Team Report: Canisius Women Have Roles To Fill

Here's another in the "Team Report" series looking back and ahead at conference programs.

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CANISIUS WOMEN

2012-13 RECORD: 8-10 in MAAC play, 12-19 overall. Won a play-in round conference tournament game, 79-55, over Saint Peter's; lost in the quarterfinal round, 76-58, to Iona.

2012-13 RECAP: A fourth straight year of failing to make it out of the post-season tournament's play-in round. This time, an 8-10 MAAC record after three consecutive 6-12 league finishes. The last four years have also seen the program finish 12-19, 12-18, 11-20 and 12-19. There was a very good start to league play, a 5-2 beginning, but the Golden Griffins were 3-8 in MAAC play after that.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Ashley Durham (11.8 ppg.) truly became the senior leader, both on and off the court and was rewarded with a first-team all-MAAC designation. Tiahana Mills had a nice freshman season (4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, more assists than turnovers), and made the all-MAAC Rookie Team. Included was her game-winning half-court shot in an early season victory over Siena that was ESPN's top highlight of that particular night's sports action. No one else, though, had a particularly strong season although there were  many "solid" performances. Junior forward Jamie Ruttle and senior forward Ashley Wilkes eached averaged more than eight points (8.8 for Ruttle and 8.2 for Wilkes), and Wilkes was the team's leading rebounder (6.4). There was also considerable depth with eight players averaging at least 4.0 points per contest. Reserve forward Jen Lennox was fourth in the league in blocked shots (1.1 per game). Canisius was the MAAC's only team to have three players make at least 40 three-pointers (Durham had 48, Hoohuli had 47 and Morabito had 45) on the year, and one of just nine teams nationally to do so. 

WHAT WENT WRONG: It started early when junior forward Courtney VandeBovenkamp, expected to be a key member of the playing group, was lost for the year with a preseason knee injury. Still, there seemed to be enough depth  ... and, enough talent as evidenced by the 5-2 start in league play. Yet, Canisius had a chance to finish in the top six and avoid the tournament play-in round but lost its season's finale, a 64-53 decision at Siena when Mills missed the game with an ankle injury. That was the final loss in the 3-8 late-season stretch for the Griffs, and those losses came by an average of nine points per game, with only one of them by less than five points. It was the latest in a mediocre stretch in the program's history, one that includes just one winning season (14-4, 24-9 in 2008-09) in the last seven years. This looked to be the year the team started turning things around. In 2010-11, four of its players (Ruttle, Morabito, Lennox and VandeBovenkamp) each earned at least one MAAC Rookie of the Week award during a 6-12 league finish. It seemed to bode well for the future, particularly as that quartet matured. But, two years later, the record is pretty much the same.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Losing Durham (the only double-figure scorer), Wilkes (the leading rebounder) and senior swingperson Allison Braun, a valuable "glue" player, means the team has holes to fill. There are stretches that Ruttle looks like she could be among the league's best players, but it doesn't happen consistently. The Griffs will need a big year from her, but there's a good group back on the perimeter, including Hoohuli, Morabito and Mills. If VandeBovenkamp can return to her former form, it would be a nice lift. Other than Mills, a sophomore next year, the five best returnees are either seniors or juniors and experience is always a good thing.

PREDICTION: Losing two of a team's best three players, including the leading scorer and the leading rebounder, never bodes well. The Griffs will need some players to really step up if it hopes to match this past season's results, let alone surpass them. It looks like another battle to avoid the play-in round of the post-season tournament this year, with a finish somewhere between fifth and ninth the reasonable expectation.

Melissa Flagg Latest MAAC Connection at Seton Hall

College head coaches like to populate their respective staffs of assistants with individuals they know well.

And, Tony Bozzella is no exception to that premise. Upon moving from Iona to Seton Hall earlier this spring, he brought along Lauren DeFalco, who both played under Bozzella at Iona (a 2008 graduate) and coached with him there as an assistant for the past two seasons.

