Notables

After a national search, Clarkson has named Mark Gilbride head coach. He replaces Adam Stockwell, who departed after five years at Clarkson and a 52- 77 record to take over the head coaching job at Oswego State.

Gilbride spent the past season at Yale where he helped guide the Bulldogs to a second place finish in the Ivy League. Gilbride previously served as an assistant coach at Division II Stonehill. In his one season as an assistant at Amherst in 2006-07, he aided the Lord Jeffs in recording a 30-2 record en route to the Division III national championship.

A 2002 graduate of Bowdoin with a degree in economics, Gilbride played with the Polar Bears before starting his coaching career as an assistant there. Gilbride spent three seasons as the first assistant and recruiting coordinator at Bowdoin where he helped recruit a class that broke the school record for wins (22-7). As a player, Gilbride was a team captain and starting point guard for the squad, leading the team in assists for three years in a row, and ranking seventh all-time in assists per game at Bowdoin.

"Mark has worked at some notable institutions, from his alma mater Bowdoin, one of the finest Division III schools in the northeast, to one of the great academic and historic universities in the country, Yale,” Clarkson athletic director Steve Yianoukos said. “I think that his time at those quality institutions has well prepared him for this position. I look forward to Mark taking over the Clarkson University men’s basketball program, and we fully expect that he will take the team to the next level after several fine seasons under former coach Adam Stockwell."

"I am thrilled to coach at Clarkson, a school with such strong academic and athletic tradition," Gilbride said. "Coach Stockwell has laid the groundwork for a strong basketball program. Now we will build on that foundation to create a team that can compete at the highest level of Division III basketball."

Mark Gilbride comes from a coaching family, as his father, Tim, has served as the head men's basketball coach at Bowdoin for the past 24 seasons, accumulating 337 wins and three NCAA Tournament appearances. His uncle, Kevin, has been an assistant coach in the NFL since 1989 and was the head coach for the San Diego Chargers in the late-1990s. He currently serves as the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants.

When the Edgewood women’s basketball coaching position opened, one of the first people who called Casey Thousand to tell her about it was her mother. “She wanted to know if I’d applied yet, and I said, ‘Mom, it was only posted a few hours ago,’” said Thousand. The desire to be a head coach and the opportunity to do it close to her Barneveld, Wis., home certainly appealed to Thousand (and her mother). On Tuesday, Edgewood named Casey Thousand the 12th women’s basketball coach in school history.

She replaces Tola Neils, who resigned June 16 after compiling a 51-30 record in three seasons. Bethel head coach Jon Herbrechtsmeyer and Division II Upper Iowa assistant Paul Brundson were the other two finalists for the position, according to an earlier school announcement.

“I’m very excited about this opportunity,” said Thousand. “It’s a good league and I think we can do well here in a very short amount of time. It’s going to be very exciting to be closer to home and have my family be able to come and see the games.”

Thousand comes to Edgewood after three years as an assistant coach at Carthage. Under head coach Tim Bernero, Thousand helped guide the Lady Reds to a 51-28 record and three consecutive appearances in the Collegiate Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament. Last season, Carthage reached the title game falling to then unbeaten and top-ranked Illinois Wesleyan in the final.

“We are thrilled with the addition of Casey to our athletic staff,” said athletic director Al Brisack. “We think Casey has all the tools to be an outstanding head coach and we are excited to watch the program develop under her leadership.”

Thousand is no stranger to Edgewood or most members of the Northern Athletics Conference. She was a standout player for NATHC rival Lakeland from 2000 to 2004, earning all-conference recognition every season including a first team all-Lake Michigan Conference selection in 2003-04. From Lakeland, she joined the staff at MacMurray before moving on to Carthage. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sports and facility management from Lakeland and is completing her master’s degree in guidance and counseling at Carthage this month.

Edgewood will open the new season on November 16 at Elmhurst. Thousand will coach her first game at the Edgedome on Dec. 2 when the Eagles host Marian in a NATHC tilt. The Eagles are coming off a 19-8 season, their highest winning percentage in school history.

