Erika
03-02-2007, 08:14 PM
Everhart Coach of a Lifetime
Guiding Duquesne Through Tragedy Truly Honorable
In his debut season at Duquesne University, coach Ron Everhart has led the Dukes to a 10-17 record. Heading into the final regular-season game, Everhart's club has lost six consecutive games, including two to Atlantic 10 bottom feeders Richmond and St. Bonaventure, and the Dukes are not expected to make much noise in the conference tournament.
This sputtering finish cost him my coach of the year award.
But my criterion is clearly different from the facilitators of the Jim Phelan Award, given to the nation's top coach. The 20-member panel values victories while I weigh circumstances, which is why Everhart should have been at least been named one of the 15 finalists by the Phelan pack.
"It's been tremendous," said Rick Pitino, coach of 16th-ranked Louisville. "I told (Everhart), 'There's no way you should have won the number of games you won. If you win 14 or 15, it's almost a hardship next year.' He's doing a phenomenal job, and he should be very pleased with what they've accomplished."
Earlier this month, Xavier's Sean Miller, the leading candidate for A-10 coach of the year, recognized Everhart's brilliant coaching this season. After the Dukes upset the Musketeers 93-91, Miller told reporters, "Ron Everhart is the coach of the year in the Atlantic 10."
In this age of instant gratification, coaches are defined by conference titles, tournament appearances and upsets of ranked foes. But Miller and Pitino are wise enough to look beyond the obvious, recognizing elements of coaching that are too often overlooked. Rallying a community in pain. Shaping men of character. And showcasing the tenets of a true leader.
That is what Everhart has done since five of his players were shot Sept. 17 after an on-campus dance.
Everhart confronted enough challenges when he accepted the Dukes' offer in late March 2006 to replace Danny Nee, who resigned after compiling just 42 wins in five years at Duquesne. Although the marriage puzzled some observers, the relationship made sense to the parties involved: Duquesne wanted Everhart's knack for dramatic turnarounds (see McNeese State and Northeastern) and Everhart, a native of Fairmont, W.V., wanted to fulfill a childhood dream.
Everhart appreciated Duquesne's private, Catholic roots and the school's proximity to his and his wife's family.
"I grew up in a Catholic family, and I grew up 90 miles away from here," Everhart said. "In my family, Duquesne was a special place."
Ron and his father followed the program, and they even attended some games at Civic Arena.
"I've always had this perception of Duquesne of being this great school, great institution, great basketball program," Everhart said. "They haven't had a lot of success. But I have a feeling that this was really more than a diamond in the rough but a sleeping giant."
But are the Dukes sleeping or comatose?
The basketball team has had just two winning seasons in the last 25 years, and they have not qualified for the NCAA tournament since 1977.
When he arrived on campus, Everhart immediately recognized his perception of Duquesne basketball was outdated.
"There wasn't a lot of name recognition with Duquesne," Everhart said. "Some kids would ask us, 'Are you Division I?'"
Yet Everhart's magnanimous personality compelled respected players to sign with him and chased away most of the carryover players (only two of Nee's players remain on the roster). He imposed a standard, banning earrings, facial hair and new tattoos. In fact, one recruit opted not to come to Duquesne when Everhart told him his hairstyle would be unacceptable.
None of those rules bothered Shawn James. He averaged an NCAA record 6.53 blocks per game last season, helping Northeastern to a 19-11 record, but the NBA prospect was willing to sit out this year to follow Everhart to Duquesne.
"Regardless of what school, I think I would have followed him, because I believe what he says, and he teaches me to be a better person," James said. "I know that he's a good coach, and I wasn't willing to trust anyone other than coach Everhart."
James was the prize of a promising recruiting class, which included two solid junior college transfers, Sam Ashaolu and Stuard Baldonado, and guard Kojo Mensah, who averaged 16.6 points and 4.1 assists for Siena last season. But those four players and guard Aaron Jackson were shot after walking away from an argument outside a school dance on Sept. 17.
"It definitely surprised me," James said. "When you're on campus, you don't think things like that are going to happen at all. You don't think about people having guns in a party."