When Bozzella had one more position on his staff to fill recently, one to be the entry level assistant coordinator for basketball operations, he had more than 100 applicants.

And, he once again reached out to hire one of his own, bringing in former Iona player Melissa Flagg.

Flagg played for four seasons at Iona (graduating in 2011), and had to earn her playing time there. She started just one game over her first three seasons, but earned a reputation as a heady, hard-working and solid reserve. She finally pushed her way into a starting role as a senior, and averaged 6.5 points with more assists than turnovers (89-to-82), playing both guard positions in the 2010-11 season.

She previously had been playing professionally in Puerto Rico, but tore her ACL last summer in a summer league game in New York City and opted to go into coaching.

"After the injury, I wondered what I should do next," Flagg told the New York Daily News. "Then, I realized that I didn't think life would be complete without me being around basketball somehow.

"With this opportunity, I'm just ecstatic. I'm fortunate. I'm blessed. I get to pass on the knowledge that I know to other girls."

Bozzell actually asked Flagg to join his staff at Iona last year in a part-time role, but she turned down that opportunity to concentrate on her graduate-school studies.

After the injury, though, she realized her basketball future would be as a coach.

"I love her personality and her understanding of the game is off the charts," Bozzella told the Daily News.
"When she played for me we fought and went back and forth. But, at the end of the day, she's as nice a human being as there is. She'll be able to relate to the kids and help them assimilate onto the campus and help be a liaison to the community and just get the word out about how we're going to resurrect the (Seton Hall) program.

"This is a great starting point for her and I would be surprised if one day she isn't a head coach."

DeFalco and Flagg aren't the only MAAC connections on Bozzella's staff.

Shortly after his hiring, Bozzella also brought in Stephanie Del Preore and Tiffany Jones to be assistants on his staff.

Del Priore was a four-year standout at Marist (graduating in 2004), who finished with 1,114 career points. She has been in coaching ever since, and her experience includes the last three seasons as head coach at Division II Bridgeport.

Jones had been at Saint Peter's for the past four seasons, and served as that program's interim head coach for much of the 2012-13 season while head coach Stephanie Wolfe was on maternity leave.

Team Reports: Despite Losses, Canisius Still Solid

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CANISIUS MEN

2012-13 RECORD: 11-7 in MAAC play (tied for fourth), 20-14 overall. Lost to Iona, 89-85, in the conference tournament's quarterfinal round. Received a berth in the Collegeinsiders.com Tournament where it beat Elon and Youngstown State before losing to Evansville, 84-83 in overtime.

2012-13 RECAP: A new coach in Jim Baron, and new results. The 20 overall victories were a 15-win improvement from the previous year, the largest one-season jump in Canisius history and the third-best improvement nationally from the previous season. The CIT berth was the program's first national post-season appearance since 1996. There were four sell-outs of the 2,196-seat Koessler Athletic Center during the season, after only 11 total sellout crowds over the previous 10 seasons.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: The entire team, except for Baron's own son Billy, was recruited by previous coach Tom Parrotta, but Baron sure knew what to do with the talent on hand. And, Baron was the best addition of all, a transfer from Rhode Island who received an NCAA waiver that allowed him to play immediately. He was a first-team all-MAAC pick, and arguably the most-versatile player in the league averaging 17.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and a league-best 5.0 assists. Harold Washington (13.8 ppg.) and Isaac Sosa (11.6, and a program single-season record of 95 three-pointers made) completed one of the top perimeter trios in the league. And, the No. 4 guard, Alshwan Hymes, added 7.1 ppg. and finished with 1,047 career points. The Golden Griffins got off fast, an 8-2 start, that included a win at Temple, and got a rare sweep of "Big Four" rivals St. Bonaventure, Buffalo and Niagara during the season. The 20 victories was a first since the 2000-01 season. Baron's 584 points scored was the most in a single season by a Griff since Ray Hall had 628 in the 1984-85 season. Even in defeat, Canisius looked good, particularly in its quarterfinal-round conference tournament loss to Iona, arguably the best-played game of the event, and the Gaels went on to win the tourney title and advance to the NCAA's. Chris Manhertz, an undersized (6-foot-6) power player led the team with 8.7 rebounds per game. The team also played a considerably more-exciting brand of basketball than in previous years, averaging 73.5 points per game. And, there were the two CIT victories, including a stirring rally from a 22-point second-half deficit against against Youngstown State with the Griffs eventually earning an 84-82 victory. Much of what Canisius did, though, was a result of having more talent in place than at any time in more than a decade.

