Notables

The Great South Athletic Conference office announces Salem College as the conference's eighth member. The presidents and athletic directors of the GSAC voted unanimously to accept Salem with full membership status becomes effective when the 2009-10 academic year begins.

Salem is a women's institution located in Winston-Salem, N.C. The school, founded in 1772, is the oldest educational institution for women in the United States. The Spirits compete in basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball. As part of its membership acceptance, Salem will provide a written commitment and an accompanying timetable for the sponsorship of softball as a varsity sport.

Current member institutions will adjust individual sports schedules to include Salem during the 2009-10 season. Qualification for postseason play will depend on the scheduling criteria of individual sports and, in some cases, may have to be delayed until the following year.

Bernadette Laukaitis resigned her position as Cabrini's head women's basketball coach to join her own former head coach at Division I University of Pennsylvania.

Laukaitis took an assistant position under new Penn head coach Mike McLaughlin who coached her as a player at Division II Holy Family. She also served as his assistant for eight years at Holy Family. Laukaitis went 23-5 in her only season at Cabrini, the program's most wins since 1995-1996. She led the Cavaliers to the Colonial States Athletic Conference championship and their sixth trip to the NCAA tournament.

“Bernadette’s accomplishments at Cabrini in one season were remarkable,” Cabrini's Director of Athletics & Recreation Joe Giunta said. “She led our team to the conference title and a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. We wish Bernadette the best in her new position at Penn.”

A national search for Cabrini’s next women’s basketball coach will begin immediately.

Wellesley athletic director Bridget Belgiovine announced the hiring of Jennifer Kroll as head basketball coach.

"The Wellesley basketball program will be led by a highly successful coach, teacher and mentor for our student-athletes," Belgiovine said. "We look forward to the next era for Wellesley basketball."

Kroll replaces Kathy Hagerstrom, who retired after this past season. She compiled a 229-192 record in 18 seasons as head coach of the Blue.

Now entering her 11th year as a head coach, Kroll boasts an overall record of 167-95 (.637) at three Division III institutions: Ithaca, the University of Chicago and St. Lawrence. The 2007 Liberty League coach of the year, as well as the 2000 Empire 8 coach of the year, Kroll served on the NCAA East Regional Advisory Committee from 2007 to 2009.

“I am thrilled to accept the position at Wellesley College. The level of engagement of the student-athlete in every aspect of their experience is what impressed me most,” said Kroll. “I am excited about building relationships within the Wellesley community and expanding on the department’s rich tradition of success.”

Kroll comes to Wellesley after a successful five-year stint at St. Lawrence where she guided the Saints to an impressive 101-35 (.742) overall mark with a 56-14 (.800) Liberty League record. Most recently, Kroll led the Saints to a 10-4 Liberty League mark in the 2008-09 season, while wrapping up the third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and the second straight conference championship for the program.

Prior to coaching at St. Lawrence, Kroll spent four seasons at Chicago where, in 2000-01, she guided the Maroons to a 15-9 record, marking the program’s first winning season in six years. Overall, she compiled a 45-53 record. She started her head-coaching career at Ithaca for the Bombers' 1999-2000 campaign. In just one season, Kroll guided Ithaca to a 21-7 mark, a share of the Empire 8 title and the ECAC Upstate New York championship.

Before Ithaca, Kroll served as an assistant coach at Cornell (N.Y.) from 1995-99 and as a graduate assistant at Kentucky from 1992-94.

A 1991 graduate of Northwestern, Kroll played in two NCAA Division I tournaments and was part of the 1990 Big Ten championship team. She earned her bachelor's degree at Northwestern in 1991 and her master's degree in sports management at Kentucky in 1995.

Susquehanna's Joel Patch, Colorado College's Melanie Auguste, Ohio Wesleyan's Kyle Holliday and Randolph-Macon's Amanda Hiltunen have been selected this year among winter sports participants from all three NCAA divisions for an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.

The winners will receive one-time, nonrenewable grants of $7,500.

NCAA postgraduate scholarships are awarded annually to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition.

This past season, Macalester men's basketball had a sparkling new facility and not much else to write home about. The Scots, in fact, went 0-25, losing by an average of 22.4 points per game in a season that was completed by Feb. 18.

But did we mention the new gym and overall facility is really nice?

Macalester hasn't exactly been known for a commitment to athletics. The Scots pulled their football program out of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference after the 2001 season marked the second of back-to-back 1-9 seasons. They've won 17 games in the seven years since.

More recently, the women's basketball program was put on hiatus six games into the 2004-05 season and played only half a conference schedule the following season. And the men's basketball team has lost 40 of its past 42 games.

It seems a long way from the top of Division III basketball. But that's where the new Mac men's head coach comes from, and he brings optimism with him. More in an interview with new Macalester coach Tim Whittle.

