BEAVER FALLS, Pa. – The Geneva College Athletic Department has selected DJ Damazo to be the new men's basketball head coach after a nationwide search.  Damazo will be taking over for Jeff Santasiero, who retired after this past season after 30 years as head coach and 38 years on the men's basketball staff.

Damazo's hire is a homecoming for the former Geneva basketball player, along with his wife Kristland (McCracken), who both graduated from Geneva in 2013.  Damazo was a two-year starter for the Golden Tornadoes, while his wife was an All-PAC performer on the women's volleyball team.  Damazo grew up in the area, with a strong prep career at nearby Blackhawk High School, and both of his younger brothers also played for the Geneva men's basketball program.

"We are thrilled to welcome Coach Damazo back home," says Director of Athletics Van Zanic.  "DJ was able to gain valuable head coaching experience early in his career, and the Lord has provided an opportunity for him to return to his alma mater in that role.  Coach Santarsiero has set a high standard for the men's basketball program for the last 30 years, and DJ is the right person to move it forward.  We are excited to see how the Lord will help DJ to transform the young men within the program, both on and off the court."

Damazo began his coaching career at Blackhawk High School as an assistant before serving as a graduate assistant at Eastern University for two years.  He was hired as the Head Coach at Valley Forge University in 2017 and led the program for four years, turning a squad he inherited with a 3-17 record into a team that posted its highest win total in the program's Division III history, while also finishing fifth in NCAA Division III in scoring in his final season.

For the past five seasons, Damazo has served as an assistant coach at Grinnell (IA) College, which included the best three-year stretch in program history, including the recently completed 2025-26 season in which the program achieved the most wins (22) in program history.  Grinnell won two Midwest Conference Championships during his tenure, advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament both seasons.

"It is truly a dream come true to be named the next head coach at my alma mater," says Damazo.  "I told the search committee throughout this process that Geneva College has transformed my life, and I can point back to Geneva as the common denominator for almost every good thing that God has graced me with.  I learned what it means to follow the Lord during my time at Geneva College, met my wife, figured out my calling, and countless other positive things.  I am excited to return home to the Birthplace of College Basketball and see many other lives changed through this place that I love.

"I want to thank President Troup, Director of Athletics Zanic, and the entire search committee for the opportunity to rejoin the Geneva family.  I am excited to meet the players and begin the process of building together and growing as a team.  Coach Santarsiero has been a great steward of this program, and I am thankful for his decades of service and my special relationship with him.  I am also so grateful for my time at Grinnell College and for everything Coach Dave Arseneault Jr. has done for my family and me.  Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank my wife Kristland.  She is the rock of our family and has wholeheartedly supported me as I have chased my dreams."

Damazo graduated from Geneva with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services, and he earned a Master's in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University in 2016.

The Damazos have three children, Malachi (8), Simeon (6) and Josiah (4), and they are expecting their fourth child in July.