WHAT WENT WRONG: Hard to find too much fault in the program's best season, all things considered, in 17 years. But there were some disappointments. Start with a one-point home loss (66-65) to rival Niagara in the regular season. Then there was the close loss to Iona in the MAAC tournament, and the season-ending loss to Evansville in the CIT after Canisius held a six-point lead late in regulation of that game. Canisius also probably relied a little too much on its perimeter players, possibly out of necessity. But, Manhertz (7.6 ppg.) was offensively challenged and the Heath brothers, Jordan (9.2 points, 5.9 rebounds) and Josiah (3.1, 3.5) didn't contribute as much as it seemed they are capable of. And, neither did Asprilla, a touted transfer from Kansas State, who never looked to be peak condition and only averaged 11.4 minutes per game. Still, things could have been a lot worse, particularly with so many new pieces to acclimate. Baron didn't officially get clearance until mid-August. Jordan Heath, Aprilla and Sosa also joining the game-eligible group for the first time after transferring, although those three all practiced with the team the previous year. And, Baron was a new coach, albeit a veteran one, and his solid reputation as a program builder at his previous stops certainly served him well ... and, held up ... at Canisius.

WHAT'S AHEAD: More change, and much uncertainty. Washington and Sosa, the team's second- and third-leading scorers, are gone, as is Hymes (the sixth-leading scorer), Reggie Groves (seventh) and Aprilla. That's five of the team's top nine players from this past season. Groves, who graduated, did have another year of eligibility. And, lightly used forward Tyrell Edwards, also left the program. But, Baron is back and a good point guard, which he most definitely is, cures a lot of ills. And, the three top front-court players, the Heath brothers and Manhertz, are also returning. But Baron, in his first full recruiting cycle, had to find players and is bringing in five newcomers, including Jeremiah Williams, a junior college transfer (from high-powered Vincennes JC of Grand Rapids, Mich.). Williams, though, only averaged 4.4 points and 2.7 assists, but had an exemplary 91 assist/43 turnover total. If Williams can play the point, it would allow Baron to log some minutes at shooting guard. And, Canisius is finally landing some local players. The incoming freshmen include 6-4 swingman Adam Weir (of Buffalo's Canisius H.S.) and 6-6 forward Jermaine Crompton of Niagara Falls H.S. Also in place is Phil Valenti, a 6-7 forward from Aquinas H.S. in the Rochester area, who redshirted this past season.

PREDICTION FOR 2013-14: As good as the Barons are ... father as a coach, Billy as a player ... it might be difficult for the program to duplicate this past season. Difficult, but not impossible. There will likely be a greater emphasis on getting production from the front court, and the Heaths and Manhertz are capable of better. But, for Canisius to expect to finish in the top five (to get a first-round MAAC tournament bye), it will need to find some backcourt help for Baron, with the options all incoming players, making it hard to predict just how capable those players will be. If the front court makes forward strides, and the team can find some production from several of the incoming players, a top five finish ... maybe as high as third ... isn't out of the realm of possibility. But, there's also the chance that if those things don't fall into place, Canisius will be looking at a lower finish. The bottom won't drop out, though. At worst, the Griffs are still sold and it would be hard to envision a sub-.500 season.

