Mike West Selected As Head Women’s Basketball Coach At The University of Bridgeport

University of Bridgeport Vice President of Athletics Jay Moran has announced that Mike West will join the Department of Athletics staff as the head coach of the Purple Knights' women's basketball program.  West comes to Bridgeport from Division I Hofstra University, where he has served as assistant women's basketball coach for the past two seasons.  Before his time with the Pride, he spent four years as the head women's basketball coach at Division II Chestnut Hill College, located outside of Philadelphia, beginning with the 2015-16 campaign.  During his time with the Griffins, the team compiled a 56-54 record and managed three consecutive Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship Tournament appearances.

Said Moran, "We welcome Mike with a great deal of enthusiasm to the University of Bridgeport and our athletics department family. He brings a great deal of experience and knowledge from all levels of basketball, including being a head coach and excellent recruiter.  All of us on campus are looking forward to what he will bring to our women's basketball program."

"I'm honored to be selected as the head women's basketball coach for an outstanding institution and athletics program like the University of Bridgeport," stated West.  "I'd like to thank Jay Moran and the entire search committee for providing me with this opportunity.  I'm excited to get to campus and get to work as the Purple Knights return to the court"

Prior to Chestnut Hill, he spent time as an assistant coach at Jefferson University from 2011-2015, and helped head coach Tom Shirley, the current winningest active women's basketball coach in NCAA Division II, to three 20-win seasons, a 2014-15 CACC Championship appearance, and 2015 NCAA Division II East Region Tournament berth.

West also has served as head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity boys' basketball coach at Upper Perkiomen High School (2010-2011) in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania and was an assistant varsity and junior varsity boys' basketball coach at North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, from 2006 to 2008.

A four-year, intercollegiate student-athlete, Mike is a 2006 graduate of Lebanon Valley College where, earning Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Academic team accolades, he helped the Dutchmen to an East Coast Athletic Conference (ECAC) Regional Championship plus an NCAA Division III Tournament second-round appearance in 2005. West holds a bachelor's degree in history.