James Cormier serves as Cushing’s Varsity Boys’ Basketball coach and Assistant Director of Admissions. A graduate of Proctor Academy in Andover, New Hampshire, he was captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams during his senior year, and was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American game in basketball. He went on to earn a scholarship at D2 Lemoyne College, where he was a four-year starter and a member of the team that upset Syracuse University in the Carrier Dome. He was also a senior captain for the program.

 

After college, Mr. Cormier worked at Rutgers-Newark. During his time at R-N, he took graduate courses and worked towards a degree in Public Administration. He was in charge of recruiting and academic progress, and assisted in scouting reports and game planning. He helped Rutgers-Newark earn an at-large bid to the D33 NCAA tournament.

 

At the conclusion of one season, Mr. Cormier was offered a job as an athletics assistant at Northfield Mount Hermon, working specifically with the basketball program. While there, NMH held a first-place ranking for the majority of the regular season. The team finished with a 21-9 record and lost in the semi-finals of the NEPSAC tournament and the semi-final of the National Championship tournament. He also had six advisees and lived in the largest boys’ dorm on campus.

 

Most recently, Mr. Cormier spent time as an assistant coach for Dartmouth College. He worked with the perimeter players and was responsible for scouting reports and recruiting. In 2013-2014, he mentored Alex Mitola who was a 1,000-point scorer and an all-league selection. He assisted in the development of Miles Wright who earned Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors. In 2013-2014, Dartmouth finished with a .500 record, the best record in nearly 20 years and good enough for the Big Green’s first post-season birth in 56 years.  The following year, he was involved with the recruitment of Evan Boudreaux, who learned Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors as well.

 

Coach Cormier’s father, Paul Cormier, played a pivotal role in his knowledge and passion for the game of basketball. Coach Paul Cormier spent over 21 years as a D1 head coach at Dartmouth College and Fairfield University, and over 12 years as an assistant coach in the NBA.