Waleed Farid has been named Head Coach of the New York University Men’s Basketball Team.

The announcement was made by NYU Director of Athletics, Jake Olkkola, on Thursday.

Last season, under former Head Coach Dave Klatsky, the Violets won a program-record 29 games (29-2) and advanced to the NCAA Division III National Championship Game.

“I am thrilled to welcome Waleed Farid and his family back to New York City,” Olkkola said. “Waleed is a seasoned head coach who knows what holistic success looks like. His commitment to student-athlete development both on and off the court aligns perfectly with our values at NYU. We are thrilled to have him lead our program into the future.” 

Farid comes to NYU with a great deal of head coaching experience at the NCAA Division III level. He has spent the last four seasons leading Ithaca College, with his teams posting an overall 66-40 (.622) record, including a 47-25 (.652) mark in the Liberty League. The Bombers won the conference title this season and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament as Farid was named D3hoops.com Region 3 Coach of the Year. In ’22-23, he led the Bombers to their first-ever Liberty League regular-season championship.

“I’m incredibly honored to be named the Head Men’s Basketball Coach at NYU,” Farid said. “I want to thank Jake Olkkola and the rest of his administration for trusting me with this opportunity to lead one of the nation’s most prestigious academic and athletic institutions.  As someone who was born and raised in New York City, it is a full-circle moment for me to return home to a place that shaped so much of who I am.”

Prior to his time at Ithaca, Farid spent five seasons as the head coach at Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY. His teams won 49 games during that span (the Hawks only played one game during his final season in 2020-21 due to Covid), including a 16-9 mark in his first season (2016-17). Off the court, Hartwick achieved tremendous success in the classroom, earning the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award for the first time in school history in 2019-20.

A 2008 Stevens graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Business and Technology, Farid played for the Ducks and helped lead the squad to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and to the program’s first-ever ECAC Metro title in 2008. He graduated as the program’s career leader in points, rebounds and steals, and still sits top-10 in several career categories.

A three-time All-Conference selection, Farid earned NABC All-Atlantic District and All-Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association honors in 2006-07 and 2007-08. He went on to serve as an assistant coach at his alma mater for seven years, helping the Ducks to a 127-67 record, an ECAC Metro Championship in 2011, and an at-large berth into the 2013 NCAA Tournament. 

“I’m excited to build on NYU’s proud history of success and to help our student-athletes grow not only on the court, but also in the classroom and in life,” Farid added. “I’m deeply grateful for the relationships and experiences over the past four years at Ithaca and look forward to this new chapter with great energy and purpose.”

Farid, who also played professionally for Alexandria Sporting Club in Egypt during the 2008-09 season, is a native of Queens, NY.

https://gonyuathletics.com/news/2025/5/22/nyu-announces-hiring-of-mens-basketball-head-coach.aspx