For the second time in a month, Augsburg alumnus and decade-long NBA veteran Devean George has been involved in a trade, this time from the Toronto Raptors to the Golden State Warriors, it was announced on Thursday.

Earlier this month, George was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Toronto Raptors as part of a four-team, eight-player deal. Golden State will be George's fourth NBA team as he enters his 11th season in the league in 2009-10.

“We’re looking forward to adding a veteran with Devean’s experience to our squad,” said Golden State General Manager Larry Riley in a news release on the Warriors' Web site. “He is obviously a proven winner and has been on several very successful teams during his career, which is something we feel is important when you look at the youth on our roster. He is a versatile player and someone who we feel can contribute both on and off the court.”

George was traded from the Raptors to the Warriors for guard Marco Belinelli. The Warriors also received cash considerations as part of the trade.

In George's 10 NBA seasons (585 regular-season games, 104 starts), he has averaged 5.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.7 steals in 18.7 minutes played per game. In 86 playoff games (27 starts) over eight seasons, he averaged 5.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 17.2 minutes played per game.

George spent his first seven seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2006), as a part of world championship teams his first three years. George signed as a free agent with Dallas in 2006 and spent the past three seasons with the Mavericks.

George has been hampered by injuries over the last several campaigns, as he was limited to just 43 games this past season with the Mavericks, ending his season prematurely in March with knee surgery. He averaged 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in 2008-09.

The Kean women's basketball schedule is one of many posted so far this offseason on D3hoops.com, and the Cougars' 2009-10 slate is a strong one.

The 10 days from Dec. 8-17 won't make or break Kean's NCAA Tournament chances, but they may well give us a good indication of how the season may be like for four teams. Kean, which went 22-8 last season in advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, gets a return game from Mary Washington, which beat Kean last December, 67-58. The Cougars play at DeSales on Dec. 8 and Scranton on Dec. 14, each of which made the NCAA Tournament as well.

But it's the season opener which will likely grab the most attention, and the most Garden State headlines. That's when Kean takes on Rutgers. (Or, if you prefer, Rutgers-New Brunswick.) Kean plays at the Big East school on Nov. 17.

Rutgers played a Division III school last year as well, demolishing Farmingdale State 85-25 despite not playing a single starter or coach C. Vivian Stringer even being in the building.

A little more than one-third of the 2009-10 Division III women's basketball schedule has been posted, with a similar number of men's basketball schedules on our site as well. Click a region on the right-hand menu rail to check for teams and schedules, including partial schedules.

The Centenary (La.) Board of Trustees today voted to reposition Centenary athletics into Division III.

Centenary, currently a member of the Division I Summit League, has 854 full-time undergraduates and is located in Shreveport, La. The Gents finished 8-23 in men's basketball, while the Ladies finished 4-25 in women's basketball.

The vote follows a decision and subsequent directive by the board of trustees in its May 2008 meeting to leave the Summit League and pursue other more geographically advantageous conferences. The college is scheduled to compete in the Summit League for two more years with no scholarships affected as a result of reclassification to Division III during the transition period.

“This is one part of an overall wide-ranging plan which will be implemented by incoming president Dr. David Rowe,” said Ed Crawford, the board's acting chairman. “Centenary must and will restructure its overall strategy to achieve financial and academic stability. We on the Board look forward to working with President Rowe as he helps rebuild an even more firmly established Centenary College as a leading institution of higher education in the South and in the nation.”

Birmingham-Southern is entering the third year of its transition from Division I to Division III. The school suspended baseball and men's basketball for one year before starting its provisional Division III membership. A member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, B-SC men's basketball went 11-14 last season, while women's basketball went 15-10.

Cornell men's basketball coach Mike DeGeorge, who led the Rams to the 2009 NCAA Division III Tournament, announced his resignation Monday, July 20, after five seasons on the Hilltop.