Tim Whittle helped Washington U. reach the top of the Division III basketball mountain for the past two years. But the former Bears assistant coach has a long way to go in his new job as head men's basketball coach at Macalester.

Macalester has lost 33 consecutive games and 40 of its past 42. The Scots have yet to win a men's basketball game in their sparkling new facility. But they have a lot more optimism heading into the summer.

Whittle sat down with D3hoops.com executive editor Pat Coleman on the day he was formally introduced to the Macalester campus community to discuss the long task ahead, his former employer and where he foresees making a difference with the program.

D3: How do you like it so far?
TW: Well, this is day two. It’s been a whirlwind, but an exciting whirlwind: meeting with recruits, trying to find a house, meeting the right people on campus. The overwhelming support in (the welcome luncheon) was a good sign of the expectations and commitment to making this a turnaround, something special. I’m trying to be careful not to say turnaround because they’ve had good teams before, but we want to start building something special, something starting right now, starting Friday when they hired me. I’m already starting to build the relationship with the players, and recruits – we’ve gotten one commitment already and still have five kids who are trying to make up their minds. It’s been a whirlwind but I’m excited to be here, no doubt about it.

D3: Sure, because you’re not in the situation that, say, maybe the Macalester football program is in, where competitiveness has been a long-term problem. This is coming off an 0-25 season but they’ve been competitive in the recent past.
TW: They played for the conference championship in 2004. There’s pieces here and with this new facility, there’s no reason why we can’t get the best of the best, the best student-athletes, the kids who want to excel both academically and athletically, in a brand-new facility.

D3: How much of the team have you seen play so far, on tape or anything?
TW: Zero, I’ve not watched any film previously.

D3: So how do you know the pieces are here?
TW: What I mean by that is the support is here, the commitment by the administration, and now that they have a new coach they can start moving forward. Those are the pieces, not necessarily the pieces on the floor. That I’ll start learning when I’m up here permanently. My No. 1 priority is trying to fill this recruiting class. We graduate four seniors and we’d at least like to get four players in to replace those guys, so that those guys come up with me, they don’t know anything different than my style, my philosophy, my personality, and really set the bar moving forward. I know that this is going to be a process. We’re not going to go 25-0 this year. We’re going to be competitive every time we go on the floor. We’re going to try to defend our home court. We’re going to work hard and build a team atmosphere around the family, so that it’s something that’s important to them not only when they’re here at practice but we’re pulling for each other’s achievements on the floor, off the floor, at home, at Macalester, wherever that might be.

D3: You’ve inherited an empty office, 12 players, I don’t know if there are tapes hidden in those cabinets … but otherwise it looks like you have a pretty long to-do list. What are the priorities right now, other than rounding up those last recruits?
TW: Other than that, getting to know the right people here, the process on campus of who they look for, what they look for. I’ve recruited student-athletes before and I know what that means. I’ve already started recruiting juniors for next year. So, recruiting both in the sense of finishing up this class, but also getting a jump-start on next year’s class. Then, as time permits, watching film so I understand what the pieces of the puzzle are coming back. That’s going to be real important, just for me to understand not the system so much, but what the skill level of the guys really is. So, I’ve got the DVDs of all the games from this year, I’ll start watching those as time permits late at night, trying to figure out what they’re doing, what they can do, what I think we can do with those pieces based on who’s coming back and also the new pieces that we’re trying to get committed.

D3: Do you have a system in mind or are you waiting to see what you have?
TW: I have a system in mind, a true point guard system, of course. That’s something that’s really important to me. A very good point guard can make a good team great. That’ll be my No. 1 priority either in this recruiting class or moving forward. But, more than that, the big priorities of the chemistry of the team and the team philosophy or style will be team basketball, sharing the ball. They really struggled with turnovers this year, they were almost minus-200 in assists to turnovers. Rebounding and defense are really my bread and butter. That’s what I feel like I brought to my former institution is that we got a defensive identity. We stopped people. We did not try to outscore people. And I’m going to bring that same philosophy to Macalester, in that we’re going to let them know we’re here to play defense and they’re going to have to work to get a good shot. That is heart – heart determines rebounding and defense as far as I’m concerned. Those two things are going to be a priority on the floor for us as we start developing our own style and our own mentality of what Macalester basketball is with me as the new head coach.

D3: I notice you didn’t refer to Wash U by name ...
TW: Yeah.

