STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Head coach Joy McCorvey has announced this afternoon the addition of Jon Plefka, former Division II head and assistant coach, to the program as an assistant coach for the Seawolves.

"Jon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience both on and off the court," said McCorvey. "As a former head coach, his ability to lead, mentor, and develop our student athletes will be very impactful to our program. He is a proven winner and great addition to a very strong staff."
  
Plefka comes to the Island from Auburn University at Montgomery (AUM) where he served as the head coach since April of 2023. In his only season AUM, Plefka led the Warhawks to their first home Gulf South Conference (GSC) postseason game and GSC semifinal appearance in program history after finishing the year 20-10 (17-7 GSC). He also guided the program to their first-ever NCAA Division II South Regional Ranking and helped Allasha Dudley become AUM's first player to be named to the All-GSC Team by earning D2 CCA All-South Region Team honors. 

"I'm extremely excited to move back to the east coast and join the Seawolves family," said Plefka. "I truly thank Coach Joy for the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing staff and athletics department. I look forward to learning and growing under her tutelage. I can't wait to get started with our student-athletes and immersing myself in everything Stony Brook! Go Seawolves!"

Prior to AUM, Plefka spent six seasons at Post University, a member of Division II. The Connecticut native returned home and had an overall record of 84-55 as the head coach. He helped the team to the 2023 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Conference Championship Game and two North Division Championships at Post, which were both firsts in program history. Plefka ended his journey with the Eagles by posting a 69-33 (CACC) league record with the team that had one winning season in 15 years before his arrival. 

Before Plefka became the head coach of Post for the 2017-18 season, he served under two-time WNBA champion Taj McWilliams-Franklin as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Eagles in the 2016-17 season. He increased the win total by six games in his first season, eight victories to 14, then increased the win total to 22 wins in the 2019-20 season. 

During his time with the Eagles, he recruited and coached five CACC All-Conference Team selections, including a CACC Rookie of the Year. In the classroom, his teams maintained a 3.0 cumulative GPA in each of his five seasons as head coach. Plefka was also a member of the inaugural Next Generation Institute of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
 
He is no stranger to playing under the biggest stage. Plefka was a two-star student-athlete baseball and basketball player at Texas Tech University, where he was mentored and coached by legendary basketball coach Bob Knight and drafted on the diamond by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2006. 

Plefka graduated cum laude in 2007 with a Bachelor's in Human Development and Family Studies from Texas Tech and spent eight seasons playing professional baseball in Canada, South America, and the United States of America. 

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