Former Manhattan Coach Rohrssen Back at Pittsburgh

It's nice to see former Manhattan men's basketball coach Barry Rohrssen back in the sport.

Rohrssen, at Manhattan for five seasons (2006-07 through 2010-11) was recently hired as an assistant coach at Pittsburgh where he'll once again work under Pitt coach Jamie Dixon.

Rohrssen had been a Pitt assistant for seven years (1999-2006) prior to moving to Manhattan. During his last five years there the program had a 133-33 overall record, three regular-season Big East championships, three NCAA Sweet Sixteen berths and five straight trips to the NCAA tournament. He was the program's associate head coach during his last two seasons there.

Rohrssen is one of the all-time nice guys to ever have come through the MAAC. While at Pittsburgh previously he earned a reputation as one of the nation's top recruiters, and helped the Panthers establish a pipeline from New York City to Pittsburgh.

"We are extremely excited to bring Barry back to Pitt," Dixon said, in a press release issued by his school. "From the start here, Barry played an integral role in the success and building of our program. He has a great coaching background, is a good recruiter and has an exceptional understanding of how we operate our program."

Rohrssen did have some success at Manhattan, guiding the Jaspers to a 16-14 overall record in 2008-09. but had a 58-95 record over his five seasons, including a 6-25 finish in his last season there before he was replaced with current coach Steve Masiello.

Rohrssen also improved academic progress ratings at Manhattan as he graduated every player that stayed for four years and dramatically improved the school's basketball APR scores.

Team Report: Marist Women Poised To Keep Rolling

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MARIST WOMEN

2012-13 RECORD: 18-0 in MAAC play, 26-7 overall. Won the MAAC tournament title with a 72-48 championship-game victory over Iona. Lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament to Michigan State, 55-47.

2012-13 RECAP: The Red Foxes lost 2011-12 MAAC Player of the Year Corielle Yarde and second-leading scorer Brandy Gang to graduation. And, then, saw its two tallest inside players, Vanderbilt transfer 6-3 Tori Jarosz and 6-5 freshman Delaney Hollenbeck, suffer season-ending injuries before the MAAC season started. If there was a year the rest of the league would finally catch up to Marist, this looked like it. Except, it wasn't. The Red Foxes turned in another perfect (18-0) conference season, the third for the program in the past eight years. It won league games by an average margin of 19.7 points and capped that off with league tournament victories of 22, 25 and 24 points. Seventeen of the 18 regular-season wins were by double-digit margins. The only close win was a five-point victory over Fairfield. Somehow, the whole was greater than the sum of the parts, certainly a credit to head coach Brian Giorgis, the MAAC's much-deserved Coach of the Year award winner. Marist did it this year with balance, defense and typically mistake-free and efficient play. It was enough to get a 10th straight league title, and an eighth straight trip to the NCAA's. It wasn't quite enough, though, to get a victory in the NCAA's as Marist ran into a team that played similarly to itself, except with bigger/faster/stronger athletes. Still, it was within four points with three minutes remaining against the Spartans, but wasn't able to get closer down the stretch. And, a brief word about the 57-year old Giorgis, who by all accounts, has no intention of leaving Marist: not only has he turned down numerous offers from higher-level programs, but he very often doesn't even accept the initial phone call of inquiry related to a coaching vacancy elsewhere. It's very easy to say that Giorgis is arguably the best coach the MAAC has ever seen, in terms of what he's been able to accomplish. But, that doesn't even begin to measure his value. It's no reach whatsoever to perceive that he is among the best coaches nationally at any level of the game.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Team play. Six players averaged between 7.3 and 12.0 points per game and 3.1 and 4.7 rebounds per game. The team's success came without a single first-team all star, although two made second team and two others made third team. There were also three reliable reserves, so depth was never an issue. Defensively, Marist allowed 8.5 fewer points per game in league play than the next best defensive average by a MAAC team. And, there was a tangible reward. Junior Leanne Ockenden was the deserved Defensive Player of the Year and she not only consistently guarded every opponent's top scorer, but held all of them below their seasonal per-game scoring averages. Marist also led the MAAC in just about every other statistical category except rebounding. But the Red Foxes did enough on the boards, despite its leading rebounder (6-foot-0 Emma O'Connor) averaging just 4.7 per game, the lowest rebounding average by any MAAC team leader. She got help from 6-2 Elizabeth Beynnon (4.2) and 6-1 reserve Kristina Danella (4.4). And, none of that is to say that Marist was bereft of talent. Any team that could have Danella, who scored more than 1,000 career points (two years at UMass before coming to Marist), coming off the bench has its share of talented players. Giorgis gives great credit to his assistants for compiling good scouting reports on opponents and to his players to religiously adhering to them. And, they'd better. The bench is a great motivator, and Giorgis will invite any of his players to take a seat during games if he's not pleased with their play. The result is that this past season merely continued the most-dominant stretch the MAAC has ever seen by either a women's or a men's team. Over the past three seasons Marist has lost just a single conference game (62-1, including tournament games), and over the past 10 years the program has a 163-17 record in regular-season conference play. Since the league expanded to an 18-game schedule in 1997, there have been three 18-0 conference finishes, and Marist has all three.

