Taking the Lead: Six New Hampton School Graduates Have Made the Climb to the Top in Basketball

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TAKING THE LEAD SIX FORMER NEW HAMPTON BASKETBALL PLAYERS HAVE TAKEN THE ROAD TO THE TOP SNOW FALLS ON A PARKING LOT FLOODED WITH CARS. THE SOUND OF SNEAKERS SQUEAKING ON THE FLOOR OF THE FREDERICK SMITH GYMNASIUM ADDS A DIFFERENT SOUNDTRACK TO AN OTHERWISE TRANQUIL EVENING. IN THE WINTERTIME AT NEW HAMPTON SCHOOL, THE TINY GYM BECOMES A BASKETBALL BANDBOX THEATER WITH EAGER STUDENTS, FACULTY, TOWNSPEOPLE, AND HOOPS FANATICS JAMMED AROUND THE COURT, ATTENTIVELY SOAKING UP THE ABOVE-THE-RIM ACTION AND A FUTURE NBA STAR OR TWO IN THE MIDST OF THEIR CLIMBS TO PROFESSIONAL CAREERS. r BY WILL MCCULLOCH NOTE: INTERVIEW ANSWERS WERE EDITED AND CONDENSED FOR PUBLICATION.

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CUONZO MARTIN ’91—IN SIGNATURE ORANGE JACKET—FINISHED HIS FIRST SEASON AS THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE BASKETBALL PROGRAM, LEADING THE VOLS TO A 19-15 RECORD.

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Noah Vonleh ’13, pictured with ball, is regarded as one of the top recruits in the nation. At 6-foot-8, Vonleh is one of the most versatile players in the high school game and is narrowing his list of schools with Syracuse, Ohio State, Indiana, Georgetown, North Carolina, and UConn all possibilities.

FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS, basketball games in the packed tiny New Hampton gym have been a constant on the campus, a feature attraction that builds community and school spirit on icy nights in January and February. Throughout New Hampton’s long history as an educational institution, basketball has always been a salient aspect of the athletic program, but it wasn’t until 1983 that the men’s basketball team vaulted into an elite class with the vision of then-coach Whit Lesure and the blessing of then-Headmaster Lou Gnerre.

Sure, Ron Norwood ’72—an NBA draft pick who will be inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame this November—is close to the top of the list of the School’s best players of all time, but the rest of that list is dominated by alumni from the last 25 years or so when the basketball program was a must-stop destination for coaches from most every major college program in the country.

The legacy of basketball excellence (six NEPSAC titles) and the quality of the players in the gym has created an unlikely juxtaposition with the tiny village tucked between Newfound Lake and Lake Winnipesaukee.

Nevertheless, whether it was Lawrence Moten ’91, Darius Songaila ’98, Rashad McCants ’02, or Bernard Robinson ’00, there have been numerous players who have gone

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on to incredible college and pro careers and others who have honed their skills in preparation for impactful academic and basketball experiences at Princeton, Lafayette, Harvard, Dartmouth, Williams, Swarthmore, the Naval Academy, and more.

As another school year and season begins, sixth-year head coach Pete Hutchins ’01 attempts to piece together a cohesive squad as predecessors Whit Lesure, Mark Tilton, Derrick Nelson, and Jamie Arsenault did before him. New Hampton has evolved in a variety of ways in recent years, but the sound and feeling in the gym remains tied directly to the past.

College coaches will flock to gym on autumn nights to watch Noah Vonleh, a top recruit in the Class of 2013, and other current Huskies work out and play.

Though the program continues to develop student-athletes who are ready to play at the next level in front of 25,000 fans, there is ample proof that the basketball program is producing something even more important: leaders in the game. Six graduates of the School hold highly visible leadership positions. Four of those former players are head coaches in Division I men’s basketball (hard jobs to land with only 346 available) and two other graduates are a General Manager and Team President for NBA organizations, respectively. In the six profiles/interviews in the following pages, these six graduates share tidbits from their journeys, insight into their jobs, and reflection on their time at New Hampton. As with the atmosphere in the gym during Husky basketball games throughout the years, there is a consistency in the tone.

They share a distinct experience and a passion for the game, and now find themselves thinking about many of the same things. r

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TAKING THE LEAD

CHRIS WALLACE ’77 HOMETOWN: Buckhannon, West Virginia RESIDENCE: Memphis, Tennessee POSITION: General Manager and VicePresident for Basketball Operations, Memphis Grizzlies One of the most compelling stories in NBA management, Chris Wallace graduated from New Hampton School in 1977 after a postgraduate year in which he ran cross country and played basketball. After three selfdescribed uneventful years at the University of Kansas, Wallace took an out an $18,000 loan in 1981 and began a nascent basketball publication called the Blue Ribbon Basketball Yearbook. As with Bill James’ Baseball Prospectus, the made-in-the-basement Blue Ribbon garnered a devoted following for its insight and evaluation of burgeoning basketball players. It afforded Wallace an opportunity to work with grassroots basketball pioneer and then-sneaker company representative Sonny Vacarro at the Nike AllAmerican camp.

