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Matt Furjanic enters his tenth year as the head coach of the Vikings basketball team. In the past nine years, Coach Furjanic has amassed an overall record of 173-108, which includes four Suncoast Conference titles (2009, 2008, 2004, and 2003), and four Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year Awards. Thirty four players have gone on to earn scholarships at a four-year institution during Furjanic’s tenure.
Coach Furjanic’s prior college head coaching positions included stops at Division I schools Robert Morris University (1979-84) , Marist College (1984-86) and at Division III University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg (1995-00) . He guided both Robert Morris and Marist to the “Big Dance”, the NCAA Division I basketball tournament. He took Robert Morris in 1982 and 1983 and Marist in 1986. All three teams were champions of the Northeast Conference. The 1986 Marist team featured Rik Smits who went on to a stellar professional career with the Indiana Pacers. His overall Division I coaching record is 109-94. As with every program he coached, Furjanic received coaching honors as he was recognized with Coach of the Year Awards by the Northeast Conference and the ECAC. A trademark of Furjanic’s teams has been outstanding defense and his 1983 and 1985 teams were ranked 9th in NCAA Division I in Field Goal Percentage Defense. Also, four times his teams were first in the Northeast Conference in Field Goal Percentage Defense during his seven years as a Division I head coach.
He continued winning conference championships at Pitt Greensburg, which did not have a basketball program prior to his arrival. In his final two seasons of building the program at UPG, they were Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference champions while playing at the NCAA Division III level.
In 27 years as a head basketball coach, Furjanic has an overall record of 460-305. His teams have either won a regular season or conference tournament championship in 15 of those years. In November of 2007, Coach Furjanic was inducted into the Robert Morris University Hall of Fame. He also was previously inducted into the East Boros Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame in 1990.
A native of Rankin, PA, where he was born and resided until his move to Winter Haven, Furjanic also had two coaching stints at his "hometown" high school, General Braddock (1975-77) and Woodland Hills (1991-95). His 1992 Woodland Hills team featured Jason Taylor, All-Pro defensive end of the Miami Dolphins. Coach Furjanic has a bachelor’s degree from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA, where he graduated in 1973 while majoring in social studies/secondary education. He and his wife, Rita, have three children, Tracey (Ryan Boyle), Lori and Matthew III and three grandchildren, Riley, Magdalena and Emily Boyle. |
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Coach Scorpion begins his third year under Coach Furjanic after being an Assistant Coach at his high school alma mater, Franklin Regional in Pittsburgh, PA. Steve has been a part of back to back Suncoast Conference championships since joining the Polk State staff. He helped Polk reach a final FCCAA ranking of #3 last year. Steve also serves as the head womens volleyball coach at Polk State.
Prior to coaching, he played four years at Division II Pitt-Johnstown where he became the school's all-time leader in 3 point field goals made and a 1,000 point scorer.
Coach Scorpion is also a faculty member of PSC's Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School. He has worked numerous basketball camps including University of Pittsburgh, Villanova University, Giants of Africa camp in Nigeria and the legendary Five-Star Basketball Camp. Steve is single and lives in Winter Haven, FL.
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Coach Perkins begins his first season as assistant coach at Polk State College after spending three seasons as a student assistant at Baylor University of the Big XII Conference, where he assisted the coaching staff in the day to day operation of the team. During his time at Baylor, the Bears made their first trip to the NCAA tournament in 20 years and also played in the NIT championship game in New York City this past season.
Prior to his stint at Baylor, Coach Perkins served eight seasons as the head coach of his alma mater, Collinsville Christian Academy HS in the St. Louis suburb of Collinsville, IL. While there he lead two teams (1999 and 2004) to Top 5 national finishes in the NACA final polls.
Coach Perkins earned his bachelor's of education degree from Baylor University, majoring in Human Health Performance and Recreation. Stephen and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Winter Haven.
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RANDY HOFFMAN • ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Randy Hoffman is entering his fifth year as an administrative assistant coach at Polk State College. He not only graduated from Polk but was also a student manager for two years under Furjanic from 1999-2001. After attending Polk, Randy went on to attend Florida State University where he was also a student manager for two years under Leonard Hamilton and his staff.
Randy is originally from Haines City, FL, where he currently resides, and is single. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Sports Management from FSU in 2004.
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