Coach Chuck McBreen has turned the Roadrunner Program into a highly competitive play–off team after taking the reins at the start of the 1998-1999 season. He was the first ever full–time basketball coach at the college. McBreen is entering his 20th season at Ramapo, and his 22nd season in the college ranks.
In ten of his 19 seasons, the men's basketball program has appeared in the d3hoops.com Top 25 National ranking at some point during the season. The team made eight straight appearances in the NJAC playoffs from 2000-2001 to the 2007-2008 seasons and again in 2009-2010, 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017. In 2016-2017 the team won the NJAC Championship with an ESPN Top Ten buzzer beating half court shot. This was the fourth championship under McBreen's tenure.
Ramapo is one of the winningest four-year college basketball programs in the state of New Jersey for Divisions I, II, and III over the past 19 years holding 343 wins and 172 losses (.667 winning %). Under McBreen, the team has made six NJAC regular season championships, 12 NJAC tournament appearances along with four NJAC tournament crowns. The Roadrunners made six trips to the NCAA Championship Tournament, including this past season, while posting 20 or more wins eight times, finishing the 2016-2017 season standing at 26-3 overall
A native of North Bergen, NJ, McBreen accomplished one of his goals of qualifying for the post–season (ECAC) in just his second year. After winning the ECAC Metro Championship in 2003-2004, going 23-6 overall, McBreen led the Roadrunners to the college’s first ever NJAC Championship during the 2004-2005 season and posted the program’s second NJAC Championship in 2006-2007. That season, the Roadrunners defeated New Jersey City University, 83-81 in overtime, after falling behind by as many as 13 points in the second half. The team went 22-8 overall and 9-4 that year in conference play. In 2004-2005, Ramapo hosted the NCAA Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight for the first time in school history.
The Roadrunners have posted ten Roadrunner Tip–Off Tournament Championships. McBreen has also taken his team across the country to Arizona, where they participated in the Phoenix Cactus Jam Fest, winning it for the first time in 2005-2006 by defeating nationally ranked (#23 in Division I NAIA), Biola University out of California, 74-70.
In his years at Ramapo, he has been named Ramapo College Coach of the Year in both basketball and tennis. In 2002-2003 and 2004-2005 he was named NJAC, Met Writers, and NABC Atlantic Region coach of the year as well. During the 2002-2003 season, McBreen set school records for overall wins, 26, conference wins, 17, and consecutive wins, 17.
In 2016-2017 McBreen was named All-Met Coach of the Year, Atlantic Region Coach of the Year by NABC and d3hoops.com and ECAC Metro Region Coach of the Year after leading the Roadrunners to one of the most successful seasons in the program's history. He took home NJAC Coach of the Year honors back in February, his third conference Coach of the Year honor (02-03, 04-05, 16-17) after a vote by conference peers. During the 2016-2017 season the Roadrunners were ranked in the Top Ten by d3hoops.com, the latest ranking earning the #5 spot in the nation.
As a recruiter, McBreen has proven to be one of the best in the state. Despite being hired in late June of 1998, McBreen landed one recruit, Tuquan Smith of Jersey City, NJ who was named NJAC Rookie of the Year. In his second year, he landed Charles Ransom, Tennyson Whitted, and Amin Wright, all out of Jersey City, NJ, and former assistant coach Robert Anderson. Ransom was named NJAC Rookie of the Year, and NJAC Player of the Year his junior year, while Whitted earned NJAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in his sophomore, junior, and senior years. Wright was also a two-time Defensive Player of the Year while also receiving Atlantic Region Player of the Year honors. All four recruits went on to be named All-Americans. As McBreen continues to stock–pile tremendous student–athletes, the program continues its climb to one of the top teams in the country.
Most recently he landed Thomas Bonacum who accumulated an impressive post-season resume after the 2016-2017 season which included co-player of the year and First Team All-Conference of the 2016-2017 All-Met Division III Men's College Basketball Teams. Bonacum was named All-American of the 2017 D3 News Third Team, D3hoops.com All-America Third Team, NABC Atlantic Region First Team, NABC District Player of the Year, NABC Coaches' Division III All-American First Team, ECAC Metro All-Star First Team, NJAC Player of the Year and NJAC First Team All-Conference honors.
Before coming to Ramapo, McBreen spent two years as an assistant coach at Division I Western Carolina University. Prior to his time at WCU, he served as the head boy’s basketball coach at Union Hill High School for four years. A two–time Hudson County Coach of the Year, McBreen turned around a program that had only won five games in three seasons. After posting a 9–16 record in his first year in 1992, he led the team to three consecutive winning records of 17–9, 15–9, 19–8, and took each of those teams to the state playoffs. The team’s 19–8 record in 1996 was the best at Union Hill in 25 years.
McBreen began his coaching career at North Bergen High School as an assistant during the 1988–89 season and spent three years at his alma mater in that capacity.
He is a 1988 graduate of Towson State University with degrees in physical education, driver’s education and health. He is also in charge of athletic scheduling for the department’s 20 intercollegiate sports.
2017-2018 Season