With his basketball life evolving with each passing year, Wallace seized an NBA entry opportunity in 1986 when he landed his first gig with the Portland Trailblazers. It was followed by stints as a scout, Director of Player Personnel, and two jobs as a General Manager (Boston Celtics 1997–2007; Memphis Grizzlies 2007–present). Though he only spent one year at New Hampton, Wallace sees it as a transformative experience that pushed him in a variety of directions.

How did you end up at New Hampton?

Nobody from my town went to prep school.

No one in my family had a background in prep school—it was a foreign concept. I just found out about prep schools, and I didn’t

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have a major I was set on or a college I was dying to go to. So I sold my Dad on sending me to prep school. We started well after Labor Day. So my parents drop me off, and I don’t know anybody and I’ve never been away from home. Now you’re in the real world. You’re off on your own. I never thought to think about the day-to-day existence of New Hampton and how small the town was. I was from a town of 8,000 but you could go to the store and get something to eat when you wanted.

Describe your basketball experience at NHS? Your team went 14-10?

It was a different New Hampton School. When I was there we were a hockey school. The emphasis in athletics was on hockey. Basketball was secondary. The thought that there would be four or five players in the NBA from the School in the next 30 years is astounding. It was a hockey school. We had guys who went on to smaller colleges, but I don’t think we had a Division-I player on the team.

Did you come out of New Hampton with a better idea of what you wanted to do?

I went to the University of Kansas majored in journalism, but I wasn’t involved in anything. I went there for three years, came and went, and you’ll find no footprints of me at the University of Kansas. One thing about New Hampton is that it did shape me a little career-wise. During project week I didn’t want to stay up there for a week before Spring Break, so I created an off-campus project in which I covered the NIAA small college basketball tournament in Kansas City. I ended up going to the University of Kansas because of it, but I also knew after covering my first game out there that I probably was

not going to be a sportswriter. That’s what I thought I was going to be. I didn’t like the dynamics of the relationships between the coaches and players and the writers. I could see that after one game. It was not a negative experience, but the project period ended up being useful because it showed me what I didn’t want to do. I could mark that off the list.

What was the critical moment that helped you in the industry?

I got a break out of others’ misfortune. In 1986, there was an NBA Draft that was littered at the top end with players who had issues (Len Bias, Chris Washburn). I was doing my magazine the Blue Ribbon Yearbook and also worked for Nike. We had a Nike All-American camp where we had the best players in the country coming and I’m helping to run that with Sonny Vacarro. In that 1986 draft, the Portland Trailblazers selected Walter Berry, a big named player in the heyday of the Big

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Some members of the 1977 Men’s Basketball Team: FRONT (L–R) Chris Wallace, Mark Smith, Chickie Guzman, Brian Oakes, Manager Beverly Brown; BACK (L–R) Frankie Garcia, Jim Foley, Mark Daigneault, Howard Kantor.

East out of St. John’s. When the Trailblazers went out to visit him the day after the draft, things started falling apart. They were not happy with him. There was a negative impetus to try to do something different. Their Vice President John Spoelstra—who was in charge of all the business, the father of the Miami Heat Coach Eric Spoelstra—had been purchasing my magazine in a large quantity, like 25 at a time. He just called me and wanted me to work for him. He wanted something out of the normal scouting thing in the NBA, someone who could get handle on the background of some of these guys. And so if you don’t have the issues in the draft that year, and the Blazers don’t have an issue with Walter Berry, then I maybe never entered the NBA. What kind of advice can you give folks getting into the Sports Industry?

It doesn’t have as well-laid out career path as say if you go into medicine and law where it is very clear. Sports you have to look at it like a circle, and you have to figure out how to get inside the circle. No matter how entry level it may be—non glamorous or low-paying it may be. The old story about the guys who worked in the mail room at the entertainment agencies in Hollywood and ended up being President 20 years later. It’s that same concept. You have to get inside, take internships

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when you’re in college. If you can’t get internships with pro teams, you need to work camps in basketball, work with an AAU team, at your college be your manager. Lawrence Frank, the coach of Detroit, was the manager at Indiana. Whatever sport is your passion, you need to get involved in it. You may just be laundering towels at a camp, but you need to meet people because it’s 100 percent a people business. It’s not a resume business. And so you have to go into your network of people and differentiate yourself. …You might come in as an intern, and you have to ace it. Whatever project, however mundane, however boring, you need to treat it like it’s your graduate thesis and make it happen with that project. You get little pieces of responsibility before they give you the whole enchilada of responsibility. That’s what a lot of young people I meet with aspirations to work in sports don’t understand.

They say they’ll work for free and they want to sweep floors, but they’re bored after a week because they’re not the commissioner of the league. It takes a number of years to get recognized; you need to keep battling and grinding on a day-to-day basis and make sure you ace every test you take.

How did the year at New Hampton prepare you for adult life?