At 2:40 a.m., Everhart got the call coaches dread.
"For whatever reason, that night, I had turned my cell phone off," Everhart said. "My wife handed me the phone, and I was like, 'Oh man, this is not good.'"
An assistant filled Everhart in on the details, and the coach rushed out of his house.
"I'm out the door in three or four minutes," Everhart recalled, "and I remember praying on the way down there. 'Please God, don't let this be as bad as it sounds.'"
He repeated the prayer several more times.
Ashaolu was in critical condition, with multiple gunshot wounds to the head, and Baldonado was shot in the lower back.
The school, frequently mentioned as one of the nation's safest, was in shock, and Everhart's players were distraught. With only two players not at the party, some of the remaining young men wondered, "Why not me?"
The coaches' manual didn't have a chapter on how to handle a situation like this. But in a team meeting, about 16 hours after the shooting, Everhart set the tone for the season. He scanned the room, locking in on the players who could see through the tears in their eyes.
"Unfortunately, we can't take the bullets out of those guys," Everhart recalled telling his team. "I pounded on the table, and I said, 'No one is going to drag your chin. We're going hold our heads up, and we're going to pray for our guys, and we are going to represent this institution like it deserves to be represented. We're going to do what we came here to do."
Then, one player said, "Sam might not make it through the night."
Everhart calmly told the player that Ashaolu was in capable hands and reiterated the team's goals.
Kieron Achara, one of the team's two carryover players, realized something special happened during that meeting.
"It was very emotional," Achara said. "When you see a bunch of guys who don't even know each other, and all of a sudden, we have to deal with that (situation), and all we had was each other.
"There was no time for would of, could of, what if? We had to look at the future."
Due to the shooting and general injuries, the Dukes sometimes had just eight players healthy enough to practice, including three walk-ons.
Duquesne opened with an exhibition loss at the Palumbo Center to Millersville, a Division II program, and blowout losses to Pitt and West Virginia during a 2-7 start. But the Dukes pushed Boston College to overtime, and Everhart's mid-season strategic change resulted in a key win streak. With limited size, Duquesne played up-tempo basketball and utilized a full-court press.
The Dukes won five consecutive conference games in late January and early February, including the upset of Xavier.
"This is the most rewarding year I've ever had as a coach," Everhart said, "and it has nothing to do with basketball."
Achara and James marveled at how Everhart inspired the team this season; Everhart marveled at how his players emboldened him.
Ashaolu has made tremendous strides and Everhart refused to bet against his forward returning next season. Meanwhile, a bullet missed Baldonado's spinal column by a centimeter, Everhart said.
"Doctors are amazed he's not paralyzed," Everhart said.
Baldonado, James and Mensah are healthy enough to play next season, and Jackson has started most of this season.
The temptation to look ahead is palpable.
"Man, I can't wait to get out there," James said. "Every night, we're willing to put up a fight. I have a group of guys who are going to give the same type of effort, and we're going to better. Right now, we're limited. Next year, we'll have a full cast. God willing, we'll be a good team."
Added Achara, "I believe there is the potential for us to compete at the NCAA championship level next season, but it's up to us to show that."
Everhart said he is "honored" to coach this team, and he has become more religious because of his experience this season, witnessing the power of prayer, including the one he repeated to himself shortly after the shooting.
"Looking back on it, those prayers were answered, because it could have been so much worse," Everhart said. "God has answered a lot of prayers, and he's been very good to us. I know how it's changed my life."
Although the Dukes likely won't be joining his Cardinals in the NCAA Tournament, Pitino applauded Everhart's leadership. Pitino has talked to Everhart a few times this season, and he frequently talks to one of Everhart's assistants, Richard Pitino.
"He just thinks Ron is such a special person," Rick Pitino said of his son. "More than Xs and Os, it was building relationships and bringing in good people, and overcoming a potentially serious tragedy. (Ron) has done a phenomenal job."
Enough to at least merit consideration for a few coach of the year awards.
Credit: http://sports.aol.com
I hadn't read anything of this incident until just now and I really just can't believe what a horrible, horrible tragedy this team/university went through. I'd say this coach does deserve some praise for sure.
