Coaching Staff

Mike Manderino – Head Coach – Men's Basketball

Since joining the coaching profession 30 years ago, Mike Manderino has assembled an impressive run at both the collegiate and high school levels.

Manderino, now in his third season as the head basketball coach at Prairie State College, took his first post at his alma mater, MendelCatholicHigh School in Chicago, in 1976.  He was an assistant with the Monarchs for eight years, including the 1982 campaign when they took second in the Class AA state tournament (lost to East St. Louis Lincoln) after putting an end to Quincy’s 64-game winning streak in the semifinals.

In 1984, Manderino was elevated to head coach at Mendel, which later changed its name to St. Martin de Porres.  His 1991 and 1994 teams both advanced to the Class A state tournament.  The 1994 team also won the Chicago Catholic League title and was led by Jerry Gee, the recipient of the state’s Mr. Basketball Award, who went on to star at the University of Illinois.

Manderino’s success then carried over to LeoHigh School as he won the Catholic League crown in each of his three seasons there beginning in 1997-98.  His inaugural team also advanced to the Class A state tournament, where it took fourth place.

After departing Leo in 2000, Manderino served as an assistant coach at South Suburban College for four seasons before taking over the PrairieState program in 2004-05.  In his two seasons at PSC, Manderino has a 28-33 record.

Along with basketball, Manderino also has been a successful high school baseball coach.  He was the varsity head coach at Mendel (St. Martin de Porres) from the spring of 1977 until 1997.  After being named head basketball coach at Leo, Manderino took over the head coaching duties of the ThornridgeHigh School baseball team in 1998.

Manderino continues to coach baseball at Thornridge in addition to teaching in the school’s special education department.  

For his coaching accomplishments, Manderino was named as the Catholic League’s basketball Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2000 and the baseball Coach of the Year in 1985.

Manderino also found success as an athlete, earning all-conference honors in basketball and baseball at Mendel, where he graduated in 1970.  His achievements as a player and coach earned him a spot in the Chicago Catholic League Hall of Fame.

After completing his prep career at Mendel, Manderino attended LewisCollege (now LewisUniversity) and was a standout on both the basketball court and baseball field. 

As a senior captain on the 1974 baseball team, Manderino, a second baseman, helped the Flyers capture the NAIA national championship.  Furthermore, he collected a pair of Defensive Player of the Year awards from the basketball team.

Manderino continued his baseball career with the Cleveland Indians organization as he played three years (1975-77) in its minor-league system.

Manderino and his wife, Therese, live in Glenwood.

Nigel Thomas – Assistant Coach - Men’s Basketball

Former Rich East High School and Langston University (OK) basketball standout Nigel Thomas begins his fourth season as Prairie State College’s assistant coach in 2006-07.

Thomas was an honorable mention all-conference pick and team captain his senior year at Rich East in 1997-98 as well as an all-conference cross country runner who advanced to the sectionals.  After concluding his prep career with the Rockets, he competed three years (redshirted as a freshman) at Langston, an NAIA school. 

Despite playing just three seasons at the collegiate level, Thomas ranks third on the Lions’ all-time list with 273 assists and fifth with 78 steals.

Thomas, who graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in health/physical education/recreation, is in the process of earning his master’s in physical education at Chicago State University.  The Park Forest resident also teaches physical education and health at Illinois School in Park Forest.

Oscar Espinosa – Head Coach – Men's/Women's Cross Country

When Prairie State College added men’s and women’s cross country to its sports docket in 2005, it didn’t have to go far in its search for a head coach as it tabbed Oscar Espinosa, a former PSC student who also works in the school’s Management and Information Systems and Services department, to direct the program.

The 2005 season marked Espinosa’s first ever as a coach; however, he brings running experience to the position after lettering in both cross country and track as a student at BloomHigh School.

The 1999 Bloom graduate attended PrairieState for two years before transferring to DeVryUniversity, where he earned a bachelor’s in computer information services in 2003. While attending DeVry, Espinosa was hired by PSC as a microcomputer technician in July 2002.

Espinosa and his wife, Griselda, have one son. They live in Frankfort.

Gail Landini - Head Coach - Softball

Landini capped off a successful playing career at Trinity Christian last May by earning a spot on the NAIA All-Region VII team. As a junior, the outfielder/designated hitter made the All-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference team.

In addition to those accolades, Landini holds Trinity Christian’s season records for most RBIs and doubles.

Landini also had an outstanding career at Bremen High School, where she was voted to the all-conference team her junior and senior seasons.

Along with her coaching duties at PrairieState, Landini, a Midlothian resident, gives pitching lessons on a part-time basis at SportsAcademy in Mokena. She also works at Home Depot.