WHAT WENT WRONG: A 5-7 record against non-MAAC opponents? Well, consider the competiton. Four of the losses came against Oklahoma, Purdue, Kentucky and UConn, and all four of those programs were ranked in the top 12 nationally when the games were played (and, UConn went on to win the national title. Two others came against teams that went to the WNIT (Hartford and Boston University) and the other was to Michigan State in the NCAA's. At one point, Marist had the third-toughest non-league schedule nationally. Giorgis takes on difficult non-league schedules annually to get his team ready for conference play and beyond, and no one can argue with the results. One could also point to not getting out of the first round of the NCAA's, but Marist was within four with three minutes remaining against a tough draw, an mirror-image opponent that was just a little better. But, it's all relative. Every other MAAC team would be overjoyed just to get to the NCAA's. But Marist aspires to more, expecting not only to get there but to win post-season games. What else went wrong? The loss of its two true post players, Jarosz (who played just one game) and Hollenbeck (who played six games) before the MAAC season even began. It clearly didn't affect Marist on its own level, but it left the team a little short (literally) when it came time to match up with higher-level opponents. But, in truth, there isn't much to find fault with after an 18-0 conference record and all that went into it.

WHAT'S AHEAD: More of the same, and then some. It's hard to predict another 18-0 perfect conference slate, but Marist could be even better in the coming season than it was in this past one. Lost to graduation will be Beynnon, its tallest player and leading scorer; and Danella, who might have been the team's top offensive player. But, both the 6-3 Jarosz and the 6-5 Hollenbeck are expected to be 100 percent for the coming season. Jarosz could become the best inside player in the league, and Hollenbeck has a bright future, too. The team also loses part-time starter at point guard Kristine Best, a solid performer. But, junior Casey Dulin (10.2 points, 3.1 assists) and reserve Natalie Gomez are both back to handle that position. Ockenden, O'Connor and Dulin will be seniors, providing the requisite maturity. Sydney Coffey, a 6-0 guard, had a nice freshman year (7.3 points, 3.1 rebounds) and has the potential to eventually be among the conference's best players. Another freshman, Madeline Blais, is talented and will be a factor when her defensive skills catch up to her already advanced work on the offensive end. And, the rich get richer ... Incoming recruits are highly touted, including point guard Brittany Lai (Irvington, N.Y., H.S.), 6-2 Kat Fogarty (Governor's Academy of Massachusetts) and 5-10 guard Sydney Rosales, a highly effective long-range shooter from Colonie (N.Y.) H.S.