New Hampton was my first experience in the outside world. Sure, I’d traveled outside of West Virginia with my parents, but never outside the country. I’d never been around suburban kids from Boston and New York. It was a totally different world than I grew up in. There was a guy from Japan in the dorm.

I’d never been around someone from another country. From a people standpoint—not a technical standpoint—I got my first exposure

on my own, away from family, away from my peers and town in a broader world and was able to survive and get a better sense of what’s going on in the outside world. That was important because the world I had to enter later on as an NBA Executive was global. It’s not the world I grew up in my hometown. When I first got to New Hampton, I said “when is this going to end?”

What was I thinking choosing this path and living in this very small town that I can’t get out of except on a school athletic trip. I was 18 years old, used to hanging out with college kids, and now I’m living with all these rules they put on you and going to cross country meets within a week of enrolling and I wasn’t prepared for that. You can survive and make it, even though it looks tough at the time. And you’ll be surprised if you’re open-minded and embrace an experience where it can lead you. So by the second semester in the spring, I didn’t want to go home. I grew to enjoy New England and got a feel for that. I went into Boston—that was the first city I had gone to without my parents. I hitchhiked with some guys from school and also spent time there before I flew out for project period. I started reading the Boston Globe. So I didn’t want to leave by the time I left. I had a tremendous self-evolution from when I got there in September and when I left in May in terms of being more comfortable in the outside world and getting a real feel for a region I had no experience with. r

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TAKING THE LEAD

ED COOLEY ’89 HOMETOWN: Providence, Rhode Island RESIDENCE: Providence, Rhode Island POSITION: Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Providence College A native of Providence, Ed Cooley is heading into his second year as the Head Basketball Coach at Providence College. He returned to his hometown to lead the Friars after five years as the Head Coach of Division-I Fairfield University in Connecticut, where his teams posted a 92-69 mark. Cooley became the first Fairfield head coach to guide the team to a .500 or better mark in MAAC action in each of his first five seasons. In 2009–10, he led the Stags to a 23-11 record and the team’s first post-season berth since 2003. He was the first recipient of the Ben Jobe Award, presented annually to the top minority men’s basketball coach in the nation.

Prior to Fairfield, Cooley spent nine seasons as an assistant coach at Boston College where he worked tirelessly as a recruiter on the road, as a teacher of the game, and as a mentor to student-athletes. During his time in Chestnut Hill, BC advanced to five NCAA Tournaments and one NIT. Cooley also helped lead the Eagles to the 2001 BIG EAST Tournament title and three BIG EAST regular season titles in 2001, 2003 and 2005.

Before arriving at New Hampton School in the Fall of 1988, he attended Central High School and earned two Rhode Island High School Player of the Year honors.

Cooley was part of an overachieving New Hampton squad and helped lead the 1989 Huskies to a 20-6-1 record and a New England Prep School Championship with a 79-73 victory over St. Thomas More in the title game. Cooley returned to campus in May to speak at New Hampton’s 191st

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Commencement and inspired graduates with his recollections of New Hampton and his unlikely admission process.

“I did not let New Hampton tell me no,” Cooley explained. “I was trying to remember the name of the gentleman who was in the admissions office in that June of 1988 who said ‘sorry, no you can’t come.’ Three weeks later, I came back with an $800 check, a $3,000 check from the Narragansett Indian Council, and put it in their hands. I don’t know what the tuition was then and I probably still owe some money today and you know—I have it to pay it. I said ‘you’re not going to tell me no. I want to know who your boss is’ and that’s the truth. ‘If you say no, you’re crazy. I have nowhere to go. I don’t want to go to the Army or the Navy. I want to be special.’

Somehow I got into this school and it changed my life. This is a place that I love.”

Cooley returns to the gym on occasion to recruit NHS players, and memories tug at him as he recalls his time at New Hampton.

“The journey of life for me really started here when this school gave me the opportunity to change,” he said to the 2012 graduates. “…I wasn’t fortunate to have my biological parents raise me day in and day out. The woman who dropped me off here died and I know she’s watching. She died in 2010. She said to me ‘go there, and become a man, don’t be a baby, change your life, and it did.’”

How is the Big East game different?

The obvious answer is the level of play. The Big East is a little bit faster, taller, thicker, and stronger. You are recruiting pros in the Big East where in the MAAC you are trying to recruit really good Big East players. So it’s just level of play.

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The 1989 NEPSAC Champions: FRONT (L–R) Todd Boyle, Walter Devenne; MIDDLE (L–R) Michael Stewart, Eric Ward, Dan Petrocelli, Bill O’Connell, Phil Glenn, Manager S. Bryant; BACK (L–R) Mark Tilton, Whit Lesure, James Wilson, Cedric Seymour, Ed Cooley, Jose Ocasio, Jason Suzor, Sean Etmon.

How is the new job different?

It’s a lot different. This job is a little more corporate in terms of the demand on your time in terms of trying to build your brand. You do that at Fairfield, but it’s a little more magnified in Providence where you are one of the only shows in town with respect to entertainment and sport. So those are the things we deal with.