DeGeorge accepted a position as a reserve field manager for Farmers Insurance and will work in the Denver, Colo., area for the next two years. His new job is part of a training program to be a district manager where he will recruit, train and lead a group of 25-30 insurance agents in a district.

"This was not a decision I came to easily or was it a decision I had planned," DeGeorge said. "Over the last several years, it was becoming clear that the long hours on nights and weekends and college coaching demands were going to make it even more challenging for me to be a good father and husband as my kids get older.

"Quite frankly, I am not ready to be done with coaching, but I want to create a permanent home for the kids before they reach middle school age. This will be difficult in the short term, but I believe it is best for me and my family in the long term."

DeGeorge and his wife Christi have four children: son Max, 7, and daughters Maya, 6, Morgan, 4, and Madison, 1.

DeGeorge rebuilt a struggling Cornell program into a conference champion and national qualifier in his final season. The Rams claimed the Iowa Conference Tournament title -- only Cornell's second conference team championship in any sport in 11 years as a member in the IIAC -- and earned their first berth to the NCAA Tournament since 1994.

The Rams improved their win total in each of DeGeorge's final three seasons. Last year's squad achieved the program's first winning season since 2002-03. DeGeorge compiled a 47-82 career record.

Cochrane said a national search for DeGeorge's replacement will begin immediately.

Looking to build on the first conference championship game appearance in program history in 2008-09, Lauren Thomer has been named the new women’s basketball coach at Manhattanville, athletic director Keith Levinthal announced this afternoon.

“We are very excited about the future of our women's basketball program,” Levinthal said. “Lauren did an outstanding job at Army, and we believe that those same skills and professionalism that made her successful at Army will serve her well at Manhattanville.”

Thomer, who has spent the last three years working with the women’s basketball program at the U.S. Military Academy under coach Dave Magarity, replaces Candice Brown, who left after three seasons to take the head coaching position at Vassar.

“I would like to thank Keith and the search committee for giving me this great opportunity,” Thomer said. “It is a huge challenge for me, but I am ready to embrace it and bring the Manhattanville women’s basketball team to new heights this season.”

Thomer served as an assistant coach with the Army women’s basketball team for each of the last two seasons, helping the team to a 37-24 record over that span. She involved herself heavily in recruiting, scheduling and player development for the Army program, including working closely with the Black Knight guards and perimeter players.

Prior to that stint, Thomer served as head girls’ coach of the U.S. Military Academy Prep School for one season. She was responsible for all aspects of the program, while on the court she posted the program’s first-ever 4-0 record against the other service academy prep schools.

Thomer takes over a Manhattanville program that has been on the rise in recent years, culminating with an 18-11 (12-4 MAC Freedom) season and a berth in the conference title game in 2008-09. The 18 wins were the most by the squad in 25 years and marked the fifth-highest single-season win total in program history.

“A 20-win season is definitely one of my goals for the upcoming season,” Thomer said. “And after getting to the conference title game last year, winning a Freedom Conference championship and reaching the NCAA Tournament is a major goal for this program this year.”

Thomer graduated from Rider in 2004, playing the point for three seasons. The point guard was a three-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference All-Academic Team selection and received the team’s Academic Excellence award as a senior. She also earned a master’s degree from Virginia in 2006 while serving as the head coach for the school’s club basketball team, leading the squad to a 46-6 record and the 2005 East Coast Women’s Club Championship over two seasons.

Thomer begins her duties immediately and will spend the coming months preparing for the beginning of the 2009-10 season, her first as a collegiate head coach.

“Anytime you start with a new program there are challenges asked of you,” Thomer said. “My biggest challenge will be to get the returning players and our seven new recruits on the same page and looking toward the future. We have a great chance for success due to the great support of the school and its administration.”

Thomer and the Valiants will begin the 2009-10 season on Nov. 17, when the team travels to William Paterson for a 7 p.m. non-conference tip-off.