PREDICTION: It's a worn cliche, but it's true: Death, taxes and Marist women's basketball success are predictable certainties. The Red Foxes could be even better in the coming season than they were in 2012-13, and that's saying something. But the return of Jarosz and Holleneack, the continued development of Blais and Coffey and the talent level of the incoming freshmen are all reasons to believe next year's team could truly be something special. And, barring unexpected injuries, the added height of Jarosz, Hollenbeck and Fogarty means Marist is capable of stepping up in class and competing with the high-level teams on its regular-season schedule and come post-season tournament time. It goes without saying that Marist will once again dominate the MAAC. It's just a matter of seeing how much damage the 2013-14 edition can do in the NCAA's.

Team Report: Marist Men Have Reason For Optimism

Here's another in the "Team Report" series, taking a look back and ahead at conference teams.

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MARIST MEN

2012-13 RECORD: 6-12 in the MAAC (9th), 10-21 overall. Lost to Siena, 70-64, in the play-in round of the MAAC tournament.

2012-13 RECAP: Just like the previous season, a slow start followed by a nice finish. The difference, though, was 2011-12 season's blueprint was a little better: a 7-2 regular-season finish pushed the overall record that ear to 14-18. It seemed like it would be a springboard, particularly with almost all of a young team returning, to even better things this past season. Instead, the start was even slower. Marist was 5-18 at one point before a 5-2 regular-season finish enabled the team to just reach double-digits in victories. And, the relative late-season success came to an abrupt end in the play-in round loss to Siena in the conference tournament.

WHAT WENT RIGHT: Despite a relatively dismal season, there were more than a few bright spots. Start with arguably the most-surprising upset of the MAAC season, a 105-104 double-overtime victory at Iona, the conference's eventual NCAA tournament representative. In that one, four Marist players scored at least 18 points, with senior-to-be 6-foot-10 center Adam Kemp turning in monster numbers of 29 points and 16 rebounds. Point guard Isaiah Morton and swingman Chavaughn Lewis both played all 50 minutes, and Lewis not only scored the winning points with two free throws with five seconds remaining, but blocked a last-second Iona shot that might have given the Gaels a victory. Marist followed that with another eye-opener, a 69-64 victory over Loyola, with Kemp going for 23 and 13. Later, Marist finished up the regular season with victories over Siena and Fairfield. It looked like a lot of momentum going into the MAAC tournament. The 6-6 Lewis (16.7 points, 5.7 rebounds) has positioned himself to be one of the league's best players entering his junior year in 2013-14. Kemp, a rising senior, showed flashes (10.4, 8.6) of being the MAAC's top post player. Senior-to-be Jay Bowie missed half the season with an injury, but sparked the late-season run with his return. And, Morton (120 assists against 80 turnovers), a rising junior, showed himself to be a capable and clever point guard. Devin Price finished off his Marist career with a nice season (13.7 ppg.).

WHAT WENT WRONG: Start with Bowie's early season injury. He missed 13 games, and his loss was often lamented by former coach Chuck Martin as the prime reason for early season losses, and for good reason. Bowie was the team's philosophical leader, its fourth-leading scorer, its best shooter (52.7 percent field goal percentage),and  its third-leading rebounder. The team clearly played better when he was healthy. Plus, on a team with limited depth, the loss of one key player hurts. And, actually, Marist lost a key player before the season even started. Highly touted freshman guard Khalil Hart suffered a preseason knee injury that forced him to redshirt. Martin is a good guy, and had exemplary basketball expertise. But, there was a telling recent comment from a Marist player that his team didn't "buy into" everything Martin was trying to do, and that didn't help. From the outside, it seemed like more could have been gotten from players. Lewis probably could have been featured even more. Kemp had three terrific games (ones that produced these numbers: 29 points, 16 rebounds vs. Iona, 23-13 vs. Loyola, 24-14 vs. Siena). Otherwise, he averaged just 8.8 points and 7.9 rebounds. Some of that wasn't his fault. Marist didn't do enough from the perimeter to prohibit opponents from packing it in to slow Kemp's offense. Morton was almost a non-factor as a shooter, and needs to score more or opponents can continue to slack off him. The season actually started respectively, a 4-6 start that included wins over Vanderbilt and Manhattan (which played in the conference tournament's championship game), but that was followed by a 1-12 stretch.The 5-2 late-season surge renewed a little optimism, but the play-in round loss to Siena ... a game that featured two coaches fired within the following week ... certainly didn't leave the Red Foxes with much to feel good about this past season, one in which much more was expected. It just seemed that there was more talent in place than the final record indicated.