You grew up in Providence, so how is it being back?

It’s a dream. Growing up here and being a Friar fan and always wanting to go to a game, trying to get a ticket to a game, and sneaking into games, it’s truly a dream come true for me, and I feel honored that I’m part of something here. And I’m honored that I’m even the Head Basketball Coach. This place is truly home for me and a place where I fit.

Did you always know that you wanted to coach?

I wanted to be in a leadership position and obviously I started out in teaching. I always

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say I like teaching, but love coaching. It’s a different level of teaching. Your classroom is now the basketball court. Your classroom is now the locker room. Instead of having 28-30 students per class, you have 14 you have to monitor for the rest of their life, because I want to be a part of their life.

Once you have players, what is the key in building team?

First and foremost I want someone who fits at Providence College and wants to be here.

It’s like marriage; you don’t want to marry someone who has doubts. You want to marry someone who knows you’re his or her partner for life. And I want someone who is characterbased. And with that in mind, somebody who is talented enough to be here. Then you look for the intangibles. What are the intangibles that help you build a program? Pride, integrity, character, and guys who want to graduate.

That’s who I want here.

What was it like to speak to the graduating class?

I reflected with Billy my assistant coach on the way home about how New Hampton gives many young men and women the opportunity to change their lives, to continue their education, to grow up, to shape their life and give them a college experience. Then there are people you met like Mark Tilton, who is a central figure, and to have teammates come back… I grew up there. I was only there for nine months, but I always feel like I’m connected to the School.

What are your memories from your basketball career at New Hampton?

Winning the NEPSAC Championship at BU and beating St. Thomas More. I remember the Fork Union Tournament, driving all the way there together, and then we had to sleep on the floor of the locker room. It was really important as far as cultivating relationships with our players and staff. r

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TAKING THE LEAD

CUONZO MARTIN ’91 HOMETOWN: East St. Louis, Illinois RESIDENCE: Knoxville, Tennessee POSITION: Head Men’s Basketball Coach, University of Tennessee Cuonzo Martin ’91 did not have an easy task last year. He finished his first season as the man in charge of the University of Tennessee Basketball Program, leading the Vols to a 1915 record. Martin, who took over for a beleaguered but successful Bruce Pearl, spent three years as the Head Coach at Missouri State after eight years as an assistant coach at his alma mater Purdue University. Martin’s playing career at Purdue was as steady as it was productive. He scored 1,666 points in 127 career games. The hallmark of his playing career was victories.

Martin won Big Ten titles in each of his final two years, averaged 18.4 points per games as a senior, and was named to Dick Vitale’s AllDefensive Team.

His professional career included brief stints with the Milwaukee Bucks (twice) and Vancouver Grizzlies, considerable time in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association, and a season in Italy. With four knee surgeries on his medical chart, Martin knew his professional career would not be a long one. “It was a bonus to play in the NBA, just to have the opportunity and to put the jersey on,” he says.

The knee problems were not the only adversity he faced, though. He later survived a bout with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 26.

Martin—who graduated from Lincoln High in East St. Louis—arrived at New Hampton with some uncertainty and left with wonderful memories. Despite playing at what former coach Mark Tilton describes as 60 percent

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most of the season because of his knee, Martin helped the Huskies to a 23-3 record with all three defeats coming to Maine Central Institute, and played alongside one of the finest NHS squads, which included Lawrence Moten ’91 (Syracuse), Kenya Hunter ’91 (Duquesne), and Jose Ocasio ’91 (Merrimack) among others.

How would you describe your New Hampton experience on and off the court?

I was never 100 percent because I was coming off a knee surgery, but they gave me an opportunity. Rarely will you take a guy who is not 100 percent. It was a great year, just being in the state of New Hampshire coming from East St. Louis. It was one humbling and two, a blessing. I’m forever grateful to Coach Tilton and Coach Lesure for giving me an opportunity. …Everyone was so genuine. They never saw color and they embraced me as an individual. I like how they treated everybody and me across the board. Having that opportunity taught me so many things about life in general—take away the basketball part—there were so many things I learned from a life skills standpoint.

You played for a lot of great coaches—what did Tilton and Lesure leave you with from that perspective?

Coach Tilton and Lesure taught me that you can have fun and coach. They had a great ability to relate to players, regardless of background. They got on you, but they did it without breaking your spirit and confidence.

You could tell they had passion for what they were doing.

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The 1991 Men’s Basketball Team, New Hampton Invitational Champs. Cuonzo Martin is pictured in center with a towel draped over his shoulder.

(L–R) Lawrence Moten, Kenya Hunter, Lance Hendrick, Tom Robbillard, Jose Ocasio, Scott Ennis, Brian Bassett, Cuonzo Martin, Brendan Pocock, Krys King, Whit Lesure, John Andrews, Mark Tilton, Mike Walker, T. H. Moore.

does everything in her power to always shine it in a good light.

