York College

Sharif Skinner finished his first season as an assistant men’s basketball coach at York College. 

A popular figure on the sidelines, he helped the Cardinals find success in the 2025-26 campaign, winning eight conference contests, the most since the 2021-22 season, and hosting a playoff game for the first time since the 2022-23 season. Freshman Jonte Wallace thrived, claiming six CUNYAC Rookie of the Week laurels and becoming the program's third consecutive CUNYAC Rookie of the Year. In addition, star newcomers Christopher Smith and Joshua Jackman both received CUNYAC Player of the Week distinctions and were named to the First Team and Second Team All-Conference, respectively. 

Skinner, a 2000 graduate and varsity member of Canarsie High School, studied sports medicine at Long Island University.
 
Skinner started his coaching career in 2006 as Canarsie’s Junior Varsity head coach. He has enjoyed over a decade-long coaching career around the New York City high school circuit. After three seasons at Canarsie, Skinner increased his status, leading Brooklyn Democracy Academy to a 10-2 record during the 2011-12 campaign, becoming the PSALPathway League City Champ and the New York Basketball City Champs. From 2017-23, he coached the Eagle Academy III boy’s basketball team, amassing a trio of impressive 13-win seasons. 

Outside of basketball, Skinner has risen in the ranks of his two jobs. Employed by Coca-Cola from 2001-12, the Canarsie grad was responsible for delivering soda products, maintaining an organized delivery schedule, and building strong relationships with store management and staff. Since May 2012, Skinner has worked in bus operations for the New York City Transit Authority, involved in optimizing service delivery and managing fare collection, among other necessities.