Nicole Ashmon – Assistant Coach - Softball

After graduating from Bloom Township High School, Ashmon attended RendLakeCollege in Ina, Ill., for the 2000-01 school year and was voted team MVP of the Warriors’ softball and basketball teams. She then transferred to Prairie State her sophomore season and was selected to the 2002 All-Skyway Conference honorable mention softball team.

Ashmon concluded her collegiate career at Calumet College of St. Joseph’s (Ind.), where she was a member of the All-Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference softball and basketball teams in each of her two seasons of competition.

Besides PSC, Ashmon, who resides in Harvey, also has coached AAU summer teams in Blue Island since 1999.

David Spataru - Head Coach - Men's Soccer

Spataru brings that experience with him to Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, where he recently assumed the position of head men’s soccer coach.

Spataru got his first taste of collegiate coaching in 1985 when he served as an assistant at the University of San Francisco, which qualified to the NCAA Division I National Tournament that fall.

After a two-year stay at USF, Spataru became head coach at Augustana College, the first of three consecutive NCAA Division III schools where he would coach.

All six of Spataru’s Augustana teams registered winning records en route to producing an overall mark of 69-39-8. In addition, the Vikings placed second in the Collegiate Conference Illinois & Wisconsin five times.

From 1994-97, Spataru compiled a 24-28-4 record at Westfield State College (Mass.). He followed that with a 15-24-1 showing in 1999 and 2000 at Buena Vista University (Iowa).

Spataru remained in Iowa to direct the Marshalltown Community College program from 2001-03. He guided the Tigers to a winning record all three years, including the final campaign when the team went 16-4-0, which was his best performance ever as head coach. In all, his Marshalltown teams were 32-15-1 under his tutelage and advanced to the region finals three times.

In each of the last two years, Spataru was an assistant men’s coach at Judson College (2005) and McHenry County College (2006). McHenry’s 15-4-1 effort this fall established a school record.

In his tenure as a men’s collegiate head coach, Spataru’s teams have forged a 140-106-14 record.

Spataru’s coaching background, however, is not relegated solely to the collegiate ranks. He was the head coach – as well as a player – for the Israeli Third Division men’s team in 1976-77.

Prior to playing for that team, Spataru competed in the junior division, senior division and college level for Romania and Israel from 1960-75.

Along with soccer, Spataru, who is an avid distance runner, has a rich history in track and field as he has coached at seven colleges and has had several athletes go on to win national championships.

Likewise, Spataru has taught exercise science, physical education and/or math at seven colleges.

Spataru received his physical education teaching certificate at Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel in 1977. He furthered his academic credentials at Indiana University, earning a master’s degree in physical education/physiology of exercise in 1984.

Spataru’s goal at Prairie State is to bring in quality players who value their education.

“I want to build a winning tradition at Prairie State while keeping education a top priority,” Spataru said. “We’re looking to attract good student-athletes who are solid citizens and committed to working hard on the field and in the classroom. The goal is to get our players to continue on at four-year schools.”

Spataru inherits a Prairie State team that finished 2-15 in 2006. Of the 17 players on that roster, 12 are freshmen.

Greg Elliott – Head Coach - Golf

Following a successful career in education, Greg Elliott’s focus turned to golf in his retirement.

Along with being an avid player, Elliott also became involved in coaching at the collegiate level.  He took his initial position as head coach of the Chicago State University women’s golf team in 2001 before venturing over to Prairie State College in 2002 to direct the Pioneers’ men’s team.

Elliott’s tenure in education includes serving as the Dean of Student Services and Athletic Director at Kennedy-King College in Chicago from 1987-95 as well as a 14-year stint as principal at a Phoenix, Ariz., high school.  Elliott also was the acting principal for one year at Bloom Township High School.

Elliott is the father of two sons and one daughter.  He lives in Chicago.

Jeff Boyd – Head Coach - Women’s Basketball

Four years after serving as an assistant coach for the Prairie State College men’s basketball team, Jeff Boyd has returned to PSC to take over as the head coach of the Pioneers’ women’s basketball program beginning in the 2007-08 season.

Boyd began his coaching career at his alma mater, Central State University (Ohio), where he was an assistant to former NBA player Kevin Porter from 1990-96.  While playing for the Marauders, Boyd was a four-year letterwinner and a two-year starter who averaged 12 points per game as a junior and 16 points his senior year.

Besides playing for Central State, Boyd also earned a spot on the USA National Team that competed in Seoul, Korea, in the summer of 1989.  The USA team finished third at the tournament, which also included the Russian and Chinese Olympic teams.

After departing Central State, Boyd taught and coached at the junior high level in Detroit from 1996-98.  He gained additional coaching experience working basketball camps at Wright State University (Ohio).

During his prep career at Thornridge High School, Boyd was a standout in basketball, football and track.

Boyd resides in Harvey and has one son.