Worth Noting:
- Program’s single-season wins leader with 25 in 2017-18
- Program’s single-season NEC wins leader with 17 in 2019-20
Honors & Awards:
- 2020 Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year
- 2019 Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year
- 2018 Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year
- 2017 Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year
Championships:
- 2020 NEC Regular Season
- 2019 NEC Tournament
- 2019 NEC Regular Season
- 2018 NEC Regular Season
- 2017 NEC Tournament
- 2017 NEC Regular Season
- 2016 NEC Tournament (Assoc. HC)
- 2014 NEC Tournament (Assoc. HC)
- 2014 NEC Regular Season (Assoc. HC)
- 2010 NEC Regular Season (Assoc. HC)
- 2008 NEC Tournament (Asst. Coach)
- 2008 NEC Regular Season (Asst. Coach)
- 2007 NEC Tournament (Asst. Coach)
- 2007 NEC Regular Season (Asst. Coach)
Charlie Buscaglia completed his seventh season as head coach of the Robert Morris University women’s basketball team in 2022-23. Coach B, as he is respectfully called, is no stranger to the Colonials’ basketball program, however. The long-time assistant spent 13 seasons on the RMU coaching staff before taking over the head coaching role, and served as the associate head coach from 2008-09 to 2015-16.
In its first season as a Horizon League member in 2020-21, Buscaglia led Robert Morris to a two-game sweep at home of Wright State, who would ultimately win the league’s regular-season and tournament championships before advancing to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. The Colonials paced their conference counterparts in turnover margin (+2.65) and turnovers per game (13.5), and freshman forward Sol Castro represented the team as a Horizon League All-Freshman selection.
RMU had a special 2019-20 campaign, winning its fourth consecutive Northeast Conference (NEC) regular-season championship – becoming the first team to rattle off four straight since 2001-05. The Colonials finished 23-7 overall, and boasted one of the best defenses in the nation – ranking sixth in scoring defense (52.6), 10th in three-point field goal defense (.266), 11th in turnovers forced (21.17), 12th in field goal percentage defense (.346), 17th in turnover margin (+5.57), and 20th in steals (10.7). RMU went a program-tying 17-1 in the NEC, won seven games by 30+ points, and featured three All-NEC selections in First Team selection Nneka Ezeigbo, Second Team pick Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu, and Third Team selection Isabella Posset.
Coach B tied the conference record with his fourth Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year nod, all of them consecutive. The Colonials established school records in scoring defense, scoring margin (+12.4), field goal percentage defense, and NEC start (14-0), and achieved notable accomplishments such as first win over a BIG EAST school (W, 71-57 vs. Xavier) and the program's fifth straight and 13th total 20-win season. RMU had advanced to the NEC Tournament semifinals in its first season playing at Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center before the remainder of the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Colonials lived up to preseason expectations in 2018-19, as the NEC preseason favorite went 22-11 overall and 16-2 in league play, winning the NEC regular-season and tournament titles. RMU advanced to play No. 5 Louisville in the NCAA Tournament First Round, the team’s fourth consecutive postseason tournament appearance. The Colonials closed out their two-year stay at the North Athletic Complex with a 65-54 victory over in-state rival Saint Francis U in the NEC Championship Game, finishing with a 28-5 record at ‘The NAC’, a mark that included a perfect 22-0 mark against NEC opponents.
Once again, defense told the story of the RMU’s success. The Colonials ranked 12th nationally in scoring defense – their third straight season inside the top 25 – by allowing just 55.3 points per game. Coach B earned his third consecutive Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year award, establishing a new league record. Nneka Ezeigbo and Isabella Posset were named to All-NEC teams, highlighted by Ezeigbo’s First Team and NEC Defensive Player of the Year nods. Posset, the program’s first player from the Pittsburgh area since 2013-14, was named to the All-NEC Rookie Team.
Despite losing three important seniors, Coach B guided Robert Morris to a school-record 25 wins in 2017-18, culminating in the program’s sixth NEC regular-season championship and second Postseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) berth. RMU finished the season at 25-8 overall and 16-2 in NEC play and tied the school record for out-of-league victories with seven. The Colonials also advanced to their fifth straight NEC Championship Game, despite playing in a new temporary facility at the North Athletic Complex while RMU’s newest home, Peoples Court at the UPMC Events Center, was under construction.
