Justin Piergrossi just completed his fourth season as head coach at Skyline. Since the day he arrived, the Trojans have concentrated on attracting and developing local players to fill its roster. In his first four seasons, 40 out of 48 players who completed a season were from Skyline’s defined recruiting area. The emphasis on local players has provided an excellent opportunity for many young men to develop on and off the floor. Since 2004, 100% of the players who have completed two years in the program, or were full-qualifiers out of high school, have earned their Associate’s Degree or transferred to a four-year school. In addition, 91% of those players have been offered scholarships. These accomplishments are the cornerstone of the Men’s Basketball program at Skyline.
Piergrossi is the sixth head coach in Skyline's illustrious history. He arrived at Skyline after serving five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of San Francisco. On the hilltop he coached a total of thirteen players who went on to play professionally overseas (Kenyon Jones, Russell Hinder, LyRyan Russell, Ali Thomas, Hondre Brewer, Darrell Tucker, John Cox, Shamell Stallworth, Kenny Barnes, Jovan Harris, Tyrone Riley, Jerome Gumbs, and Alan Wiggins, Jr.). USF players also earned a number of distinctions during his time, including one WCC Player of the Year, four 1st Team All-Conference selections, one All-Conference honorable mention, and one WCC Newcomer of the Year. In 1999-2000 Piergrossi was part of a USF team that achieved the school's highest win total in two decades, a record which still has not been surpassed.
In his time at USF, Piergrossi's duties gradually shifted from day-to-day operations of the program to opponent scouting and the recruitment of student-athletes. He played a key role in the advance scouting of many of the Dons' upsets during his tenure, including Michigan, BYU, Ohio State and Fresno State. He also recruited the team MVP in each of his last two seasons (Andre Hazel and Alan Wiggins, Jr.). In addition to his duties on the court, Piergrossi served an equally important position off the court. His role as an academic mentor proved invaluable as USF claimed one of the highest graduation rates in the country year after year.
Prior to joining Philip Mathews' staff at USF, Piergrossi served as an assistant coach at Hanover College in Hanover, IN. At Hanover, he was part of a perennial Division III power, working for Dr. Michael Beitzel, three-time Midwest District NABC Coach of the Year. At Hanover, Piergrossi concentrated on the team's defense, which ranked 9th in the nation in points allowed per game in 1997-98.
Piergrossi also interned for the Philadelphia 76ers in its front office and volunteered for the University of Connecticut during its 1995-96 Big East Championship season. He is well known on the summer basketball camp circuit as well after working a number of the top camps on the east coast and in the Midwest.
Piergrossi hails from Bloomfield, CT where he played at Bloomfield High School for legendary coach Joe Reilly. Reilly is one of the winningest coaches in Connecticut High School Basketball history. Following his playing career at Bloomfield, Piergrossi went on to earn his undergraduate degree at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania in Sports Management and Finance. He also earned his Master's degree in Sports Management from the University of San Francisco.
Eddy Harris begins his fifth season as an assistant coach at Skyline College. Harris joined the Skyline coaching staff after finishing his career and education at the University of San Francisco. He was a member of the USF basketball team from 1999 to 2002, playing for head coach Phil Mathews. During the 2000-01 season, Harris was honored with the “We Play Hard” Award for his dedication and work ethic. He completed his bachelor’s degree in 2002 and then went on to earn his master’s degree in 2004.
He enrolled at USF after prepping at Bridgemont High School in San Francisco. At Bridgemont, Harris was a four-year varsity starter and finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer. He averaged 29.6 points per game as a senior.
In addition to coaching at Skyline, Harris teaches a number of general physical education classes and serves on the staff of the Learning and Writing Center. He has also previously served as a director for the Legarza Summer Basketball Camps, one of the largest camps in northern California.
He enjoys working out in the Skyline fitness center.
