A veteran coach born, raised and schooled in New York City, Tony Chiles was the first assistant coach tabbed to Steve Lavin's new staff at St. John's. An Ivy League graduate who began a career on Wall Street before shifting to college coaching, Chiles' successful tenure has included stints at Manhattan, Iona and Drexel, and is marked by conference championships and postseason appearances.

"Tony is as talented, capable and respected as any assistant coach in the country," said Lavin. "After delving through all the information during the search process for my staff, it became clear that Coach Chiles would be a perfect first choice as an assistant coach."

Chiles comes to STJ after spending the past six seasons at Drexel, where he was responsible for national recruiting, working with the guards and individual player development. Chiles helped guide the Dragons to a Postseason NIT appearance in 2005 - his first season with the team - and to the semifinals of the Preseason NIT in his second year.

During his time with the Dragons, Chiles helped lead the team to postseason NIT appearances in 2005 and 2007. In Chiles' six seasons, Drexel won at least 10 conference games four times, and compiled an overall record of 98-87, going 59-49 in conference play. In Drexel's 2006-07 season, the Dragons posted a 23-9 mark and earned an NIT bid after notching impressive road wins over Syracuse, Villanova, Creighton, Temple and St. Joseph's.

New York State Of Mind
Prior to working at Drexel, Chiles was an assistant coach at Iona College under former NBA All-Star Jeff Ruland, helping to lead the Gaels to consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances and a pair of 20-win seasons.

In his six-year tenure, he was instrumental in Iona's reemergence as one of the nation's top mid-major programs, developing strategies that enabled the Gaels to win 60 percent of their games. With Chiles on the bench in 2002, the Gaels defeated No. 22 North Carolina at Madison Square Garden, which counts as one of the three wins over a ranked opponent in the history of Iona basketball.

As the recruiting coordinator, he was responsible for landing prominent New York City talent, which included eight scholarship players from the New York Metropolitan area on the 2002-03 roster.

Bronx-Borough Beginning
Chiles began his coaching career at Manhattan College under head coach Fran Fraschilla. In three seasons with the Jaspers, Chiles assisted with recruiting, advanced scouting, bench coaching and individual player development.

During his stint at Manhattan, Chiles coached Durelle Brown, who finished his career ranked fourth all-time in the Jaspers' record books in scoring. He also worked with Jason Hoover, a 1998 Jasper Hall of Fame inductee, and Heshimu Evans, a first-team All-MAAC honoree. In his first season, Chiles helped lead the Jaspers to a 17-12 record and the program's fifth consecutive postseason berth, a trip to the NIT.

When Fraschilla left Manhattan to become head coach at St. John's, Chiles took over interim head coaching duties. Chiles played a major role in managing the community service activities of the team, as well as the academic progress of the student-athletes.

A 1989 graduate of Columbia University, Chiles earned a bachelor's degree in political science. A member of Columbia's Dean's List, Chiles was a four-year letterwinner and the Lions' starting point guard for three seasons. Chiles still holds the school's single-game assist record with 19 against the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and is second on Columbia's all-time assist list with 323.

Chiles played his high school ball at All Hallows in the Bronx, leading his team to the New York City and New York State Championships in 1985. He was the valedictorian of his senior class.

Chiles has two sons, Tony (20) and Taj (8). He and his wife, MaChere, reside in Manhattan.

The Tony Chiles File
Coaching Experience
1995-98         Manhattan College, Assistant Coach
1998-04         Iona College, Assistant Coach
2004-10         Drexel University, Assistant Coach
2010-present    St. John's University, Assistant Coach
Playing Experience
	Columbia University (1985-89)
Personal
	Education: Columbia University (1989), B.S. in political science
	Date of Birth: Jan. 3, 1968 in Bronx, N.Y.
	Family: Children: Tony (20), Taj (8), Christopher (1)