Coach Pigatti just completed his 17th season as head coach of the Bulldogs and has accumulated a tremendous career coaching record of 489-91 (.843). His 2021-22 team won the National Championship while being undefeated (33-0). They are the only team in history to be undefeated and win a national championship on the NJCAA Division II level. Pigatti was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches 2-Year National College Coach-of-the-Year.
Coach Pigatti has set numerous records as a head coach. He is the only coach in college basketball history: NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA; that has had nine 1st Team All-Americans in his first 11 years as a head coach. He has won 12 Region IV Championships. His teams have been ranked #1 in the country on numerous occasions. For the first time in SSC’s history, they appeared in three straight NJCAA Division II National Championships: 2007-’09, 2011-2014 and 2016-2018, 2020-’22. He has had eight teams finish with 30+ wins in his 17 years as a head coach, also the first time that was been done at SSC. His teams have been ranked in the top ten every season since he has been at South Suburban College.
Coach Pigatti came to SSC from St. Francis University in Loretto, PA where he was the head assistant men’s basketball coach and recruiting coordinator. At St. Francis, Pigatti was an integral part of signing the number one recruiting class in the Northeast Conference. In addition, the 2004-05 season record was the schools’ best in 8 years. During the 2003-04 season, Pigatti helped Kent State to a 22-9 final record, a Mid-American Conference (MAC) Eastern Division championship and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).Prior to his one-year stint at Kent State, Pigatti served as an assistant coach at Elmhurst College-IL (1987-89), Creighton University (1989-91), Texas A&M University (1991-92), Western Michigan University (1992-94), Saint Joseph’s College-IN (1994-95), the University of Akron (1995-01), and Chicago State University (2002-03).
During Pigatti’s tenure as an assistant at Akron, the Zips captured the most MAC wins for any team in the league from 1997-01, including a MAC Eastern Division title in 1998. He helped recruit two Mr. Basketball award winners, and Jimmal Ball, who was voted one of the top 15 freshman players in the country by USA today and ESPN. At Creighton University, he helped lead the Blue Jays to back to back 20-win seasons. Creighton also won the MVC title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tourney. He also has been the head coach of the Five Star Basketball Camp, where he instructed several top 100 high school players in the country who now play in the NBA. He has instructed at many basketball camps and clinics around the country and abroad.
Pigatti also uses his decades of basketball knowledge to provide analysis on high school and college basketball games. Pigatti co-hosted the NCAA Insiders on WJOB and JEDtv and broadcasted games including IHSAA postseason tournament.
Coach Pigatti has set numerous records as a head coach. He is the only coach in college basketball history: NCAA, NAIA, and NJCAA; that has had nine 1st Team All-Americans in his first 11 years as a head coach. He has won 12 Region IV Championships. His teams have been ranked #1 in the country on numerous occasions. For the first time in SSC’s history, they appeared in three straight NJCAA Division II National Championships: 2007-’09, 2011-2014 and 2016-2018, 2020-’22. He has had eight teams finish with 30+ wins in his 17 years as a head coach, also the first time that was been done at SSC. His teams have been ranked in the top ten every season since he has been at South Suburban College.
Coach Pigatti came to SSC from St. Francis University in Loretto, PA where he was the head assistant men’s basketball coach and recruiting coordinator. At St. Francis, Pigatti was an integral part of signing the number one recruiting class in the Northeast Conference. In addition, the 2004-05 season record was the schools’ best in 8 years. During the 2003-04 season, Pigatti helped Kent State to a 22-9 final record, a Mid-American Conference (MAC) Eastern Division championship and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).Prior to his one-year stint at Kent State, Pigatti served as an assistant coach at Elmhurst College-IL (1987-89), Creighton University (1989-91), Texas A&M University (1991-92), Western Michigan University (1992-94), Saint Joseph’s College-IN (1994-95), the University of Akron (1995-01), and Chicago State University (2002-03).
During Pigatti’s tenure as an assistant at Akron, the Zips captured the most MAC wins for any team in the league from 1997-01, including a MAC Eastern Division title in 1998. He helped recruit two Mr. Basketball award winners, and Jimmal Ball, who was voted one of the top 15 freshman players in the country by USA today and ESPN. At Creighton University, he helped lead the Blue Jays to back to back 20-win seasons. Creighton also won the MVC title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tourney. He also has been the head coach of the Five Star Basketball Camp, where he instructed several top 100 high school players in the country who now play in the NBA. He has instructed at many basketball camps and clinics around the country and abroad.
Pigatti also uses his decades of basketball knowledge to provide analysis on high school and college basketball games. Pigatti co-hosted the NCAA Insiders on WJOB and JEDtv and broadcasted games including IHSAA postseason tournament.
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