Full-time assistant Javier Velasco joined the NJIT staff prior to the 2003 season and he assists head coach Pedro Lopes with all aspects of the program.

Concentrating on recruiting and scouting, Velasco is also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the program, coordinating travel and scheduling among his many responsibilities.

As a player, Velasco was a member of Centenary (NJ) College's 1995 NAIA national championship team and was Most Valuable Player of the title game. After playing at Kean University for one season, Velasco embarked on a seven-year professional career. He spent three years with the New Jersey Stallions, two with the North Jersey Imperials and one with the Central Jersey Riptide, all from the United Soccer Leagues (USL), in addition to one professional year in his native Ecuador, where he had won a U16 national title in 1989, representing the State of Manabi.

Moving to the United States, he was All-State at North Brunswick (NJ) High School and he spent two years playing club soccer with the Union Lancers, where he won a U17 state title in 1992 and was an U18 state finalist the following year.

Velasco is a 2000 graduate of Kean, with a degree in International Business. He resides in Kearny, NJ.