What are short- and long-term goals for your program?

You want to have a consistent program. One thing you always want to do is consistently be in the NCAA tournament. That’s a goal for our program. Now we have to work toward that goal and do the right things on and off the court to reach that goal.

How is the job change treating you?

When you’re coaching the game, it’s all the same from a coaching standpoint. You have to get the best players you can get to win ballgames and quality student-athletes—that’s very important. It’s an adjustment going from the mid-major level to this level because of the fan support throughout the state.

Everyone in the state of Tennessee, especially Knoxville, is all orange. It’s big orange country. But for me it’s just doing the job and doing the job to the best of my ability. That’s how I look at it.

How has it been adjusting to the media?

When you have been in sports so long the media scrutiny comes with the territory whatever level you’re at and if you get caught up in that, it’s an uphill battle. So for me that’s not a big concern.

What has been the biggest highlight?

I think personally getting guys to compete and finishing strong as a team this past season. We got off to a very slow start. To be able to finish strong was great to see.

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What skills did you bring into this position?

It’s the same philosophy I learned as a player and as an assistant coach at Purdue University for eight years under Gene Keady and Matt Painter and things I took with me to Missouri State. It’s your blueprint, it’s what defines you, and what your program is built on, and I was not about to change a whole philosophy, scheme because I went to a new program.

How did you get guys to buy in?

Anytime there is change, it’s not easy thing because kids have a different style and a different ways of doing things. You make adjustments, figure out the lay of the land, and go from there.

What have you learned from Pat Summit (recently retired women’s coach) and being around her?

I think it was a great opportunity just being around her, and I got a little more insight because her son was a part of our team as a walk-on. She’s just a very nice, genuine person who cares a lot about the program, the university, and the state of Tennessee and

What was the toughest part of the transition?

Getting guys to understand early in the season the level we had to play at and how hard we needed to play and to compete at all times. We had a lot of talented guys but unproven guys—who hadn’t played a lot of minutes at this level.

How did all your injuries as a player and your bout with cancer affect you?

I don’t think they necessarily changed me, because I’d like to think before those situations or issues I was a decent person. For me it’s put life in perspective and makes you think what is truly important. Every coach, regardless of the level, wants to win at highest level and be the last team standing when it’s said and done. I think you also have to value life and understand that as much as you want to compete and win games, it’s just a game. You always approach with the maximum effort, but you also have to put things in perspective. r

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JOSH KROENKE ’99 HOMETOWN: Columbia, Missouri RESIDENCE: Denver, Colorado POSITION: Team President and Governor, Denver Nuggets There are few things that connect central Missouri and central New Hampshire, but in 1998 basketball did just that. When Josh Kroenke and his parents thought he needed another year of hoops before matriculating to a Big 12 program, Kroenke found his way to New Hampton, and helped an incredibly skilled Huskies team to a solid season. Along the way, Kroenke exhibited his versatile game. With a spectacular eight three pointers, he helped the Huskies knock off a Maine Central Institute squad that included DerMarr Johnson and Caron Butler, giving MCI its first loss in a year-and-a-half. Kroenke returned to his hometown of Columbia the following year, prepared for what became a productive career in a Tiger uniform.

Kroenke averaged 17 minutes per game as a junior, shot 45 percent from behind the three-point line, and was named to the Big 12 All-Academic team. He averaged 16 minutes his senior season in 2004. He was the team captain in each of his final two seasons.

After graduating from Missouri with a degree in financial management, Kroenke was an intern with the NBA, learning all the nuances of the front office business in the player development department. He worked for Lehman Brothers for a few years, but felt the tug of basketball and the NBA in 2007 and moved from New York City to Denver where he joined the family sports business and became a vital cog in the Denver Nuggets organization. Over the last three years as President of the Nuggets, he has led the team to unprecedented success, and

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(L–R) Josh Kroenke ’99, Denver coach George Karl, and GM Masai Ujiri

earned tight-rope skills as he immediately engaged in the difficult conundrum that Carmello Anthony and his contract brought to the Nuggets. Kroenke, who is also a Governor for the Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche, brings a dynamic blend of business insight and basketball experience from his playing days into the NBA front office.

What was the biggest challenge making the move to the NBA from the corporate world?

They are similar but different. The biggest challenge for me was to look at everything objectively. Growing up, I was such a fan. I was a player. It was more about learning the intricacies of how the league operates. I had a head start, playing at New Hampton, playing at Missouri, and after school I did an internship with the league office. On the

business side, it’s the driving forces behind sports business—your ticket base, your sponsorships. I had a leg up because I did an internship with league office and then I worked for Lehman Brothers in real estate and investment banking for two years.

Business is business. It’s just how you’re generating revenues and how you go about balancing budgets. It’s been a lot of fun. I can tell you that much.

How much influence do you have on shaping the team?

