JERSEY CITY, NJ – Saint Peter's University head women's basketball coach Marc Mitchell has announced his coaching staff for his inaugural season in Jersey City. Mitchell adds Quiana Porter, James Boney, and Jessica Cavaco to his staff as assistant coaches. Porter and Cavaco join Mitchell after serving as his assistants at Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham. Boney previously served as head women's basketball coach at Cumberland County College.
"It was an easy decision for me, knowing Jessica and Quiana for so many years," said Mitchell. I coached them both in high school and have known them since they were kids. Trust and loyalty is a big thing for me and I can't think of any other people I trust more than Jessica and Quiana. James is someone that I have known for 12 or 13 years and someone again, that I trust. He is very knowledgeable and has both head and assistant college coaching experience."
Porter, a four-year women's basketball letter winner and graduate of Saint Peter's, returns to her alma mater after spending the past two seasons as Mitchell's assistant at FDU-Florham. While at FDU-Florham, Porter helped guide the Devils to consecutive MAC Freedom titles and back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament. Her primary duties consisted of working with forwards and centers.
Porter played for the Peacocks from 2008-12, appearing in 118 career games, including 72 starts. She ranked third in the MAAC in blocked shots as a senior and ninth as a sophomore. Porter was also one of the top rebounders for the Peacocks, leading the team in total rebounds and rebounding average in 2009-10 and 2011-12. She graduated from Saint Peter's in 2012 with a degree in communications and a minor in business management. Following college, Porter played professionally overseas for one year in Lausanne, Switzerland. She is a native of Elizabeth, NJ and she played high school girls' basketball at Elizabeth High School for Mitchell.
"I had to bring Quiana with me because she is a very hard hard worker." said Mitchell. "She was a great post-position player and she is going to develop our post players, and that is really one of the reasons why I wanted her to join me here. Quiana is a young lady that I coached in high school, she played four years here at Saint Peter's, and she has overseas experience. She'll be able to relate to the players and she has the knowledge and guidance for the players if they have aspirations of playing overseas after graduating from here."
Boney most recently served as the head women's basketball coach at Cumberland County College (CCC) from 2011-17. At the helm of CCC, he won over 100 career games, including four straight Region XIX playoff appearances and a Region XIX Championship in 2015. During the 2015 season, the Dukes finished with a 25-3 record and ranked No. 4 nationally. That season, Boney was named Region XIX and District E Coach of the Year. He successfully produced eight All-Region 19 selections, twelve all-conference honorees, one All-American, Alicia Cox, in 2012, and three academic All-Americans.
In 2009, Boney landed his first head coaching job for the Jersey Thunder, a semi-pro team of the Eastern Basketball Association. He coached the Thunder to the playoffs in his first year. He spent the preceding two years at Kean University as an assistant coach, with those teams posting a combined 55-8 overall record, winning two conference titles, and earning two elite eight appearances. Boney started his coaching career at Montclair State University in 2001, where he spent four years as an assistant coach to his mentor, Jaime Hoffman.
Originally from Egg Harbor Township, Boney attended Montclair State University where he was a two-sport athlete, playing both basketball and football. He earned his degree in physical education and health in 1999.
"I can't think of anyone else who works as hard as I do recruiting than James," said Mitchell. "He is a great recruiter, a great relationships builder, and he does a great job with player development as well. With his head coaching experience in the junior college world and with his ties and connections out there on the recruiting trail, I think he is going to be vital for us. I couldn't think of anyone else that I trust more in that regards to getting out and recruiting and building this program from where it is now, to where it is going to be in a few years."
Cavaco spent the previous eight seasons alongside Mitchell at FDU-Florham, serving as an assistant coach. She helped coach the Devils to six consecutive conference championships, six straight NCAA tournament appearances, and helped guide the 2013-14 squad to the program's first NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship and a perfect 33-0 record.
In the spring of 2017, Cavaco was honored by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), making the Thirty Under 30 list. The honor recognized her as one of the nation's top 30 coaches under the age of the 30.
Cavaco graduated with an undergraduate degree in criminal justice and a minor in psychology from Kean University and earned her MA in sports administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She played girls' basketball for Mitchell at Elizabeth High School and currently resides in Newark, NJ.
"Jessica has been with me the longest," said Mitchell. "What she brings to the table is knowledge of the game. She is a great player development person, she works hard on recruiting trails, and she builds relationships with outside people and people on campus. She has great relationships with our players and she is kind of the mother figure, bringing a little softer touch at times to the program."
"It's not a matter of just picking good assistant coaches, we have to have a chemistry as well," added Mitchell. "We are teaching family and togetherness as our culture. We are all a family and we are going to be teaching that kind of culture. You will see that permeate throughout our entire program."