D3: ... but your ‘former institution.’ How much of that can you let go, and how much of that can you incorporate into what you do here?
TW: I think the X’s and O’s have been an evolution between Coach (Mark) Edwards’ philosophy and my tweaking. So I think a lot of what we do will be similar to Wash U but we’re not going to just adopt Wash U’s system and make it Macalester’s. I think as a head coach that’s what we do. Coach Edwards gave me this advice very early, is that ‘you don’t have to agree with everything I say in my coaching philosophy, but when you’re a head coach you’re going to take pieces of every coach you played for, worked for, played against and figure out what you will do and won’t do similar and dissimilar to them. And that’s probably the best coaching advice I’ve ever gotten. He and I have a tremendous relationship, where if I feel like I don’t agree with something I can express it. And that doesn’t mean he’s going to change his mind, but he just says, ‘put it in your book, put it in your notebook.’ So I have a notebook of things that we agree on and things we disagree on and we’ll use those to start building something special here. A lot of what I learned is not X’s and O’s from Wash U and from Coach Edwards. It’s how to motivate, how to be competitive every day in practice and be the most competitive team on the floor every night. So those things we’ll definitely adopt, because that’s what really has lead to this success at Wash U most recently the last three years, is we weren’t the most athletic team, but we were the best team in terms of chemistry and working together. I’m going to bring some of those same things to Macalester.

D3: Macalester has a reputation as being tough to get athletes into. Did you talk with people in admissions in terms of how things would work?
TW: Sure. It’s going to be a very similar situation to Wash U. It’s not necessarily finding the needle in the haystack. You’re trying to identify the right kind of students. You have a defined pool you know you can recruit, so you don’t go outside that pool trying to convince admissions that that person could be successful here. You recruit who you know could be successful and you set them up for success when they come to Macalester. That’s the same approach we had at Wash U. There’s not slots, there’s not any promises that because they are a student-athlete they are going to be admitted. It’s the same process of if Macalester seems like it’s the right fit for you, and you’re admissible, then you should be excited about it, to have the best of both worlds. It’s a great academic setting and building a tradition in basketball. It’ll be the same approach of what I’ve done at Wash U for the last five years, of finding the true student-athlete who understands what it means to get a degree and be a student-athlete at a place like Macalester.

D3: Macalester as an institution draws not just all over the country but internationally. Are there parts of the country that they haven’t drawn from in terms of men’s basketball that you think you’d be able to tap into?
TW: You know, I think that was one of the things they really liked about my background was my national recruiting base at Washington U. It’s a very similar type student to Macalester, and with my recruiting contacts, it’s not going to be any different. I’m going to still talk to the same coaches, talk to the same club coaches, go to the same summer and spring events and get the same type of kids. That was very attractive to them, I’m sure, just for that simple reason is they can get national kids that maybe at this point they’re just not getting for basketball. So, I’m looking forward to expanding that recruiting base based on my previous knowledge and experience of getting kids from the Pacific Northwest and California and Texas and Florida and the Northeast, which I think we can really tap into. It doesn’t appear that they’ve done that most recently.

After 11 years, Scott McClary is back at Muhlenberg as the school’s new head men’s basketball coach.

McClary replaces Dave Madeira, who retired following the conclusion of the 2008-09 season. Madeira coached at Muhlenberg for 22 years, and for seven of those McClary was one of his assistants. A 1994 graduate of Muhlenberg, McClary spent three years as a student assistant coach and four years as the top assistant, helping lead the Mules to Centennial Conference championships in 1995 and 1998.

“It has always been a dream of mine to return home to my alma mater and help the program reach its full potential,” said McClary. “I cannot imagine a better place to spend the next 20 years of my life raising my family and building a championship level program. I am prepared to build a program that will develop great people and field a team the college and the entire community will be proud to have represent Muhlenberg.”

McClary comes back to Muhlenberg after six years as head coach at Marymount University, where he compiled a 74-83 record, including winning records the last three seasons. In 2009, he was named Capital Athletic Conference coach of the year after leading the Saints to nine wins in their last 13 games and a run to the CAC championship game.

McClary brought his Marymount teams to Muhlenberg to play in the Scotty Wood Tournament twice, winning the championship in 2004 and losing in the title game to Muhlenberg last November.

Prior to coaching at Marymount, McClary was the top assistant under Pete Strickland at Coastal Carolina. Before that, McClary spent three seasons at Bishop O’Connell High School, helping Joe Wootten turn around a program from winning six games to winning 30, including a Virginia state title in his final season.

Perhaps the strongest influence upon McClary as a coach comes from working with Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten of DeMatha High School. Spending the 1998-99 season on DeMatha’s bench as a varsity assistant, McClary helped coach a team that was ranked No. 1 in the nation and featured future NBA players Keith Bogans and Joe Forte. He has also spent the past 20 summers helping Wootten with his renowned summer camp, serving as league commissioner for 13 years.

McClary is the 23rd men’s basketball coach in Muhlenberg history, but just the fourth in almost a half-century. Ken Moyer coached from 1960-61 through 1980-81, when he was replaced by Steve Moore, who led the Mules for six seasons before handing the reins over to Madeira.

McClary will have the opportunity to coach his new team a few months before the season starts, as the Mules are planning to travel to Ireland in August.

