Coach Mike Gaffey comes to Penn State Harrisburg as the men´s basketball coach after coaching sixteen years in the high school ranks in central Pennsylvania.

A Bishop McDevitt High School graduate, Gaffey holds a degree in Telecommunications from Penn State and Elementary Education from Wilson College. He was a standout player at Penn State Du Bois where he was the team MVP and a Pennsylvania Commonwealth East-West All-Star participant in 1984.

Gaffey started his head coaching career at Susquenita High School and then quickly moved to the head coaching position at Palmyra High School, where he stayed for ten years. There, Gaffey became a very prestigious coach as he took Palmyra to three state tournaments along with five "Elite 8" finishes in districts, including a P.I.A.A. District III AAA Championship in 1996. This was the school´s last District Championship in the past 52 years! Along with making Palmyra a force to be reckoned with on the court, Gaffey was a three time Sportsmanship Award winner there. Following his ten year stint, Gaffey spent a year as the Head Junior Varsity Basketball Coach at Alvernia College. His Alvernia JV team set a school record by scoring 60 points in one half on January 28th, 2003. Following that, Gaffey was named the varsity basketball coach at Annville-Cleona High School, where he coached there for the next five years. In 2007 he was named the Lancaster League Coach of the Year when his team made the school´s only league playoff appearance in the past 9 years.

Coaching Philosophy

It is my belief that basketball cannot only shape and mold great student-athletes, but also contribute to the knowledge and skills for them to be successful citizens.

I am a dedicated, hard working, role model. I expect my team of players and coaches to carry themselves the same way. When associated with a team you are no longer just representing yourself and your family, you now have an extended family. Therefore, you must carry yourself with dignity and respect.

Offensively, I believe in a "Kansas" style fast break system. Our team finished 4th in the NEAC in scoring offense with a 70.8 per game average and we feel we can improve that in 2009-10. In the half court, we run a motion offense with various set to get us into the motion game. Our team was ranked 2nd in the NEAC in turnover margin at +1.08. There for, we believe in taking care of the ball!

Defensively, we believe in defending the three point line on a consistent basis. Penn State Harrisburg finished 2nd in the conference in three point field goal percentage defense this past season, to verify that, holding opponents to 183-511 (.311) behind the arc.

Ultimately, it is my goal as the Head Coach to educate and develop the "whole" student-athlete to compete, produce, and lead in our ever-changing society after graduation.