Guiding Duquesne Through Tragedy Truly Honorable
In his debut season at Duquesne University, coach Ron Everhart has led the Dukes to a 10-17 record. Heading into the final regular-season game, Everhart's club has lost six consecutive games, including two to Atlantic 10 bottom feeders Richmond and St. Bonaventure, and the Dukes are not expected to make much noise in the conference tournament.
This sputtering finish cost him my coach of the year award.
But my criterion is clearly different from the facilitators of the Jim Phelan Award, given to the nation's top coach. The 20-member panel values victories while I weigh circumstances, which is why Everhart should have been at least been named one of the 15 finalists by the Phelan pack.
"It's been tremendous," said Rick Pitino, coach of 16th-ranked Louisville. "I told (Everhart), 'There's no way you should have won the number of games you won. If you win 14 or 15, it's almost a hardship next year.' He's doing a phenomenal job, and he should be very pleased with what they've accomplished."
Earlier this month, Xavier's Sean Miller, the leading candidate for A-10 coach of the year, recognized Everhart's brilliant coaching this season. After the Dukes upset the Musketeers 93-91, Miller told reporters, "Ron Everhart is the coach of the year in the Atlantic 10."
In this age of instant gratification, coaches are defined by conference titles, tournament appearances and upsets of ranked foes. But Miller and Pitino are wise enough to look beyond the obvious, recognizing elements of coaching that are too often overlooked. Rallying a community in pain. Shaping men of character. And showcasing the tenets of a true leader.
That is what Everhart has done since five of his players were shot Sept. 17 after an on-campus dance.
Everhart confronted enough challenges when he accepted the Dukes' offer in late March 2006 to replace Danny Nee, who resigned after compiling just 42 wins in five years at Duquesne. Although the marriage puzzled some observers, the relationship made sense to the parties involved: Duquesne wanted Everhart's knack for dramatic turnarounds (see McNeese State and Northeastern) and Everhart, a native of Fairmont, W.V., wanted to fulfill a childhood dream.
Everhart appreciated Duquesne's private, Catholic roots and the school's proximity to his and his wife's family.
"I grew up in a Catholic family, and I grew up 90 miles away from here," Everhart said. "In my family, Duquesne was a special place."
Ron and his father followed the program, and they even attended some games at Civic Arena.
"I've always had this perception of Duquesne of being this great school, great institution, great basketball program," Everhart said. "They haven't had a lot of success. But I have a feeling that this was really more than a diamond in the rough but a sleeping giant."
But are the Dukes sleeping or comatose?
The basketball team has had just two winning seasons in the last 25 years, and they have not qualified for the NCAA tournament since 1977.
When he arrived on campus, Everhart immediately recognized his perception of Duquesne basketball was outdated.
"There wasn't a lot of name recognition with Duquesne," Everhart said. "Some kids would ask us, 'Are you Division I?'"
Yet Everhart's magnanimous personality compelled respected players to sign with him and chased away most of the carryover players (only two of Nee's players remain on the roster). He imposed a standard, banning earrings, facial hair and new tattoos. In fact, one recruit opted not to come to Duquesne when Everhart told him his hairstyle would be unacceptable.
None of those rules bothered Shawn James. He averaged an NCAA record 6.53 blocks per game last season, helping Northeastern to a 19-11 record, but the NBA prospect was willing to sit out this year to follow Everhart to Duquesne.
"Regardless of what school, I think I would have followed him, because I believe what he says, and he teaches me to be a better person," James said. "I know that he's a good coach, and I wasn't willing to trust anyone other than coach Everhart."
James was the prize of a promising recruiting class, which included two solid junior college transfers, Sam Ashaolu and Stuard Baldonado, and guard Kojo Mensah, who averaged 16.6 points and 4.1 assists for Siena last season. But those four players and guard Aaron Jackson were shot after walking away from an argument outside a school dance on Sept. 17.
"It definitely surprised me," James said. "When you're on campus, you don't think things like that are going to happen at all. You don't think about people having guns in a party."
At 2:40 a.m., Everhart got the call coaches dread.
