Frank Costa is entering the second season of his second stint as an assistant coach for WVU Tech’s Bob Williams. Costa, a 2016 recipient of the WVU Tech Men’s Basketball ‘Lifetime Achievement’ Award, returned to the Golden Bears in 2015 for his fourth different decade as a Tech basketball coach.
Costa, a West Virginia University alum, began his coaching career under the late Tom Sutherland as a Volunteer Assistant beginning with the 1987-88 season. During his tenure with the men’s squad, Frank later became an Assistant Coach to Tom Watkins, who was Head Coach of the West Virginia Tech women’s basketball program.
Coach Costa served as a graduate assistant coach with the West Virginia University women’s team beginning in 1991, working under coaches Kittie Blakemore and Scott Harrelson. The 1992 West Virginia women’s team posted a 26 – 4 record and reached the NCAA Tournament’s ‘Sweet Sixteen’ round. That squad is still the only WVU women’s team to advance that far.
In 1992 Costa returned to his home area and another stint on the Tech sidelines as he served as Co-Head Coach with Dr. Sandra Elmore to lead the Golden Bears’ women’s team. He has also been an assistant, and later, the head coach of the WVU Tech softball program, as well as coach of both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at Tech. Additionally, the West Virginia University Broadcast Journalism grad was Tech’s Sports Information Director in two decades, the 1980s and ‘90s. Additionally, he was named Athletic Advancement Officer under then Tech Athletic Director Jeff Kepreos.
After serving stints as a coach of women’s basketball assistant at Coastal Carolina University under Alan LeForce, and later as a girls’ basketball coach at both Carolina Forest and Socastee (where he was softball coach, also) high schools in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, area, Frank returned to West Virginia and returned to the men’s game, joining Tech Head Coach Bob Williams for the first time in 2003.
Coach Costa went on to finish his Master’s Degree in Coaching Education and Human Movement at Ohio University, where he served as a Graduate Assistant under Head Women’s Basketball Coach Lynn Bria in 2005-06. In ’06, Coach Costa returned to the area, serving as an assistant women’s basketball and softball coach at the University of Charleston for one season.
Prior to Costa’s most recent return to Tech, he served as a volunteer with the West Virginia University women’s basketball program under Head Coach Mike Carey. During that time the Mountaineers made the transition from the Big East Conference to the Big 12 Conference. While not on the sidelines for five seasons, Costa assisted the coaching staff in numerous capacities and was a part of the program that reached the NCAA Tournament four times in five years, captured a Big 12 Conference Regular Season Co-Championship, and advanced to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament Championship game for only the second time in program history.
A basketball, softball and tennis clinician, Coach Costa, has helped the Golden Bears in the ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘00s, and now the ‘10s. He has returned to his home area of the Upper Kanawha Valley. An all-state basketball and baseball player at Gauley Bridge High School, Frank and his wife, Jennifer, have three children: Francesca Rice, Nikki and Chase. They are the proud grandparents of three, as well: Dominick and Grace Costa and Raelynn Rice.
