Women's Basketball Coaches
Brenda Mock Brown
Head Coach
Jackie Alexander
Assistant Coach
Joe Silvestri
Assistant Coach
Eric Gracia
Assistant Coach
Joy Tharrington
Director of Player Development
Alyssa Sweeney
Director of Basketball Operations
Damar Bobb
Sports Performance Coach
Full List
Staff Directory
Joe Silvestri

Joe Silvestri

Assistant Coach

Joe Silvestri was added to the ETSU women's basketball staff on April 9, 2021. He enters his third season in 2023-24.

In just his second season with the program, ETSU enjoyed the largest turnaround in NCAA Division I Women's Basketball. The program went from a 6-22 record in the 2021-22 season to a 25-10 record in 2022-23 for a 19-win improvement. The improvement is the seventh-best turnaround in NCAA women's basketball history. Silvestri also aided ETSU in setting new school records for wins in a season (25) and non-conference wins in a season (13), winning the program's first postseason game since 1995 with two wins in the Women's Basketball Invitational, as well as the team's first College Insider Top 25 Mid-Major ranking since 2010. The Bucs were either ranked or receiving votes for 10 straight weeks (Dec. 20, 2022 - Feb. 21, 2023) and were ranked for three of those (Dec. 27, 2022 - Jan. 10, 2023) with Silvestri on staff.

Also with Silvestri's assistance, ETSU set school records for made three-pointers in a single season (228), best margin of victory (69), fewest points allowed in a game (26), fewest points combined (75) in a 44-31 win over Vanderbilt, as well as the single-game three-pointers made record in a win over SoCon regular season champion Wofford (16).

While serving as an assistant coach at the University of North Florida, Silvestri helped contribute to two of three-consecutive winning seasons for the Ospreys in his two years on staff. North Florida combined for a 30-26 record in Silvestri’s two seasons, building on the Ospreys’ first winning season in 2018-19 since the 2003-04 campaign.

During his time on the Osprey sidelines, Silvestri coached Defensive Player of the Year and two-time ASUN All-Conference selection Jazz Bond along with Marissa Mackins, who also earned an ASUN first-team All-Conference selection.

Under his guidance, the Ospreys increased their scoring output by nine points per game while also setting the single-season record in three-pointers made in back-to-back seasons. UNF also ranked in the top 25 in four offensive categories: three-pointers attempted (22nd), three-pointers made (10th), three-pointers per game (9th), and three-point percentage (18th).

The Ospreys finished the 2020-21 season as the No. 3 seed in the ASUN tournament, making the semifinals for the fourth straight season.

Silvestri was part of a staff at Florida International University that improved its win total in each season under his tutelage. The 2017-18 squad won the most games (8) and league contests (5) by any FIU women’s basketball team since 2013-14. 

At the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, Silvestri was named to the Inaugural 30 Under 30 list, by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). This list honors up-and-coming coaches under the age of 30 at all levels of women's basketball. He was honored among just six men and 12 total Division I coaches for that award.

Prior to FIU, Silvestri spent four years at UCF, where he graduated in 2012 with a degree in sport and exercise science and a concentration in coaching. He spent two years in the role of director of program development before transitioning to an assistant coach role prior to the 2014-15 season.

Silvestri was hired in that role after serving as a student manager for his last two years prior to graduation. Silvestri performed a variety of tasks and roles at UCF, including assisting with practices, film, coordination of team travel, summer camps and on-campus recruiting events.

Off the court, Silvestri was selected to participate in the prestigious TopConnect Basketball Symposium in Orlando, Fla. at the 2023 NACDA Convention.

Silvestri is married to his wife, Victoria, and the couple has one son, Gavin.