From my background in basketball, that’s where the base of my passion is: the actual product on the floor. I’m involved in all our meetings whether it’s our marketing guys briefing me or other meetings. The way our company is structured, it’s different from

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The 1999 Men’s Basketball Team: FRONT (L–R) Manager Ben Brown, Matt Powell, Justin Dussault, Tom Coverdale, Jeff Cornute, Rudy Wise, Quincy Steele; BACK (L–R) Jamie Arsenault, Mike Causey, Eric Barlow, David Muller, Tyler Jackson, Marius Petravicius, Kei Madison, Jesse Stead, Josh Kroenke, John Hazelton, Will Levy.

people. The level of basketball is so good. It’s amazing it’s not talked about more because our league was so strong. MCI had ten guys go Division I. It was a fun league, a fun year, and all-around good experience.

other teams because we have multiple teams under one umbrella. But I get to meet with all our guys. The roster meetings are the most fun for me. Our general manager Masai Ujiri and I have a great relationship. He keeps me up to speed with everything that’s happening around the league. And he and I know where each other stands on players— well in advance since we talk so much. I have final say on roster decisions. It’s been fun the last couple years because we’ve made some interesting moves, and I think we have a fun, young team.

Describe the learning curve.

There is a natural maturation process going through those years in your life. I think that’s something that’s different from organization to organization. New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers can do things differently and do things that we can’t do in Denver, Colorado. It’s a team-by-team philosophy, but it has been eye-opening to see some of the super-teams form and see how they have formed whether it is via free agency or forcing a trade. There’s a lot of ways to go about winning basketball games and I think we have a pretty good young team—a lot of talent we still need to develop. It’s been a higher education from Coach Karl and some of the other guys he had on staff, but I had a great base of knowledge coming out of Missouri. I played there obviously but lis-

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tened really well and was basically a sponge for my whole five years there. I came out knowing what to look for in basketball players and what it took to win. It was great to get out here and see what George thought and blend what I thought in.

What about the media and fan scrutiny you must have to face?

I have really thick skin, and because of my position and because of my family, from a young age I was used to being in the spotlight. It never really bothered me. I had been through a lot of scrutiny at a young age. We were under a lot of scrutiny during the Carmelo saga, and people have always questioned my position just because of who I am—it’s just natural. It bothered me more as a 19-, 20-year-old kid in college than it does now. I don’t think about it much right now.

The first time you get lit up in a newspaper it’s an eye-opener. It’s not easy, but you have to embrace the philosophy of what you want to do, form a plan to do it, you can’t worry about the people on the periphery and you need to stay committed to your plan and go no-holds bar.

Describe your New Hampton experience.

It was a great year out my life and helped shape the person I am today. There were great people and it was a great place. I wouldn’t change anything. I met a lot of great

What was Coach Arsenault’s style?

I remember one practice that he ran us. Only one day in college trumped New Hampton in terms of the number of sprints I had to run.

And that was Coach Aresenault. I think it was after we played Harvard JV. We beat them by 20, but probably should have thumped them. I think Chris Wallace ’77 (then-GM of the Celtics) came to watch us and said something along the lines of “great game, you guys have a lot of talent, but they could have played harder.” The next day Coach Arsenault had us running 17s until our tongues hit the floor. …It was a really good group of guys. You’re playing against guys who are following the same path as you.

They’re all very focused. It was a great experience because I learned a lot of self-discipline being away from home like that. It was out of my comfort zone, which is something I think all young people should do.

What are your memories of New Hampton?

I lived in Draper. We had a lot of fun times around the dorm when we were not supposed to be having fun times around the dorm. I know I really enjoyed Fall Foliage Day. We went out for a big hike and it was really cool to get out and see some of the scenery. I remember going home for break, and I remember I was never bummed to go back to New Hampton after break. r

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PAT KNIGHT ’90 HOMETOWN: Bloomington, Indiana RESIDENCE: Beaumont, Texas POSITION: Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Lamar University Pat Knight ’90 was one of the first New Hampton basketball players from Indiana to make a one-year stop in Husky Nation, but he was certainly not the last. Knight, who grew up the son of coaching legend Bobby Knight, arrived in New Hampton in the Fall of 1989 after visiting the School the spring before. His experience at New Hampton playing under Whit Lesure and Mark Tilton led to a pipeline between New Hampton and Indiana. Steve Hart ’93, Tom Coverdale ’99, and Mike Roberts ’00 each followed Knight’s path.

Knight had coaching in the blood, and immediately followed his father’s career path after his playing days at Indiana were over.

He was a scout and administrative assistant with the Phoenix Suns, an assistant coach in the CBA, a head coach in the IBA, and then an assistant at his alma mater Indiana. Knight followed his father to Texas Tech where he was an assistant for seven years before leading the program for three more.

Knight recently wrapped up his first year at Lamar where he led the Cardinals to a 2312 record, the Southland Conference Tournament Championship, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Knight carries fond memories of his year in Husky Nation, which included a 17-9 record, an appearance in the NEPSAC Class A semifinals, and a victory in the always tough Fork Union Tournament.

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How was your first year at Lamar after three years as the head guy at Texas Tech?

