Barry Rohrssen was named the 22nd head coach in Manhattan Basketball history on April 25, 2006.
Rohrssen arrives back in his native New York after spending the last seven seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh, including the last two seasons as associate head coach under Head Coach Jamie Dixon. Over the course of the last five seasons at Pittsburgh, Rohrssen was a part of five straight 20-plus win seasons, five straight NCAA appearances, and an overall record of 133-33 (80.1%), a number which ranked the Panthers among the nation's top-five winning percentages during that span. The team was also nearly unbeatable at home, posting a 64-6 all-time record at the four-year old Petersen Events Center (91.4%).
The Brooklyn, N.Y. native played a vital role in Pittsburgh's rise to national prominence, as the Panthers have won three Big East Regular Season titles, and one Big East Tournament title over the last five years, not only through his work on the court, but also as the program's lead recruiter. Many of Rohrssen's recruits became the foundation for the Panthers' recent success, as he played a large role in the signings of many Metropolitan area prep stars, including Chris Taft (Xaverian), Levance Fields (Xaverian), Carl Krauser (Notre Dame Academy), Ronald Ramon (All Hallows), Keith Benjamin (Mt. Vernon), Mark McCarroll (Christ the King), and Tyrell Biggs (Don Bosco Prep, N.J.). His recruiting prowess has not gone unnoticed, as Dick "Hoops" Weiss of the New York Daily News, in a July, 2004 article, placed Rohrssen at the top of his list of coaches that are making the biggest recruiting impact in the city and on Long Island.
Not only a tireless recruiter, Rohrssen has also helped develop some of the top talent in the Big East, as four times during his time at Pittsburgh, a Panther received the Big East Most Improved Player Award, including Aaron Gray this past season.
Prior to Pittsburgh, Rohrssen spent four seasons (1995-99) at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas as the school's director of basketball operations. While at UNLV, the program experienced a resurgence as the Runnin' Rebels captured the 1998 Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship and advanced to postseason play in three of his four years.
Prior to UNLV, Rohrssen was an assistant basketball coach at his alma mater, St. Francis (N.Y.) College, from 1993-95 under Head Coach
Ron Ganulin. He also played for the Terriers from 1981-83 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business management in 1983.
Rohrssen also has extensive international basketball coaching experience. In both 1991 and 1992, Rohrssen represented the United States at the World Invitational Championships in both Poland and England, respectively. He also co-coached an American All-Star team in 1998 that finished 5-0 in Tahiti.
During the summer of 2000, he served as an assistant coach with a United States Junior Team that competed at an international tournament in Leon, Spain. Later that summer, Rohrssen helped lead a New York City squad to a gold medal title at the 2000 Empire State Games.
Rohrssen played in the Catholic High School Athletic Association at Xaverian High School in Brooklyn and is a member of the school's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
