Bryheem Hancock has been named the eighth head coach in Radford University men’s soccer program history, Director of Athletics Robert Lineburg announced on Tuesday morning. Hancock comes to Radford after spending eight seasons as an assistant at South Florida.
“The future of Radford men’s soccer continues to be very bright with Bryheem Hancock as our new head coach. Bryheem has had tremendous success as a student-athlete, professional athlete and college coach. His background is all about winning and this will translate very well for our program,” Lineburg added. “He is considered in soccer circles to be one of the top recruiters in college soccer and this skill set will serve him well. We had some absolutely fantastic coaches interested in this position, but it was very apparent to us that Bryheem was a great all-around fit.”
In Hancock’s eight seasons as an assistant, USF finished with double-digit wins in five seasons, advancing to the NCAA Tournament seven times. The Bulls won the 2013 American Athletic Conference Tournament championship and 2011 BIG EAST Red Division Regular Season Championship. USF’s 2015 recruiting class headed by Hancock was named No. 3 in the country by College Soccer News.
“I would first like to thank Robert Lineburg, Stephanie Ballein and President Brian Hemphill. They have given me this opportunity, which I am blessed to have. I am obviously very excited to become a leader here at Radford,” Hancock stated. “Just from seeing the campus, meeting the staff and athletic department; I can tell that it is definitely a family and that is something that I obviously want to be a part of.”
After finishing his professional playing career, Hancock began his collegiate coaching career at South Florida in 2009. Under Hancock’s watchful eye, USF goalkeeper Jeff Attinella was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year and was also named a first team National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American in his first season. That same year, Attinella posted a 14-4-3 record with seven shutouts and a 0.83 goals against average.
“I felt like this fit was perfect for me. It was not just about the school’s success on the field, but how involved the program was in the community and their academic success,” Hancock noted. “To me my three things are: to win in the classroom, to win on the field and win in the community. I think that Radford provides all three of those things.”
Hancock spent his collegiate career at UConn (1998-2001), guiding the Huskies to NCAA Tournament appearances all four years, two final four appearances and the 2000 NCAA Division I National Championship. The Middletown, Del., native was named to the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team in 2000. Hancock was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year in 2001 as well as earning NSCAA All-America status. In his senior season, he was honored with the 2001 Leadership Student-Athlete Award.
He finished his career at UConn boasting 44 wins, 29 shutouts, 25 goals allowed and a 0.70 goals against average. Hancock graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Communications in 2001.
After setting the UConn collegiate shutout record at 15 in one season, Hancock played professional soccer in the United States for three years, including stints with the L.A. Galaxy (2001-02), Atlanta Silverbacks (2002-03) and Toronto Lynx (2004) of Major League Soccer (MLS).
In 2001, Hancock was the first goalkeeper selected in the 2001 MLS Draft by the L.A. Galaxy. In 2003, Hancock was named the Atlanta Silverback MVP while recording the team record for most saves in a season and most saves in a single game. He accumulated additional honors in 2004 with the Toronto Lynx as the team defensive MVP. In his year with the Lynx, he held the team record for most saves in a season.
In addition to his success at UConn, Hancock was part of the U-17 National Team, where he was named captain in 1997 and 1998, and was the starting goalkeeper in the 1997 FIFA U-17 World Championships in Egypt.
— Courtesy of RU Athletics