WHAT'S AHEAD: Certainly, the new-found sense of optimism that comes with a coaching change. And, this looks like a good one. Marist finally broke the mold of giving a rising assistant a first opportunity to be a head coach by bringing in Jeff Bower, who had been in the NBA for the past 18 years, including a stint as the interim head coach of the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets. Plus, Bower already knows his way around Marist, having been there as Dave Magarity's top assistant for nine season. He'll provide the type of basketball knowledge (and player respect, from his time in the NBA) that doesn't always land on a MAAC sideline. Still, his background brings some questions, most related to being away from college basketball for 18 years and dealing with entirely different levels of scouting and players in the NBA as compared to what he'll deal with at Marist. And, as of early May, he doesn't have an assistant in place yet. And, it looks like the program has two available scholarships which it might not be able to fill at such a late date. Martin's lone early signee, 6-8 forward Kentrell Brooks (from the legendary St. Anthony's of N.J. high school program) has indicated he'll honor that commitment and, possibly, be the lone newcomer for now. But, the team doesn't need much. If Lewis becomes just a little more assertive, he's a potential first-team all-MAAC level player. Kemp, Bowie, Morton, Hart (if he's 100 percent) provide the team with some above-average talent. There's decent depth in returnees. The team's likely top four players are veterans (Kemp and Bowie will be seniors, Lewis and Morton juniors). Bower is big on player development, and claims his players really want to improve and are listening to what he's saying ... and that's important.

PREDICTION FOR 2013-14: Certainly better days. There's enough talent in place to ensure a better result than last year's 10 overall victories and, probably, more wins than the 14 from the year before that. A lot will be predicated on how much players improve, particularly Morton and Lewis. But, it's not hard to envision Marist to be in the hunt to finally avoid a play-in round berth (remember, only the top five teams will get a first-round bye in the coming season). And, a new coach not only brings new optimism from program supporters, but from players, too. An early look has Manhattan and Iona as the two favorites for the coming year. Fairfield and, potentially, Canisius might be in the next group and Marist isn't far from that. It might be too much of an expectation for the Red Foxes to get up to third place, but fourth or fifth might not be out of the realm of possibility.

Bower Seeks to Restore Success, Interest at Marist

The author Thomas Wolfe once wrote that "you can't go home again."

But, sometimes you can. And, followers of the Marist men's basketball program are likely to be happy that administrators at that school didn't adhere to Wolfe's words when they were looking for a new coach last month.

Their search produced Jeff Bower, who is coming home, in a sense, returning to a program where he served as an assistant coach (under Dave Magarity) for nine seasons.

Since leaving Marist in 1995, Bower has been in the NBA for the past 18 years. The last three of those had been as a consultant within the league and for several individual franchises. Before that he spent 15 years with the New Orleans Hornets in a variety of duties ranging from advance scout to head coach to general manager and just about every position in between.

But, Marist was Bower's second job as a coach after his graduation from St. Francis (Pa.), the place where he began making his biggest early steps up the proverbial ladder. It's where he met his future wife, then an athletic trainer at the school; where he became close friends with another assistant coach, Tim Murray, who now serves as as Marist's athletic director. His family has a vacation home in the Oneonta area, just two hours away from campus.

