Ewing, NJ... Jeff Molinelli, a 2009 graduate from The College of New Jersey, has accepted the position of head coach of the varsity basketball program at Hopewell Valley Central High School. Molinelli becomes the youngest head basketball coach in the program's history as he returns to his alma mater where he was a star basketball and soccer player for the Bulldogs from 2001 through 2005.

“Coaching basketball at Hopewell is something I envisioned after I finished playing," said Molinelli. "I played there and I feel at home in that gym. I recognize there will be things that I need to learn and I'll be attentive to that, but I'm very excited to coach basketball and work with the kids."

The Lion alum coached the Hopewell freshmen team this past winter after graduating with a degree in Health and Exercise Science from TCNJ in the spring of 2009. He worked as a paraprofessional in Hopewell's Wellness Department and takes over the basketball program for Tony Mormile. Mormile stepped down after leading the Bulldogs to a 12-15 record, which included a thrilling 65-62 upset victory over Middletown-South High School in New Jersey Group III state tournament play.

A fierce competitor on the floor, Molinelli appeared in 87 games over four seasons with the Lions starting in 70 contests. He played small forward and guard and was named co-captain during the 2008-09 season. Molinelli had his best statistical season during his junior year when he averaged 10.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game to go along with 46 assists and 16 steals on the season. He poured in a career-high 24 points against Steven Institute of Technology on February 6, 2008.

Molinelli played for two seasons under John Castaldo '82 before the veteran coach accepted the position of Director of Athletics and Recreation at TCNJ. Matt Hunter was the interim coach during the 2007-08 season before current head coach Kelly Williams '93 took over the reins in 2008. The fact that Molinelli played for three different college coaches in four seasons should provide him with a comprehensive base from which to develop his own coaching style.

“Jeff is an excellent choice because he's a born leader,” said TCNJ head coach Kelly Williams. “He really knows how to get the best out of players and that was evident when he was a captain for me during his senior year. I'm extremely happy for him. He's a good person, an excellent communicator, and he will truly care about the kids.”

During his playing career at Hopewell, Molinelli led the Bulldogs to a Patriot Division title in 2005 and was selected by the Times and Trentonian as a 1st Team All-County and All-Area performer. A recipient of the prestigious Jack Cryan Award, he scored over 1,000 career points at Hopewell.

"I had a great experience coaching the freshmen this past year, but I was also at every varsity practice so I have a good feel for the personnel," noted Molinelli. "I worked with a lot of these kids as they grew up in the community and will do everything I can to make their experience playing basketball as enjoyable as mine was here and at TCNJ."