Central Catholic High School Hires Brian Urso as Varsity Basketball Head Coach
PITTSBURGH - April 24, 2019 - Central Catholic High School is pleased to announce the hiring of Mr. Brian Urso as Varsity Basketball Head Coach.
Urso currently serves as the Director of Basketball Administration at Robert Morris University. He will maintain his position at Robert Morris in a limited role while serving part-time as Head Basketball Coach at Central Catholic.
Urso brings a wide breadth of experience at the collegiate and high school levels. In 2015, he helped launch the first-ever men’s basketball team at Chatham University as an assistant coach. While at Chatham, he held a wide range of roles, including Assistant Athletic Director, Sports Information Director and Compliance Officer. From 2016-17, Urso served as an assistant coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), leading the Crimson Hawks to an overall record of 28-4, advancing to the second round of the Division II NCAA Tournament.
From 2009 – 2016, he served as the Director of the Pittsburgh Nets AAU Basketball Organization, a try-out only program for boys in grades 4-11 in the Pittsburgh area. During his time with the Nets, Urso helped student athletes continue their academic and athletic careers at the NCAA Division I, II, and III levels. Urso also coached basketball at the high school level for several years.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Brian to Central Catholic,” said Mr. Rick Capretta, ’82, Athletic Director. “He is truly passionate about the game, his resume is impressive, and his experience working with students of all ages, both at the high school and the collegiate level, will be an asset to our community.”
A Pittsburgh native, Urso is a 2004 Fox Chapel graduate, where he played on the boys basketball team as a guard from 2000 – 2004. He continued his basketball career at Westminster College where he would spend two and a half years playing for the Titans before transferring to Point Park University to join their men’s basketball team in 2007. Urso graduated in 2009 with a bachelor of science in elementary education, and earned his Pennsylvania teaching certificate. He is currently pursuing a master of science degree in sport management and intercollegiate athletic administration from California University of Pennsylvania.
“Becoming the head coach at such a prestigious and legendary institution like Central Catholic is truly an amazing opportunity,” said Urso. “I would like to thank Principal Brother Tony Baginski, Athletic Director Rick Capretta, and Assistant Principal Andy Macurak, and I look forward to working with them on a daily basis. I am eager to meet the team, learn their strengths, develop their weaknesses, and understand who they are on a personal level. I am also looking forward to connecting with Central’s alumni and sharing my vision with them. It is time to get to work.”
Urso will begin his new position immediately, with team workouts and a youth camp to take place this summer.
About Central Catholic High School:
Central Catholic High School, a college preparatory school for boys, is guided by the educational principles of St. John Baptist de La Salle. The school strives to provide a challenging, relevant, and diverse program of studies and extracurricular activities in an environment that fosters a life of faith and learning and develops leaders rooted in the Gospel values of integrity, respect, service, justice, and peace.