Tech was a great place to be an assistant, but I should have left. Each time I tried they gave me a bump up and eventually I became the head coach in waiting. What the hell was I doing getting my first job in the Big 12. I should have gone back to the Midwest, but I couldn’t turn it down. I was not prepared for it. I went from sitting next to my Dad to coaching against Bill Self and Rick Barnes. It was like winning the Golden Gloves and being thrown into the ring with Muhammad Ali. Lamar has been perfect for me. I see it as my first coaching job. I’m more comfortable at this level, and there is no cheating and you don’t have to deal with the street agents. It’s the purest level of college basketball. I can’t sell my soul. I can’t get into trouble because of my family and my Dad’s legacy. I have no interest in a BCS program now—it’s too much.

What do you tell young coaches?

I ask them: “Do you want to sell your soul?”

The majority of big schools are shady. You have to make that decision. I know how to cheat, but I can’t do it. I’m more scared of my Dad than the NCAA. Everyone talks about the money, so you have to decide if you are in it for the money or to build a legacy. Quality of life is very important to me, and I’ve just had the two best summers of my career because I can recruit differently. We don’t have to deal with the AAU coaches like we did at Tech.

When did you know you wanted to be a coach?

I was working for the Phoenix Suns and Dick Van Arsdale in the front office, and I missed winning and losing. And he told me that the closest thing to playing was coaching and I

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1990 Men’s Basketball Team: FRONT (L–R) Devoir Vinson, Chris Curran, Duffy McNulty, Chris Slater, Jose Ocasio, Mark Raveling; BACK (L–R) Manager Jack Siegal, Cedric Seymour, Pat Knight, Tim Aramini, Dan Callahan, Rashid Shabazz, James Wilson, Dan Purdy, Manager Ed Maxie.

guys, hockey and football players, and I’ve stayed in touch with a lot of them. I talked to Mark Stachelski ’90 last week and we hadn’t talked in 16 years, but it was like old times.

wanted the excitement of winning and losing and what that brings.

How did you adjust to New Hampton?

I had to grow up quick being away from home.

I remember we drove there from Bloomington, and you leave home where you are the man and everyone at New Hampton was the best player on their high school team. It was like an all-star team. I was one of the first Midwest guys to go to prep schools so it kind of blew the door open. So it was strange at first.

Everyone thought I was the biggest hick with my accent. They thought I was from the “Beverly Hillbillies” or something.

What do you remember about your experience?

The classes were tailor-made from a college standpoint. I went up there to mature. The teachers were great. I lived in Veazey and Coach Tilton was like an extension of my parents. You had Coach Lesure who reminded me of my Dad, Coach Tilton with the cigar was Bo Shembechler, and Harry Golden the lobster guy who coached football and was a throwback to the days of leather helmets. The main thing was the core values. They didn’t put up with any BS. It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had. My brother told me I’d be closer to the guys at New Hampton than guys from college and he was right. We had all types of

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How was the basketball team?

We were good but we couldn’t beat MCI. We beat everyone but they beat us twice. We had them beat in a couple games but ended up losing. We had some real good players: Dan Purdy, Mark Raveling, Dan Callahan. But we didn’t have one star. We spread it around and it was one of the better teams I’ve been a part of in that respect. I thought the coaches did a great job.

What was it like being Bobby Knight’s kid at New Hampton?

They didn’t know who my Dad was. Some of the hockey and football players knew him of course, but I was just Pat Knight from Indiana. It was kind of cool. The local news came up to do a story on me, but the School was just happy to get the publicity. It was nice because for the first time I was walking around an no one was pointing at you. I was just a guy across the hall at New Hampton, and I’ve been in the frying pan ever since. r

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WES MILLER ’02 HOMETOWN: Charlotte, North Carolina RESIDENCE: Greensboro, North Carolina POSITION: Head Men’s Basketball Coach, University of North Carolina-Greensboro A three-year student at New Hampton School, Wes Miller became the thenyoungest coach in men’s college basketball last year when he was named the Interim Head Coach at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Miller’s world transitioned from a passive 2-3 zone as an assistant coach to a full-court press when UNC Greensboro Head Coach Mike Dement resigned on December 13, 2011. After six straight losses, Miller led his team on a streak in January, winning 10 of 11 games and finishing the season with a 10-8 record in conference play and a 13-19 overall record.

Miller’s interim tag was removed at the end of the season to the approval of UNCG fans.

Miller, who played a pivotal role in New Hampton’s 2002 New England Championship team, played basketball at UNC Chapel Hill where he was a fan favorite and won a national title in 2005 before a brief playing career in England and assistant coaching positions at Elon and High Point. A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Miller is back home in Greensboro now and is surrounded by players and coaches who bleed Husky green. Mike Roberts ’00 is his Associate Head Coach, Chris Parsons ’92 is the strength and conditioning coach, Nick Paulos ’11 just finished his freshman season, and Kyle Cain ’10 recently transferred from Arizona State and will be eligible to play in 2013–14. Miller, who was married in the summer of 2011 to Ashley Love, reflected on his whirlwind year in North Carolina when he returned to NHS in May.

