Pugliese comes back to UW-Platteville with coachingexperience at the NCAA Division I and II levels and during2013-2014 served as head coach and assistant club director at EarlWatson Elite Basketball Organization, one of the top AAU programsin the country. Pugliese's EWE team included 9 NCAA Division Isignees.
Prior to that, Pugliese was an assistant coach at DivisionII Wayne State College, in Wayne, Nebraska from 2011-2013 underformer Pioneer head coach Paul Combs. Pugliese helped Wayne Stateto a 17-12 record in the 2012-13 season, the first winning seasonsince 2007-08. While a member of the Wildcat coaching staff,Pugliese directed recruiting, individual workout instruction,scouting and community outreach while assisting in a number ofother areas within the program. While directing recruiting,Pugliese helped sign student-athletes to National Letters of Intentfrom the states of Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska,Ohio and Wisconsin.
Before Wayne State, Pugliese spent two seasons as theAssociate Director of Atheltics and Head Boys' Basketball Coach atBrentwood School in Los Angeles, California. During the 2009-2010season, after taking over a team that was 5-20 the previous year,he guided the Eagles to a 17-8 record and a Quarterfinal berth inthe CIF Southern Section Championship. Pugliese coached players whowent on to play at the NCAA Division I & III levels andimpacted a change of culture previously unheard of at theacademically rigorous private school. As the Associate Director ofAthletics, Pugliese was in charge of equipment ordering anddistribution, student-athlete recruitment, athletic departmentstaffing and game-day supervision.
Prior to his stop at Brentwood School, he spent threeyears as an Assistant Coach at NCAA Division I Wagner College inStaten Island, New York, a member of the NortheastConference. While a member of the Seahawk coaching staff underformer Marquette University head coach Mike Deane, Pugliese wasinvolved in every major facet of the program including scouting,directing academics, travel and individual workout instruction.While assisting in recruiting at Wagner, the Seahawks signed threestraight top-100 recruiting classes according to Hoopscoop.com. The2007-2008 Seahawks finished with a record 23-8, the highest wintotal and winning percentage in program history. Pugliese assistedin coaching five 1,000 point scorers in his time at Wagner College,while also coaching the third ranked rebounder in the country in2007-2008.
Pugliese earned his bachelor's degree in 2006 fromUW-Platteville and served as a student assistant coach from 2004-06after a shoulder injury forced the end of his playing career.Pugliese earned his Master’s in OrganizationalManagement at Wayne State in 2013.
John and his wife Billy, a member of the GraduateCounseling Academic Faculty, reside in Platteville.
Pugliese also serves as UW-Platteville's AssistantIntramural Coordinator.
