Matt Dempsey
| Title: | Head Women's Basketball Coach |
| Phone Number: | 516-726-5273 |
| Email Address: | dempseym@usmma.edu |
| Hometown: | Belmar, N.J. |
| College: | Castleton State '84 / '97 |
| Major: | B.S. - Physical Education / M.S. - Education |
Hired in August of 2008, Matt Dempsey enters his third season as
the head women’s basketball coach at the United States
Merchant Marine Academy. Dempsey came to the Academy after being
the number one women’s assistant basketball coach at the U.S.
Naval Academy (2003-2008).
Before his stint at Navy, Dempsey was the head men’s
basketball coach at Green Mountain College for 13 seasons. He led
the Eagles to five Mayflower Conference titles and to a 216-157
record during his tenure as head coach. Green Mountain advanced to
the NAIA National Tournament four times under Dempsey. He earned
five conference coach-of-the-year honors and was selected as the
1994 NAIA District 5 Coach of the Year. Dempsey left Green Mountain
as the winningest coach in the program’s history.
From 1986-1989 he was the head women’s basketball coach at
Green Mountain College where he posted a 38-34 record in the three
seasons.
Dempsey has had other coaching experience as he was the head
women’s softball coach from 1990-2001.
As a player, Dempsey was a four-year starter at Castleton State
College for the men’s basketball team and was a three-year
letterwinner for the men’s soccer team. As a soccer player,
Dempsey won the All-District V Honorable Mention Award and was
selected to the All-Conference team in 1983. As a basketball
player, he won the 1,000 Point Basketball Award in 1984. Dempsey
was inducted to the Castleton State College Hall of Fame in
1997.
Dempsey received a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education
in 1984 from Castleton State College. In 1997, he received a
Master’s degree in Education from Castleton State.
Dempsey is a native of Belmar, NJ. He currently resides in
Flushing, NY and is the father of 17-year old daughter, Alyssa.
Alexa Shields
| Title: | Assistant Women's Basketball Coach |
| Phone Number: | 516-726-5274 |
| Email Address: | shieldsa@usmma.edu |
| Hometown: | Oakhurst, N.J. |
| College: | College of N.J. '06 / Rutgers-Newark '08 |
| Major: | B.S. - Communications / M.S. - Liberal Studies |
Hired in September of 2008, Alexa Shields enters her third
season as the assistant women’s basketball coach at the
United States Merchant Marine Academy. Shields came to the Academy
after being the graduate intern coach at Rutgers-Newark.
While Shields was at Rutgers-Newark some of her responsibilities
included recruiting, administrative duties and camp coordinator.
She also organized the teams Tip-Off Tournament and served as a
Team Academic Advisor.
A three-time All-New Jersey Athletic Conference guard at The
College of New Jersey, Shields helped TCNJ to NJAC championships in
2004 and 2006, finishing tied for third in career assists (309) and
fifth in steals (196) in school history. She served as team captain
as a junior and senior. A four-year letterwinner, she earned
first-team All-NJAC honors in 2005 while garnering second unit
notice as a sophomore and senior.
She earned her bachelor of science in communications from TCNJ in
2006 after four years on the Dean’s List. Two years later,
Shield earned a masters degree in Liberal Studies from
Rutger-Newark.
Shields and her family moved from Huntington, Indiana, to Wall
Township, New Jersey, for her junior and senior years in high
school. She captained Wall High School as a junior and senior where
she also lettered twice in tennis.
She is a native of Oakhurst, NJ and currently resides in Long
Beach, N.Y.
