Notables

Emory and Henry is mourning the death of Bob Johnson, whose 27 years of coaching men’s basketball at the school left a deep, positive imprint on hundreds of athletes and on a college community.

Johnson died Saturday morning after a long battle with kidney cancer. His family is planning a memorial service to be held in the King Athletic Center on Saturday, Aug. 29.

“This is a profoundly sad day for this tight-knit college community,” said college president Rosalind Reichard. “The people of Emory and Henry loved Bob dearly, and we will miss greatly his strength, his passion and the love he had for all of us.”

In 27 years of coaching, Johnson built a national reputation, helped by five teams in the NCAA playoffs, including two in the Sweet 16. He was honored three times as Old Dominion Athletic Coach of the Year and three times as NCAA South Region Coach of the Year.

His athletes have included numerous All-American selections, ODAC players of the year, All-Conference players and one Jostens Trophy winner.

Before retiring from coaching in 2007, Johnson gained national attention for his use of a fast-paced run-and-gun offense that helped his team to winning seasons and some big upsets over nationally ranked teams. In 2007, he was awarded the Division III Service Award by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

After his retirement from coaching, Johnson continued to work full-time as Emory and Henry's athletic director. In that capacity, he provided valuable guidance to the E&H coaching staff and worked to raise money for the construction of a stadium that honors the late Fred Selfe, Johnson’s best friend and another former E&H athletic director.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Johnson has been praised by his athletes for his leadership and his commitment. “Those of us who played for Coach will agree that he helped to shape us as people first,” said Paul Russo, Emory and Henry’s current head men’s basketball coach, who played for Johnson as a student. “I believe he has made me a better coach because he has made me a better person.”

Kevin Jaskiewicz has been named the interim head coach of the Coast Guard Academy men’s basketball team replacing Pete Barry, who retired after 19 seasons.

“It is an honor to teach and coach at such an outstanding institution,” said Jaskiewicz. “The NEWMAC is a terrific league with great teams and coaches. I am looking forward to putting my years of experience to the test.”

Jaskiewicz, who was an assistant coach with Coast Guard for the past three seasons, has had success coaching at every level of college basketball. He has been part of the Coast Guard coaching staff that won back-to-back New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Tournament championships in 2006-07 and 2007-08 and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Bears won a school-record 24 games and advanced all the way to the Elite 8 in 2007-2008.

“We are delighted that Kevin Jaskiewicz has been selected to provide leadership for our men’s basketball team,” said athletic director Ray Cieplik. “He has had significant experience at quality institutions that share our philosophy of developing student athletes, and his knowledge of the sport is respected throughout the region.”

Jaskiewicz was an assistant under coach Glen Miller at Connecticut College from 1993-1999, building the team that made back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 1997-1998 and 1998-99 and advanced to the Final Four in 1999 after compiling a perfect 24-0 record in the regular season. The Camels posted a record of 85-20 during Jaskiewicz’s final four years at Connecticut College.

He then coached with Miller at Brown for seven seasons, 1999-2006, where the duo led the Bears to four straight winning seasons for the first time in the over 100 year history of Brown basketball.

The Bears finished in second place in the Ivy League twice in that four year period. The 2002-2003 team made the school’s first ever trip to the NIT and finished 17-12.

The 1988 graduate of Eastern Connecticut State began his coaching career as head coach at at UConn-Avery Point from 1988-1991 before becoming an assistant coach at Keene State from 1991-1993.

Division III teams are allowed to take a trip overseas once every three seasons, which gives them a great opportunity to travel, have an educational experience. Oh, and have offseason practices and exhibition games.

Two teams recently wrapped up exhibition series in foreign countries, as the Catholic University women's team won two games in Ireland and the Puget Sound men won three in the Bahamas.

Catholic players blogged about the trip, conducting a youth clinic (in Northern Ireland, no "Catholic" gear recommended), touring one of the oldest monasteries in Ireland and playing their first hurling match. "Overall it was a great experience to take part in an authentic Irish game that not one of us had the opportunity to play before," Lauren McPeak wrote. The clinic was conducted with Peace for Hope.

Puget Sound's Colin Koach wrote on the Loggers' blog about sharing the spotlight with the Miss Universe pageant next door, the locals' reaction to a team of basketball players walking through the grocery store and a tough game against College of the Bahamas.

A potential merger proposed to join the men's sports from the Great South Athletic Conference and the USA South Athletic Conference has been discontinued according to Ray Cleere, president of Piedmont. USA South Commissioner Rita Wiggs informed Cleere that the USA South presidents were concerned with the current and future financial conditions that confront their institutions and encouraged the leagues to continue their relationships on the playing venues. "This in no way should be seen as a reflection on the excellent relationships that exist among our institutions," stated Wiggs.

Kandis Schram, athletic director at Maryville (Tenn.), said that the Great South will move forward and will look for ways to make our league even stronger. "As we enter into our 10th season as a charter member within the Great South, we feel we have an excellent nucleus of institutions that share a common vision that will allow us to grow and expand our vision of NCAA Division III athletics."

Two schools, Berry and Covenant, each in Georgia, were accepted into this year's provisional membership class for Division III, and will begin a four-year transition into Division III. The GSAC already has two men's schools in Georgia.

After a national search, Bard has announced that former Raptors player Adam Turner has been hired as assistant athletics director and head men's basketball coach.

He replaces longtime coach Chris Wood. Bard was 1-24 this past season.

Athletic director Kristen Hall said, "Coach Turner brings great enthusiasm and passion to the position. He has gained valuable experience with the Hoop Group, and has extensive knowledge in the most contemporary basketball theories. We have great confidence that coach Turner will attract basketball scholar athletes to our institution who will build our program to enhance our successes in the near future."

Turner, a 2006 graduate, was a four-year starter and three-year captain for the Raptors. During his career, Turner set Bard marks in many statistical categories, including career points (1,785), a mark which has yet to be beaten.

Upon graduation, Turner took his first step into the collegiate coaching ranks as an assistant for the Raptors during the 2006-07 season. Turner was involved in many aspects of the program both on and off the court, and was heavily involved in the recruitment of prospective student-athletes.

For the past several years, Turner has been the director of the Hoop Group Skills Camp. He was responsible for managing all aspects of the camp which involves more than 1,700 campers. Additionally, Turner directed two youth tournaments annually involving up to 100 teams, organized over 25 clinics for youths of all ages, as well as assisted in the administration of a variety of high school showcase events and AAU tournaments.

Turner inherits a program that returns senior and team co-captain Justin White, who was first-team All-Skyline Conference this past season.

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.