So, when the Marist job opened up when the school fired previous coach Chuck Martin shortly after this past season, Bower was an eager applicant seeking a return too a place he had previously called home for nine seasons.

But, 18 years away is a long time.

"I've been here before and there are still people here that I know, so the comfort level is extremely high," said Bower. "But, I will say that this is a different place than before, a totally different place.

"The improvements and upgrades the school has made, in terms of facilities, resources and technology since I was here before are amazing. They are all assets that I hope to use to help our program improve."

The program hasn't been entirely downtrodden as previous coach Chuck Martin always seemed to have the Red Foxes playing well down the stretch. This past year Marist was 5-2 in its last seven regular-season games and was 7-2 in its last nine the previous season.

But, outside of back-to-back late-season surges, there wasn't a lot of success in a five-year 41-118 overall record. That type of record didn't reflect the support and resources the school has put into the program in recent years.

"They're really on target here to improve, and they made it clear that they want me to build a first-class, cutting edge program," added Bower.

Bower was a first-year assistant at Marist the last time the program went to the NCAA tournament (1986-87), and would like nothing better to get the program back to that level.

"Yeah, that's something I might have said (during the interview process)," said Bower, about a desire to be the coach that helped take Marist there before and who wants to be the one to do it again.

"That's the goal of every coach at every school," said Bower. "And, it's the goal here ... to be competitive in the MAAC every year with a chance to go to the NCAA's."

At Marist, Bower is hardly walking into an impossible situation. He believes, based on his interactions with team members, there aren't any expected player defections.

If his team returns intact, it will include some very good mid-major level players, including 6-10 center Adam Kenp, point guard Isaiah Morton and swingman Chavaughn Lewis. Kemp might be the league's top post player; Lewis, a rising junior, is already one of the league's best overall players; Morton is an effective court general. The roster also includes highly touted freshman Khalil Hart, who missed this past season after suffering a preseason knee injury.

"I've been able to get in the gym with the players for individual workouts, and the thing that impressed me the most is their attitude and their willingness to learn new things and accept things," said Bower. "It's clear that our players want to be coached and developed."

They'll be coached, and developed, not only by someone who has been at Marist before but whose resume that includes 18 years around the NBA is impressive.

Yet,, the benefits about those NBA years also include some questions related to nearly two decades away from a college situation.

"In all those years I was still connected to college basketball," said Bower. "As a personnel director, I was still around college campuses. i still had to pay attention to the college game to do my job well. I spent a lot of time at different colleges (to scout potential draft picks and free agents), and I always felt connected to the college game.

"Sure, this is a different level (from the high majors where Bower previously sought out potential NBA players), but some things are the same. I know what it takes to create success, and that translates down to different levels and places. It's as important to know the way guys do things to be successful as who is doing it."

The positive aspect of all those NBA years is an immediate credibility. Players, whether current team members or potential recruits, are bound to be impressed by a resume that includes 18 NBA seasons.

"That remains to be seen, but I have the benefit of being where every player desires to eventually reach," added Bower. "I do have a knowledge of what goes into getting there."

He also has the contacts, whether it be in the NBA or professional leagues overseas, to help players move on after their college careers are over.

"I think all of that is an asset that I have," said Bower. "It can benefit our program."

That, though, is all to come. Bower has only been in place for two weeks, and hasn't even hired a staff of assistants yet.

But, he claims his first two weeks back home have been enlightening.

"I've been most surprised by the commitment and energy toward the program ... by the fan enthusiasm I've seen in these two weeks," he said. "People around here can't wait for the season to start. Everyone in this region seems really excited for basketball and they're ready to support the program."

Bower had a first-hand look at the type enthusiasm and support the mid-Hudson region can give Marist from the days he was an assistant for the school's last NCAA trip.

He is asked if his job includes creating new fans, new interest for his program.

"That type of support, and our fans are till here," said Bower. "We just need to get them to come back."

Two weeks in, and Bower is already off to a good start to ensure that happens.