to the 2007 NCAA Division II National title, as well as playing a role in four NCAA Tournament appearances.  Scinto joined Frager for the first time at Seymour High School, contributing to a pair of state titles and a 52-game win streak.  She earned a B.S. in Business Administration where she helped the women’s basketball team to three NCAA Tournament appearances.  Scinto scored over 1,000 points as a collegiate player, as was recognized with academic all-conference honors.

Cox, who played four seasons at UMass-Lowell, joins the staff after spending last season on the bench at the University of Maine.  With the Bears she played a role in recruiting and player development.  She got her coaching start at her alma mater in 2000, spending six years assisting in all aspects of the program’s operation.  As a player at UMass-Lowell, Cox was a three-year starter, earning All-Conference accolades as a senior, when she served as a team captain.

Masi brings with him to the Stags sideline over a decades worth coaching experience, including six seasons as a head coach.  From 1999-2005 he was the head women’s basketball coach at Southern New Hampshire College, a member of the Northeast-10 Conference.  Masi then joined Frager for the first time, as an assistant coach at Southern Connecticut State University, helping the Owls to a national ranking of 14.  He then spent the 2006-07 season on the staff at UMass-Lowell, handling recruiting, as well as day-to-day operations of the program.  Masi got his coaching start at the University of New Haven in 1995 as an assistant coach for both the men’s and women’s teams.

Faurote served as a graduate assistant coach for the Stags during the 2006-07 season, a year after completing a four-year stint as a player with the Stags.