On June 18, 2001, Stevens Institute of Technology athletic director Russell Rogers named Steve Hayn as the school's new head men's basketball coach. With his appointment, Hayn brought instant credibility to the Stevens program.
"I am confident that Steve is the right person to lead our program to new heights," Rogers said. "He is a person who has experienced success at every level of collegiate basketball. Most importantly, he's been a successful head coach on the Division III level and we're confident that his experience and work ethic will help him recruit and develop outstanding student-athletes at Stevens."
The eighth head coach in the program's 87-year history, Hayn has been successful at building winning programs at every stop in his coaching career. His teams have showed significant signs of growth and development during first two seasons at Stevens. After taking over in the summer of 2001, Hayn inherited just seven players from the previous season and had little time to recruit. Despite a lack of depth, he got the most out of his small squad by leading the team to seven wins in the final 13 regular season games.
Hayn added six freshmen in his first full recruiting class for the 2002-03 season. With two first-year players in the starting lineup by midseason, the team was again playing its best basketball during the second semester. Despite their youth and inexperience, the Ducks won seven of their final 13 games. A stunning 82-81 win over Skyline Conference frontrunner Kings Point proved that Stevens could compete with the top teams in the conference.
Hayn entered the coaching ranks as the head varsity coach at Port Jefferson high school in Long Island. His impact on the Port Jefferson program was immediate as he guided the Royals to a third-place finish in the Long Island public school league. Following a two-year stint at Port Jefferson, Hayn joined coach Bill Van Gundy's staff as an assistant coach at Genesee Community College. In his only season at Genesee, the Cougars finished with an overall record of 26-6 and qualified as a NJCAA Division I Region III semifinalist.
Hayn next accepted the position of assistant coach at Central Connecticut State University. During his three-year tenure on coach Howie Dickenman's staff, he was responsible for all aspects of the Blue Devil's NCAA Division I program including recruiting, scouting, on-floor coaching and scheduling. The 1999-2000 CCSU squad made the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history after capturing the Northeast Conference title while posting an overall record of 25-5.
Hayn returned to the NCAA Division III ranks when he accepted the head coaching position at the State University of New York at Fredonia. During his two year tenure as the leader of the Blue Devil program, his squad posted 30 total victories and earned berths in the SUNYAC postseason tournament each season. His 2000-01 Fredonia team posted an overall 18-11 record and earned a postseason bid, advancing to the finals of the ECAC Tournament.
With over 20 years of playing and coaching experience, Hayn is excited about the challenge he faces at Stevens.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for me and my family and we're excited about becoming members of the Stevens community," Hayn said. "Stevens is a very attractive school with one of the top academic reputations in the country. I'm certainly looking forward to working in an outstanding environment with student-athletes who are committed to succeeding both on the court and in the classroom."
Born in Queens and raised in Long Island, Hayn developed into a standout forward at the University of Stony Brook. A two-time captain and 1,000-point scorer for the Seawolves, Hayn led his senior squad to a 1991 NCAA Division III Tournament appearance. A graduate of Stony Brook with a B.A. in Liberal Arts, Hayn later earned a master's degree in Special Education from Long Island University-C.W. Post.
Hayn and his wife Gina reside in Hoboken, N.J., with their son, Zachary.