"For whatever reason, that night, I had turned my cell phone off," Everhart said. "My wife handed me the phone, and I was like, 'Oh man, this is not good.'"
An assistant filled Everhart in on the details, and the coach rushed out of his house.
"I'm out the door in three or four minutes," Everhart recalled, "and I remember praying on the way down there. 'Please God, don't let this be as bad as it sounds.'"
He repeated the prayer several more times.
Ashaolu was in critical condition, with multiple gunshot wounds to the head, and Baldonado was shot in the lower back.
The school, frequently mentioned as one of the nation's safest, was in shock, and Everhart's players were distraught. With only two players not at the party, some of the remaining young men wondered, "Why not me?"
The coaches' manual didn't have a chapter on how to handle a situation like this. But in a team meeting, about 16 hours after the shooting, Everhart set the tone for the season. He scanned the room, locking in on the players who could see through the tears in their eyes.
"Unfortunately, we can't take the bullets out of those guys," Everhart recalled telling his team. "I pounded on the table, and I said, 'No one is going to drag your chin. We're going hold our heads up, and we're going to pray for our guys, and we are going to represent this institution like it deserves to be represented. We're going to do what we came here to do."
Then, one player said, "Sam might not make it through the night."
Everhart calmly told the player that Ashaolu was in capable hands and reiterated the team's goals.
Kieron Achara, one of the team's two carryover players, realized something special happened during that meeting.
"It was very emotional," Achara said. "When you see a bunch of guys who don't even know each other, and all of a sudden, we have to deal with that (situation), and all we had was each other.
"There was no time for would of, could of, what if? We had to look at the future."
Due to the shooting and general injuries, the Dukes sometimes had just eight players healthy enough to practice, including three walk-ons.
Duquesne opened with an exhibition loss at the Palumbo Center to Millersville, a Division II program, and blowout losses to Pitt and West Virginia during a 2-7 start. But the Dukes pushed Boston College to overtime, and Everhart's mid-season strategic change resulted in a key win streak. With limited size, Duquesne played up-tempo basketball and utilized a full-court press.
The Dukes won five consecutive conference games in late January and early February, including the upset of Xavier.
"This is the most rewarding year I've ever had as a coach," Everhart said, "and it has nothing to do with basketball."
Achara and James marveled at how Everhart inspired the team this season; Everhart marveled at how his players emboldened him.
Ashaolu has made tremendous strides and Everhart refused to bet against his forward returning next season. Meanwhile, a bullet missed Baldonado's spinal column by a centimeter, Everhart said.
"Doctors are amazed he's not paralyzed," Everhart said.
Baldonado, James and Mensah are healthy enough to play next season, and Jackson has started most of this season.
The temptation to look ahead is palpable.
"Man, I can't wait to get out there," James said. "Every night, we're willing to put up a fight. I have a group of guys who are going to give the same type of effort, and we're going to better. Right now, we're limited. Next year, we'll have a full cast. God willing, we'll be a good team."
Added Achara, "I believe there is the potential for us to compete at the NCAA championship level next season, but it's up to us to show that."
Everhart said he is "honored" to coach this team, and he has become more religious because of his experience this season, witnessing the power of prayer, including the one he repeated to himself shortly after the shooting.
"Looking back on it, those prayers were answered, because it could have been so much worse," Everhart said. "God has answered a lot of prayers, and he's been very good to us. I know how it's changed my life."
Although the Dukes likely won't be joining his Cardinals in the NCAA Tournament, Pitino applauded Everhart's leadership. Pitino has talked to Everhart a few times this season, and he frequently talks to one of Everhart's assistants, Richard Pitino.
"He just thinks Ron is such a special person," Rick Pitino said of his son. "More than Xs and Os, it was building relationships and bringing in good people, and overcoming a potentially serious tragedy. (Ron) has done a phenomenal job."
Enough to at least merit consideration for a few coach of the year awards.
Credit: http://sports.aol.com
I hadn't read anything of this incident until just now and I really just can't believe what a horrible, horrible tragedy this team/university went through. I'd say this coach does deserve some praise for sure.