John Murray and Tehresa Coles Named 2019 Siena College MAAC Basketball Honor Roll Inductees
John Murray and Tehresa Coles Named 2019 Siena College MAAC Basketball Honor Roll Inductees
EDISON, N.J. (Aug. 29, 2019) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has announced John Murray and Tehresa Coles of Siena College will be inducted into the 2019 MAAC Honor Roll. Honorees will be enshrined in “The MAAC Experience” exhibit at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, Sept. 14.
Each member institution of the MAAC honors one male and one female from its basketball “family” as part of the 2019 induction class. A dinner event takes place Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Court of Dreams to recognize the Honor Roll inductees.
Each honoree will also be profiled in the game program for the 2020 MAAC Basketball Championships and will be featured in a video display at “The MAAC Experience.”
John Murray ‘79
Murray has played an integral role in the advancement of both Siena College and the men’s basketball program for more than four decades. A native of nearby Schoharie, New York, he committed to play for head coach Bill Kirsch and aid in the development of the program’s first Division I team, which he debuted for as a sophomore during the 1976-77 season. Murray, who captained the 1978-79 squad, was a career 51% shooter from the field highlighted by a team-best 58% clip during the 1977-78 season.
Off the court, Murray has made countless selfless contributions and provided vital guidance and leadership which has left a lasting impact on the men’s basketball program. Most notably, he chaired the College’s athletic committee for 15 years of his nearly 20-year career as a trustee, and played a key role in the hiring process of standout head coaches, including Paul Hewitt and Fran McCaffery, who led the men’s basketball program to three NCAA Tournament victories, five MAAC Tournament Championships, and six regular season titles.
Elected the chairman of the Siena College Board of Trustees in March, Murray first joined the board in 2000 after serving on the College’s Board of Associate Trustees (now the Board of Advisors) from 1992 to 1999. He is currently chairman and CEO of Rose & Kiernan, Inc., which he first joined in 1994 as executive vice president, was elected president in 1998, and chairman in 2003. A 2019 Tech Valley Business Hall of Fame inductee, Murray also serves on the boards of the Business Council of New York State and Fenimore Asset Management, Inc. He is the former chairman and director of the board for Pioneer Savings Bank, past president of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany, a former trustee of Christian Brothers Academy, a former director of Patient Care for Northeast Health System, and former chair and a board member of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce.
Tehresa Coles ‘15
Siena’s all-time career (308) and single-season (98 in 2014-15) record holder for steals, Coles was named the MAAC nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year, the Siena College Female Student Athlete of the Year, and the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year following her senior season in 2014-15. A local product from right in Loudonville, she graduated as one of just four players in MAAC Women’s Basketball history to eclipse 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 steals, and 250 assists for her career.
Coles scored 1,199 career points and currently ranks fifth in program history in free throws made (353) and ninth in free throw percentage (.772). She was named a 2014-15 Second Team All-MAAC selection after leading the MAAC in steals (2.9 – 21st nationally) and ranking third in the conference in free throw percentage (.836), and sixth in scoring (13.2). A two-time captain, Coles was heralded a 2015 Women’s Basketball Invitational All-Tournament Team selection after leading the Saints to the WBI Championship Game to cap the program’s first winning season in 11 years and most victories in a dozen seasons.
Coles completed her undergraduate degree in just three years, and received her M.S. in Accounting from Siena in 2015. A consummate student athlete, she was a three-time MAAC Academic Honor Roll selection and a 2014 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar. Coles still lives in the Capital Region, where she serves at the director for enterprise relationship management at The Ayco Company. She is also a television analyst for both Siena Women’s Basketball and the MAAC Basketball Championships.
| 2019 MAAC Basketball Honor Roll Class (to date) |
| Institution |
Name |
| Canisius |
Brian Dux |
| Canisius |
Patricia Aronson |
| Fairfield |
Troy Bradford |
| Fairfield |
Christine Fryer Paprocky |
| Iona |
Phil Grant |
| Iona |
Thazina Cook |
| Manhattan |
Tim Cain |
| Manhattan |
Sandy Gordon |
| Monmouth |
Marques Alston |
| Monmouth |
Jewonda Bright Jenkins |
| Niagara |
Joseph Arlauckas |
| Niagara |
Jessica Kemp |
| Quinnipiac |
Jack McDonald |
| Quinnipiac |
Kim Misiaszek |
| Rider |
Jerry Johnson |
| Rider |
Robin Perkins |
| Saint Peter’s |
Jasper Walker |
| Saint Peter’s |
Stephanie DeWolfe |
| Siena |
John Murray |
| Siena |
Tehresa Coles |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39
th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.