Sean Doherty
Assistant Coach Sixth Season Worcester State (Mass.) College ’92
Sean Doherty brings 18 years of collegiate coaching experience, including a decade at the Division I level, into his sixth season as an assistant coach on Tom Moore’s staff. Doherty’s vast coaching experience has produced seven NCAA Tournament appearances and countless all-conference players. Prior to Quinnipiac, he served as the head coach at Salem State (Mass.) College for four years. Doherty started his coaching career at Worcester (Mass.) State as an assistant to Tom Moore in 1993 after concluding a solid four-year playing career at WSC. Doherty later served as an assistant coach with two tradition-rich Division I programs, the College of the Holy Cross (1999-2003) and Western Kentucky (2003). The Worcester, Mass. native took Salem State to new heights over the course of his four seasons. The Vikings posted a 91-20 mark (.820) during that stretch and reached the NCAA Division III tournament three times. In 2006-07, Doherty led Salem State to a 24-3 mark and the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) regular-season and tournament titles. The Vikings also recorded a 17-game winning streak during the course of the campaign and went a perfect 12-0 in league play during the regular season. In all, Salem State recorded a sparkling 49-4 record (.925) in MASCAC play during Doherty’s four seasons and also went undefeated in league play in 2004. He was named Coach of the Year in the MASCAC in the 2003-04 and 2006-07 seasons.
>> THE SEAN DOHERTY FILE
• Sixth season as an assistant coach for Quinnipiac’s men’s basketball
• Compiled a 91–20 (.820) record in four seasons at SSC, including three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances • Two–time MASCAC Coach of the Year (2003–04, 2006–07)
• Previously served as an assistant coach with two Division I programs—Holy Cross and Western Kentucky
• From 1999–2003, helped Holy Cross to three Patriot League Tournament titles and three NCAA Division I Tournament appearances
Doherty took over the Salem State job in October 2003 after serving as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky under head coach Darrin Horn. While with the Hilltoppers, he helped sign four players who eventually helped WKU reach the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in 2007-08. Before joining the Hilltoppers staff, Doherty served under the legendary Ralph Willard at Holy Cross. He was an assistant coach in his first two seasons before being promoted to associate head coach for his final two seasons. Over the course of his fouryear stint, Holy Cross reached the NCAA tournament three times. The Crusaders also won at least 20 games twice, won two Patriot League regular-season titles, ranked second in the nation in field-goal percentage defense, and finished second in the nation in rebounding margin and fourth in scoring defense. His best year with Holy Cross was the 2002-03 season, when the team earned a 26-5 overall mark and went 13-1 in Patriot League play. Doherty recruited and aided in the development of four Patriot League Most Valuable Players, as well as numerous other all-league players. Prior to coaching at Holy Cross, Doherty served as a top assistant at Division II powerhouse Assumption College (Mass.). Under Head Coach Serge DeBari from 1994-99, the Greyhounds captured the 1997-98 Northeast-10 Conference League and Playoff Championship. Assumption was 23-10 overall and qualified for the 1998 NCAA Division II Tournament. During Doherty’s tenure with Assumption, he helped guide the Greyhounds to the largest turnaround in school history as the team improved its win total by 22 games while going from 1-23 in his first season to 23-10 just three seasons later. He recruited numerous all-league players at Assumption. A 1987 graduate of Burncoat High School, Doherty was inducted into the Burncoat Hall of Fame in 2003. Doherty was a four-year letter-winner and solid point guard at Worcester State College before graduating in 1992. He also received a master’s degree in education from Assumption College in 1998. Sean and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of three children: Ryan, Ethan and Addison.
2012–13 Men’s Basketball Media Guide
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