Dickinson found its new men’s basketball coach a couple hours to the west, picking Penn State-Altoona coach Alan Seretti to fill the vacancy. Seretti replaces Dennis Csensits who left the College to take a development position at his alma mater, DeSales.

Seretti went 45-59 in four seasons with the Lions and led them to the last three AMCC tournaments. Prior to his arrival, Penn State-Altoona's all-time record was 40-131 with no winning seasons. The Lions finished above .500 for the first time ever under Seretti in 2007-2008 (14-13) followed by this year's 14-12 mark.

“Coach Seretti has taken our basketball program to new heights during his four-year tenure, and we are thankful for his many contributions to our program and the university,” said Penn State-Altoona Athletic Director Ferdina M. Ingold in a statement on the team's website. “His tireless efforts have yielded positive results not only on the basketball court but also in the classroom and throughout the community. All of us at Penn State Altoona wish him the best of luck and have no doubt he will find success in his future endeavors.”

Seretti takes over a Dickinson program that finished 12-12 last year, ninth of ten teams in the Centennial Conference. The Red Devils have had just one winning season since 2002-2003. Seretti replaces Dennis Csensits who went 60-115 in seven seasons at Dickinson.

Prior to Penn State-Altoona, Seretti was the assistant coach at Washington and Jefferson for three seasons. He was a three year letter winner at Allegheny and made two NCAA tournament appearances with the Gators before graduating in 1999. He is also a 2002 graduate of the Duquesne University School of Law.

Penn State-Altoona has begun a search process to fill its vacancy.

Crown athletic director Jim Hunter announced the hiring of Bill Adamson as assistant director of athletics and head women’s basketball coach beginning July 1. 

"After an exhaustive search we believe we have hired a coach who is committed to the process of rebuilding a women's basketball program that has been searching for stability over the past several years," Hunter said. "Bill has demonstrated over the course of his career and the interview process that he truly wants to coach and mentor young adults in a Christian environment and has a proven track record of stability in his coaching roles throughout his career.  We are blessed to have someone of Bill's experience joining our athletic staff."

Adamson takes over a team that went 2-20 last season, 2-0 against North Central (Minn.) and 0-20 against everyone else. The Storm haven't won a UMAC game since beating Northland 48-42 on Feb. 11, 2006, a streak of 43 games.

Adamson comes to Crown after spending the past six years at Itasca Community College coaching men’s basketball with the last two years as head coach.  Prior to coaching at Itasca, Adamson was the head girls basketball coach at Grand Rapids High School for five years where he also has taught mathematics in the Grand Rapids school district since 1999. 

He was a former standout basketball player at Greenway High School before attending Itasca Community College for two years and served as team captain.  He then transferred to St. Scholastica where he again was named team captain while obtaining his mathematics teaching degree and finishing out his playing career. 

During the interview process Adamson said, “I will always be a coach who will focus on relationship-building and positive reinforcement and deeply caring about the student-athletes on and off the basketball court.”  Adamson will strive to assemble and guide a team of women who possess traits that will challenge and benefit not only their team, but themselves, their community and most importantly, their faith. 

Adamson’s additional duties within the athletic department will be as the compliance coordinator, game day manager for fall and spring sports, and he will direct the intramural programs on campus. 

Bill has been married to his wife Debbie for 22 years and they have a daughter Bethani, 12. 

Texas-Tyler has chosen not to renew the contract of head women's basketball coach and associate athletic director Terri Deike.

"We thank coach Deike for her dedication and service to UT-Tyler, the athletics department, and the women's basketball program," said athletic director James Vilade. "Coach Deike played a major role in helping UT-Tyler move toward NCAA membership and she was involved in many other facets of the athletics department."

Deike was Texas-Tyler's first women's basketball coach and had a 90-61 record over six seasons. Her teams won three ASC East Division Championship and appeared in the American Southwest Conference tournament twice.

Assistant coach Cassi Little will assume the women's basketball coaching duties on an interim basis and a national search for a new head coach will begin immediately. Deike will continue in her role as associate athletics director until Aug. 31.