RMU established a then-program standard for scoring defense by allowing just 54.1 points per game, which ranked eighth nationally. Coach B received his second straight Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year award, becoming the third coach in league history to collect the plaudit in back-to-back seasons. Three players were named to All-NEC teams, led by Megan Smith’s First Team selection. Nneka Ezeigbo gained Second Team accolades, while Honoka Ikematsu – the program’s first player from Japan – was named to the Rookie Team.
Coach B continued the program’s recent run of success in his first season in charge as the Colonials advanced to their fifth NCAA Tournament following a 65-52 victory over Bryant in the NEC Championship Game and final contest at the Charles L. Sewall Center. Robert Morris entered the NEC Tournament as the number one seed after claiming the league regular-season title and finished the 2016-17 campaign with a 22-11 overall record and 14-4 mark in conference.
In addition to the team accolades, the Colonials brought home quite the haul in NEC awards. Buscaglia was named Brenda Reilly NEC Coach of the Year after posting the best record for a first-year head coach in program history, while Anna Niki Stamolamprou took home NEC Player of the Year honors. Megan Smith claimed a spot on the Third Team and Nneka Ezeigbo was named to the Rookie Team.
Buscaglia has always believed that recruiting is the lifeline of a program. After taking over as recruiting coordinator in 2003, he went in search of the best talent both near and far, connecting with athletes from not only all over the country, but all over the world.
“Most people assume you are a great recruiter when you sign great talent,” said Buscaglia. “What I have learned over my years as a coach, however, is that recruiting talent – along with a strong work ethic – is what separates one from the others. My mission will always be for my staff to bring in student-athletes that work hard on the court and in the classroom.”
Coach B’s rundown of all-conference players is an impressive list of who’s who among the league’s stars. The all-star cavalcade began with the signing of Sugeiry Monsac in 2004. Monsac was the 2005 NEC Player of the Year who went on to play in the Israeli Division I League and was inducted into the RMU Athletics Hall of Fame. She was followed by a pair of 2006 All-NEC selections in Psyche Butler and Natasha Summerville.
His strong recruiting record received national recognition in 2006-07 when the RMU class was ranked as one of the Top 50 classes by the Adidas All-Star Report.
Buscaglia pulled off another recruiting coup when he signed University of Kentucky recruit Sade Logan in the 2006 class. Logan, who was a Top 20 player coming out of high school, earned NEC Player of the Year honors in 2009 and tied the NCAA Division I record for three-pointers with 126. Another 2006 recruit, Chinata Nesbit, was a two-time All-NEC First Team pick and was twice the NEC Tournament MVP.
Not as well known when she was recruited out of Monroe College, Angela Pace was a diamond in the rough, using her athleticism to become the only player in league history to earn both NEC Player of the Year and NEC Defensive Player of the Year.
More recently, Coach B’s recruiting tendrils have gone international with impressive results. Artemis Spanou, a native of Greece, was a two-time NEC Player of the Year and is the team’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. The first NEC Rookie of the Year in team history, she was quickly joined by Italian native Ashley Ravelli, who earned the plaudits in 2013.
Buscaglia came to Robert Morris from Manhattan College, the 2003 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) champions and NCAA Tournament participant, where he was an assistant from 1998 to 2003. While at Manhattan, Buscaglia focused mainly on recruiting and developing the perimeter players. He signed Rosalee Mason, who averaged a double-double for the Lady Jaspers and finished her career as Manhattan’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. She is one of the many players Coach B has signed that has played professionally in Europe.
“The entire Robert Morris community continually strives to fulfill all the needs of its students and student-athletes, which is beneficial to building a winning tradition,” stated Buscaglia. “The university has given me tremendous support in my quest to recruit top student-athletes, which has helped RMU to build a tradition of not only being a Northeast Conference contender, but a nationally competitive program.”
Aside from recruiting, Buscaglia has helped run summer basketball camps and clinics at the University of Buffalo from 1994 to 1998, and was a camp coordinator at Manhattan during his tenure there.
A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Buscaglia graduated from Manhattan in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science degree in general studies. Buscaglia, his wife, Roseline, and their son, Saso, currently reside in Moon Township.
THE BUSCAGLIA FILE
Birthdate: November 26, 1979
Hometown: Buffalo, N.Y.
Alma Mater / Year: Manhattan College / 2003
Degree: Bachelor of Science (General Studies)
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Robert Morris University
(Moon Township, Pa.)
- Head Coach (2017-present)
- Associate Head Coach (2008-16)
- Assistant Coach (2003-08)
Manhattan College
(Manhattan, N.Y.)
- Assistant Coach (1998-03)
