2022-23 Skyline Coach of the Year
Mike Berkun, who’s also Maritime’s Director of Athletics, has been head coach of the men’s basketball program since 2017-18. The 15
th individual to hold the position since the 1940s, he earned Skyline Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2022-23 after leading the Privateers to their first Skyline Tournament appearance in 13 years.
Maritime posted a 12-win improvement in 2022-23, going 16-11 after finishing 4-19 during the 2021-22 season. The 16 victories were the team’s most since 2009-10, which was also the last time the Privateers had a winning record. Maritime earned 11 conference wins (after winning just one conference game the previous season) and went undefeated at home against Skyline opponents for the first time in program history. That 9-0 mark at Riesenberg Gymnasium included a 66-64 triumph over Merchant Marine in the quarterfinals, which sent the Privateers into the Skyline semifinals for the first time since 2010.
Ryan Donovan was named First Team All-Skyline and Second Team All-ECAC in 2022-23, becoming the first Privateer to be recognized by the ECAC since Patrick MacDonald in 2016-17. He also received a Third Team All-Metropolitan nod, Maritime’s first All-Met selection since the second of MacDonald’s consecutive awards in 2017-18.
In 2017-18 (Berkun’s first season at the helm), MacDonald was one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Jostens Award, as well as a First Team All-Skyline, First Team All-Met and D3hoops.com All-Atlantic Region Second Team choice. The Privateers went 10-15 overall that season and recorded seven conference wins. Maritime would again finish 10-15 overall in 2019-20.
Berkun came to Maritime from Daemen College in Amherst, NY, where he was the associate head coach. The Wildcats went 59-29 during that time. Berkun had a role in all aspects of the program, including recruiting, player development, strength & conditioning, fundraising and academics. He was also the director of the team camp and basketball camp. In addition, Berkun worked with the Gamechangers Program, giving the inner-city youth of Buffalo an opportunity to play basketball.
Prior to his stint at Daemen, Berkun spent four years as the associate head coach at his alma mater—Medaille College. The Mavericks amassed 78 wins during his tenure, an average of 19.5 per season. Berkun’s responsibilities focused on recruiting, scouting, player development, strength & conditioning, fundraising and consulting student-athletes academically.
During his playing career at Medaille, Berkun amassed 481 career points, including 276 as a senior. He also tallied 199 assists and 135 rebounds. Berkun served as a team captain during both his junior and senior seasons, guiding the Mavericks to consecutive Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Tournament titles.
He graduated from Medaille with honors with a degree in liberal studies in 2010. Berkun received a master’s degree in sport administration from Canisius College (now Canisius University) in 2015.
| Year |
Overall |
Conference |
Postseason |
| 2017-18 |
10-15 |
7-13 |
|
| 2018-19 |
6-19 |
5-15 |
|
| 2019-20 |
10-15 |
6-10 |
|
| 2020-21 |
NA |
NA |
Season Cancelled (COVID-19) |
| 2021-22 |
4-19 |
1-15 |
|
| 2022-23 |
16-11 |
11-5 |
Skyline Semifinals |
| Career |
46-79 |
30-58 |
|