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Do you guys talk a lot about Husky Nation?

We absolutely talk about New Hampton at UNCG. It’s neat to have guys in the program who share an experience that’s really special from high school and gives us something in common from players to coaches, and it’s something we’re really proud of.

You recently hired Mike Roberts ’00 as an assistant coach?

We met in the fall of 1999. Mike was a postgraduate and I was a junior. Mike was like a big brother to me like many of the guys on that team were for me. I stayed in contact with him not just during my time in college but as we both got into coaching. Our relationship continued to grow as we began to coach. He’s a guy I completely respect as a friend and professionally in the sense that he has as good a work ethic as anyone I know in the business. He’s extremely knowledgeable— he’s been around some of the greatest coaches in the game and I feel like I com-

pletely hit a home run getting him to come to UNCG from Rice and be my Associate Head Coach. I know more than anything else, because of our friendship and the experience we shared at New Hampton, that the loyalty is there.

Chris Parsons ’92 coached me while I was at New Hampton and another guy I’ve had an extremely strong bond with. I played for him at New Hampton. He has done a tremendous job coming in working with our players, just really proud to have someone who I not only have a professional relationship with but I also I really trust.

How has Nick Paulos ’11 progressed as a player?

Nick had a real solid year. I feel like he had one of the toughest roles on our team because I played him out of position in the second half of the season. It wasn’t necessarily what was best for Nick individually, but it’s what was best for our team in terms of

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2002 Men’s Basketball Team, NEPSAC Champions: ROW (L–R) John Naparlo, Jerrell Lewis, Chet Truskowski, Ryder Arsenault, John Blizzard, Wes Miller, Collin Bray; MIDDLE (L–R) Manager Jason McGaughey, Mike Konovelchick, Rashad McCants, Rob Stockwell, Michael Clarke, Will Levy; BACK (L–R) Chris Parsons, Donatas Rackauskas, Adam Tancredi, Jamie Arsenault.

There are decisions to be made every day as a head coach, and I don’t have to think because I watched one of the best ever make those decisions.

giving our team the best chance to win games. He did it gracefully. He accepted his role and gave us everything he had. I’m really excited about moving forward because we get to get him back to the perimeter at his natural position. He has a great attitude. The guys on the team love him, he’s a fan favorite, and I think Nick has a chance to be a special player for us.

You lost six straight games against top nonconference competition including Duke before getting your first win over College of Charlestown. How did it feel?

It was a thrill, one of those moments I’ll never forget. And (then College of Charlestown Coach Bobby Cremins) took the time to say some kind things to me at a time when he was probably pretty upset about the game.

Have you had a chance to sit back and think about the removal of the interim tag?

Things have happened so fast, there hasn’t been a whole lot of time to reflect. In those moments, you sit back and think about everything. I almost start to pinch myself because it’s such a surreal thing to be able to get up in the morning and do what you love every day and do what you’re passionate about, to

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do it in your hometown and a place you really believe in. I just want to make the most of the opportunity.

What’s the best advice you got since getting the interim tag removed?

My college coach Roy Williams said “just be yourself.” That sounds cliché but what he really helped me to understand is that because I’m in a new role I don’t have to try to be someone who is not 29 years old or someone who is not really positive, or take the characteristics that make me who I am and change them because I’m in a different seat. I think he’s helped me see the big picture.

What have you learned from your coaches?

One thing that I’ve always taken from Coach (Jamie) Arsenault, my New Hampton coach, was his competitiveness. He had such a drive to compete that it carried over to our team. I hope as a coach I inspire guys to play with same passion and effort he inspired us to play with at New Hampton. And Coach Williams: He molded my beliefs about the game of basketball as a whole. Anything that comes up, from a drill to a game situation to decisions on team travel, and I don’t know what I want, I just think about how he did it.

You played on the last New England Championship team at New Hampton in 2002. What did you learn from that experience?

We used to laugh at the end of that season because our practices were often tougher than our games. It was not always about the go-to guys. We held ourselves to a championship standard every day as much as any team I’ve ever been around. Every day in practice, Mike Konovelchick ’02 (who played at Manhattan) challenged Rashad McCants ‘02 as much as anyone did at North Carolina. And Collin Bray ’02 (the backup point guard) challenged me as much as Raymond Felton did in any practice. It was such a competitive mindset that the entire team had.

When you drive back to New Hampton, what type of emotions do you get?

I think the word that sums up how I feel when I pull up to New Hampton is comfort. I’ve always felt my three years at New Hampton were some of the best years of my life. This place will always feel like home. And to be able to come back here and not only remember the experiences I had here, but also see familiar faces and people who are some of my best friends like Pete Hutchins ’01 (current New Hampton Head Coach) and Jamie Arsenault (former Head Coach and current AD) among many others, makes showing up here even more special, knowing these guys are still around. r