Joe Sanchez enters his fifth season on the Florida Tech men’s basketball staff in 2024-25. He joined the Panthers’ sidelines as an assistant coach ahead of the 2019-20 season.
Before joining Florida Tech, he spent four years as a part of the Warner Men's and Women's coaching staff. Serving as an assistant on the Men's Basketball team, Sanchez aided a team that has won 93 games to date in four seasons.
Prior to his Warner coaching career, Sanchez previously served as the Head Coach at Indian River State College (IRSC). Yearly, IRSC was ranked as one of the top ten junior college programs in the state of Florida.
Under Sanchez's leadership, the Pioneers had two consecutive 20-win seasons of 22-7 and 24-7, including the Southern Conference Tournament Championship in 2012. The Pioneers were ranked repeatedly in the Region 8 Top Ten Coaches poll under Sanchez's direction. Sanchez also taught in the sports management program at IRSC.
Sanchez has earned seven collegiate conferences Coach of the Year honors, including two regional Coach of the Year awards as well as a nomination for National Coach of the Year. Also, Sanchez has led eight teams into the National tournament picture. Sanchez earned a milestone moment with his 500th collegiate victory against Broward College while coaching at IRSC.
Sanchez has an extensive history in basketball having the opportunity to coach both men and women in the college setting and boys and girls at the high school level. Also, Sanchez's high school coaching career includes two state championships and seven regional appearances. In addition, Sanchez has received two state Coach of the Year awards. Sanchez has extended his coaching skills in the international setting with his past involvement with Spain's Olympic basketball development program.
Sanchez served as Head Women's basketball coach at Wake Forest University where he was named ACC Coach of the Year, Converse Regional Coach of the Year, and a national Coach of the Year nomination for his work leading the Demon Deacons to a national ranking and a National Tournament bid. He was the Head Coach at the United States Naval Academy where he led the Midshipmen to the regular season title and was named Patriot League Coach of the Year. Coach Sanchez also held the rank of Associate Professor in the physical education department at the Naval Academy. Before accepting the position at Navy, Sanchez led Nebraska-Kearney to an NCAA National tournament slot and was named the Omaha Herald's Nebraska Coach of the Year.
Sanchez also served as Head Women's basketball coach at the University of Central Florida for four seasons, for three of those four seasons the Knights were in the NCAA Division Two Sunshine State Conference (SSC) where he guided the Knights to three 20+ win seasons, three consecutive SSC conference championships and three consecutive national tournament appearances. In his fourth season, Sanchez led the Knights into Division One under the Independent Conference where they achieved another 20-win season making it four in a row for the program. For his efforts, Sanchez was named SSC Coach of the Year and an All-American Coach by the American Sports Federation.
Sanchez has been a very active speaker throughout his career having the honor to have lectured at the State Coaches Clinics of Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, North Carolina, Alabama, and New York.