The 36-year-old McClary and his wife Nancy have three sons, Caden (6), Riley (3) and Parker (1).

UW-Platteville men’s basketball coach Paul Combs was named head coach at Division II Wayne State (Neb.) on Thursday afternoon.

Combs, who has 102 wins in six seasons at Platteville, led the Pioneers to the NCAA Tournament this past season for the first time since Bo Ryan left after the 1999 national championship season. He was introduced at the school in a news conference.

"My family and I feel fortunate to be a part of the Wayne State College campus and community of Wayne," Combs said. "The most impressive part of the interview process was the people I met and now get to work with. And the community support is tremendous.

"I'm eager to get started, understanding we have a lot of work to do. I look forward to building on the great tradition of Wildcat basketball."

UW-Platteville went 23-6 this past season, spending a week at No. 1 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling in a Bracket of Death game, an overtime loss at Wheaton (Ill.), the No. 2 team in the final D3hoops.com Top 25.

Combs came to UW-Platteville from Lakeland, where he posted a 60-45 record in four seasons. He replaces Rico Burkett, who served as head coach for nine seasons and posted a 111-138 overall record. The Wildcats were 11-16 this past season, 7-13 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

"We are extremely pleased to have Paul Combs and his family being a part of the Wildcat athletic family," said athletic director Eric Schoh. "He's a proven coach and winner and we are fortunate to get a coach of his caliber. It’s an exciting day for Wildcat basketball."

Both basketball head coaches at the school got their jobs after success at the Division III level. Women's basketball coach Chris Kielsmeier was the 2007-08 D3hoops.com Coach of the Year, leading Howard Payne to an undefeated season and the Division III national championship.

Wheaton (Ill.) will have a familiar face at the helm of its men’s basketball program next season, as alumnus Mike Schauer returns as the team’s head coach.

Schauer, who has spent the past seven years as men’s basketball coach at Gordon, replaced Bill Harris, who announced his retirement in March after 18 years and 320 wins at Wheaton, 447 overall.

Schauer began his head coaching tenure in 2000 with two seasons at Eastern. In nine years as a collegiate head coach Schauer has posted a 129-59 career record (.686).

"Mike is an excellent choice for Wheaton, from every perspective: in terms of the basketball component, his ability to serve as a mentor and his skills as a proven leader," said Wheaton athletic director Tony Ladd. "We had an outstanding pool of applicants, however, Mike rose to the top in the process. He brings a familiarity to Wheaton and has a proven track record of success as a head coach at the Division III level."

Schauer earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Wheaton in 1993, after a four-year career in the men’s basketball program. A team captain as a senior, Schauer ranked first at Wheaton in career three-point field goals made (171) and third in career assists (290) at the time of his graduation. During seven years as Harris’ assistant, the program enjoyed seven consecutive winning seasons and earned three NCAA tournament bids.

In seven seasons at Gordon, Schauer turned around a program that had achieved only five winning campaigns in the 30 previous seasons. His 2005-06 team made the Division III NCAA Tournament, as Gordon finished that season with a school-record 23 victories by compiling a 23-5 record.

Schauer assumes a Wheaton program that posted a 26-4 record last season, advancing to the NCAA Division III sectionals for the second consecutive year. Three starters are slated to return for Wheaton next year with senior All-CCIW guard Ben Panner and forward Jake Carwell coming back for the Thunder. Forward Tim McCrary also returns following a freshman campaign that saw him earn recognition as the D3hoops.com Midwest Region Rookie of the Year.

Wash U point guard Sean Wallis will return for another season next fall for the Bears, coach Mark Edwards announced Monday.

Wallis, who missed all but three games in the 2007-08 season, was granted a medical hardship season by the NCAA and will use it. Wash U will be pursuing a third consecutive Division III men's basketball national championship.

"I am really excited about the opportunity to play another year of collegiate basketball. The chance to be a part of the special group of guys here at Washington University for another year was too good to pass up," said Wallis. "I know the rest of my teammates and I are looking forward to competing at the highest level we can next season and defending our title once again."

This past season, Wallis averaged 11.1 points and a UAA-best and third in all NCAA Divisions 8.1 assists per game and shot a team-best 83.5 percent from the foul line. He was a finalist for the coveted Bob Cousy Award and was a first-team all-University Athletic Association and second-team D3hoops.com All-America honoree.

Wallis was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Wheaton Sectional and the Final Four after averaging 14.5 points and 7.0 assists per game during the Bears’ run to the 2009 national championship.

Wallis is averaging 10.0 points and 6.5 assists per game in his career, while shooting 83.0 percent from the foul line. He has also set a few records along the way, achieving a single-season record 251 assists in 2008-09 and the all-time Washington University assist record of 566.

He's the second Wash U player within the past week to announce a return, following women's forward Jaimie McFarlin, who also received a hardship for 2007-08 and will use a fifth season next year.