Ben
Sarraf, who spent eight seasons as the Cardinals' associate head coach, begins his fourth season as the head women's basketball coach at Plattsburgh State in 2024-25.
In his fourth season at the helm of the Plattsburgh State women's basketball team, Sarraf led the team to their first SUNYAC postseason appearance in a decade with a 14-12 overall (10-8 SUNYAC) record. The team has won the most games since the 2015-16 season, where they also won 14 games, and the most conference games since the 2013-14 season, when they won 15. Under Sarraf, the team had one All-SUNYAC selection in Payton Couture who earned second-team honors.
In his third season as head coach in 2023-2024, Sarraf coached the team to a 10-14 overall (7-11 SUNYAC) record as Sarraf saw a three-win improvement in SUNYAC play. The team won the most games since the 2018-19 season and won the most road games since the 2015-16 season. Under Sarraf, the team saw two All-SUNYAC selections in Payton Couture and Imani Walcott for the first time since the 2018-19 season as Couture and Walcott both earned third-team plaudits.
In his second season at the helm of the Plattsburgh State women's basketball program in 2022-23, Sarraf saw a one-win improvement overall, as the team went 8-17 and finished with a 4-14 mark in SUNYAC play. His team opened the season with a 61-59 win over Clarkson, the team's first over the Golden Knights since 2011. He also helped the team post its best home record (6-8) since the team was 8-5 in Memorial Hall in 2018-19.
In his first season as head coach in 2021-22, Sarraf led the team to a 7-18 record and a 4-14 mark in SUNYAC play, matching the team's record in the final season of Coach Cheryl Cole.
During the course of
Sarraf's eight years with the Plattsburgh State women's basketball program, six different student-athletes have earned
All-SUNYAC honors, including Kathleen Payne, the SUNYAC Player of the Year and an All-American in 2013-14.
Along with Cole, Sarraf guided the Cardinals to their best season in program history in 2013-14. There was no shortage of program firsts for the Cardinals, who claimed the title of SUNYAC regular-season and tournament champions for the first time in program history. Additionally, the team made it to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time and earned the program's first NCAA Tournament triumph with a 67-56 win over Roger Williams University.
Sarraf arrived in the North Country in 2013 after a three-year stint as the assistant coach at another NCAA Division III institution – Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Va. He helped guide the 2012-13 edition of the Hornets to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) semifinals for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign. During his tenure there, Lynchburg saw its win total go from seven to nine, and finally, 18 victories in his final season with the Hornets. He had a hand in recruiting four 1,000-point scorers, including the program's career record holder in scoring, and he helped recruit Lynchburg's all-time assists leader. All told,
Sarraf helped recruit or coach 12
All-ODAC selections, two of whom became All-Region honorees. He assisted in recruiting the cornerstone group of the Hornet team that won the program's first-ever
ODAC title and made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015-16.
Prior to his years at Lynchburg,
Sarraf served as the assistant women's basketball coach at NCAA Division II Saint Anselm College during the 2009-10 campaign.
In addition to his years of experience at the collegiate level,
Sarraf has also been on the staff of numerous basketball camps, including the 2012 Duke University women's basketball camp and the University of Virginia's women's basketball camp for three years.
Hailing from Amherst, N.H.,
Sarraf graduated from Providence College with a bachelor's degree in accounting in 2008 before earning his master's degree in educational leadership from Lynchburg.
Ben Sarraf Career Coaching Record
| Season |
School |
Record |
Pct. |
Conf./Place |
Postseason Finish/Note |
| 2021-22 |
Plattsburgh State |
7-18 |
.280 |
4-14/9th |
--- |
| 2022-23 |
Plattsburgh State |
8-17 |
.320 |
4-14/8th |
--- |
| 2023-24 |
Plattsburgh State |
10-14 |
.417 |
7-11/T-7th |
--- |
| 2024-25 |
Plattsburgh State |
14-12 |
.538 |
10-8/T-4th |
SUNYAC Tournament First Round |
| Overall |
Plattsburgh State |
39-61 |
.390 |
25-47 (.347) |
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