Shania's Corner: Coach Dino Porcic (Women's Basketball)

Tell me about your family life, do you have siblings?

Coach is the oldest of three with a half-sister who still lives in Bosnia, and younger brother of six years. He was always very close with his brother who also plays basketball, and he coached a lot while they were growing up. 

Where are you from? 

Born in Bosnia but moved to the USA when around one and a half years old, and grew up in Putnam, CT. 

How was your experience at Nichols College?

Had a fun and great experience, really enjoyed the small community which felt family-oriented and enjoyed being really close to home in CT while in school, being that Putnam was only 12 minutes away. 

What is your personal life outside of basketball like? 

Coach Dino is currently in a long-distance relationship while he and his significant other work on their own career paths to better themselves before one-day being able to settle down together. The goal is for her to work as an anesthesiologist, once she is out of medical school, they can live closer to each other and move forward in life together. 

What is your past coaching experience?

Three years at RICC, one year at Merrimack College, a Division One school as the assistant coach. 

As a new Head Coach, what are your goals for the team? 

“Get better each and every day” Coach plans to set the tone from the beginning and improve it everyday with the obvious end goal of a championship. As Coach Dino says: “At the end of the day the ball is going to stop bouncing so we gotta focus on what's after basketball.” Which is why he chooses to stress academics. 

As a new coach here, how are you adjusting to the new team? And how are they adjusting to you?

“The adjustment period for both myself and the team has been great, they have been very responsive, they have been very inviting to the structure and the work I have put in”, Coach Dino is still working through the learning curve of this new team and acknowledges that he is working through new challenges but sees these as good challenges. 

How has your transition into working at JWU been? Along with the transition from D1 to D3? 

Coach Dino says his transition was smooth and well supported by the JWU faculty and staff, helping through every step. 

“I've seen Division 3 schools beat Division 1 before”, there is talent everywhere and Coach Dino sees that talent not the number. Not just in basketball, but all the sports here at JWU, this makes him proud to be a part of the talent here. 

What would you say is your philosophy? Where did you develop this philosophy from? 

“We gotta be the toughest on the court, most conditioned team on the court, and we gotta play the hardest” Coach Dino says that this philosophy applies no matter win or lose, they still have to be the best they possibly can be. “Defense is key”.

His mentor and previous boss, Jenna Cosgrove, the current Women’s Basketball Head Coach at RICC taught him this philosophy. 

What is it like being a male basketball player coaching Women’s Basketball? 

Coach Dino found a personal love for women through the lack of “ego” and finding that women were better listeners, this drew him into his love of coaching women more than men, though he has trained and coached all sides of basketball. 

There is a lot of judgment towards the women’s team on campus from past experience, how do you look to change that image? 

To Coach, everything in the past is in the past, he is looking at the future for him and his team while not worrying about how they may have been viewed in the past. He wants to be known on this campus for the help that they are doing- from volunteering on campus to within the city. 

Coach Dino is proud of the image they are creating and not worried about how the past may have affected that image. They see success coming in the future and are ready for that change.

Are you working on recruiting?

Yes, recruiting is a huge part of the job and Coach Dino is constantly working to better his team. By focusing on recruits that match the play style they are looking for and needing. 

With the soon to be change in conference, what are your plans to get yourself and your team prepared?

“I’m really excited about the change in conference” Coach Dino once played as a part of the CCC while in school at Nichols College and has a great understanding of the conference itself, and what kind of players to bring in to help build the right kind of team for this conference.