By Zolan Kanno-Youngs, News Correspondent
The Northeastern men’s basketball team owned the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) standings this season. The season’s success culminated with the CAA regular season title, and although the team fell to James Madison University in the conference tournament final, it earned a trip to the National Invitation Tournament in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Head coach Bill Coen sat down with The News to talk about the 2012-13 season and what’s next for the Huskies.
The Huntington News: Now that the season’s ended, have you been able to go into season recap mode?
Bill Coen: Not fully, but I can say I’m extremely proud of this group of young men. We had a fair amount of adversity, injuries and so on that every team goes through, but I thought they consistently rose above the adversity and accomplished some great things and some things that will remain forever. They won a CAA regular season championship, and I think they represented the university, their families and this program in the highest manner.
HN: Go back to the locker room at the end of that NIT game against Alabama [A 62-43 loss]. Can you tell me a little bit about what you said to the guys?
BC: Whenever you end your season, whether it’s in the postseason or in the conference tournament or whenever, that moment it comes to a screeching halt and it really hits you that that’s the last time you’re going to be looking out at that particular group and every team is different but I think the first thing that comes to mind is your seniors and not only that season but the entire journey of their career. You think back to the first day they were visiting and their signing day to the day that their families entrusted you with their son and then all through their growth periods throughout their career. From their freshman year all the way to their last game, it flies by but I think what we try to press on our guys is the mutual respect that comes out of dedication and hard work. When you talk about Joel Smith and Jon Lee, probably the first thing that comes to your mind is dedication and hard work.
HN: Jon Lee and Joel Smith, co-captains, both starters and the 1,000-point club: If you had to say what they were to this program, what would you say?
BC: Jon and Joel came to this program as unheralded recruits. But through their character, through their dedication, through their effort, they left a mark on this program and on this university that few others have been able to do. I think they’ve earned the respect of their teammates, all the guys they’ve played with, certainly the coaching staff, the student body, the administration and fans and alums of Northeastern and all over the country. I think it’s very difficult to measure their impact simply with wins and losses. I often tell our guys, those measurements fade away, but what lasts is the respect factor and I got a feeling the respect factor for Jon Lee and Joel Smith is going to last a very long time.
HN: What were your favorite and most surprising moments this season?
BC: There just were so many moments and I think it started right out with BU [Nov. 9, a 65-64 win]. I don’t think anybody going into that game was going to think that Demetrius Pollard was going to be the hero that night and hit the type of shot he hit [a buzzer-beating three pointer]. Whether it was Davie Walker hitting a big shot up at Belmont or just some really great leadership moments by Jon and Joel, whether it was in the locker room or in practice and things that kind of go on behind the scenes, or Quincy Ford’s last second three against Drexel. The season was just filled with highlight after highlight and really what I thought made it special was that it wasn’t always the same guy. Everybody had a hand in it and I think that’s really what defined this team; that it was a team. This, in every sense of the word, was a team and as a coach that makes you proud.
HN: And now the team is losing Jon and Joel. Where does the team go from here? Who needs to step up?
BC: One of the last things they will gift their younger teammates is that legacy of how it’s supposed to be done and how much hard work goes into it and how to carry that load. Now the torch will be passed to the next generation. As coaches we want to certainly develop leaders and make sure that we’re educating the members of our team that leaders emerge through the strength of their character. I’m not really sure who the leaders are going to be on next year’s team but I know that we have young men in our locker room that are ready to assume that role. I think with the example set by Jon and Joel, if those guys follow those guidelines they’re going to be terrific leaders in their own right.
HN: Was there a new attitude among this year’s team?
BC: Every team has their own personality and the craziness about college basketball is a third of your team is in flux at the end of the year, with the number of transfers. You can debate the healthiness of that but it is a reality and the team personality changes. Probably the sum total of the effect is that it really left the soul leadership role to Jon and Joel and those guys did an excellent job in that respect. I thought having the extra games in Canada in the Canadian tour [preseason] allowed us to implement that leadership and have it carry out into the regular season.
HN: Was the team you saw in the CAA tournament the same team you saw in the Canada tour?
BC: No, and if it were I wouldn’t be doing my job. Whenever you take a look at the team you’re taking a snapshot of where that team could be and part of your job as a coach is to envision where that team could be at the end of the day and you want to be playing your best basketball. I thought, unfortunately, some injuries caught up to us towards the end of the year that we couldn’t really put our best foot forward. But I thought there was a stretch during the year where we were playing some really good basketball and that is the team I thought we could become when I took that snapshot in Canada.
HN: What’s next for the now former co-captains?
BC: Joel’s going to be rehabbing so he’ll be spending time here on campus with his Northeastern family and getting his body healthy [Smith underwent ACL surgery] and Jon is going to explore opportunities to continue to play and I think he’ll have those opportunities overseas. I know he’s training now and keeping himself in condition so he can take advantage of that opportunity when it presents itself. As you know, Jon is going to be successful no matter what he does and I’ve encouraged him? to seek to play while he can and then quickly he’s going to transition into something else where he will be equally as successful. When Joel gets healthy, he’s got basketball in his future and I think he’s even expressed some sentiment where he’d like to coach someday and I think both of those guys would be terrific coaches if they choose to do so.
HN: A lot of people don’t know about Scott Eatherton and there’s talk he’s going to be an integral part of the team next year. [Eatherton is a transfer from Saint Francis University who had to sit out a year due to NCAA rules post-transfer.]
BC: Scott has practiced with us all year long. He’s got a tremendous attitude, tremendous work ethic and he’s got a really, really high ceiling in terms of his potential. He’s 6’9, 6’10, an extremely good athlete, he’s got a soft touch and he’s a fierce competitor and when you add all those things up together you have a pretty good basketball player. We’re very fortunate to have Scott as a member of our team and we’re looking forward to getting him in a uniform and watching his progress over the next two years.
HN: What was your reaction to George Mason University leaving the CAA?
BC: Just a little saddened. I look back just a short time ago, 2010, we had three teams in the NCAA tournament, a team going to the final four and really for a league of our stature that’s about as good as it gets. Each and every night you’re playing against competition that could really make a difference on the national level. I think Mason won a game in the tournament that year and ODU [Old Dominion University] lost by a point to Butler [University] who went on to the Final Four so we could have had two teams in the Final Four as well as the league was playing and then to see it all change, one thing you got to know about life is that that’s the only thing that’s true: Things are going to change. They’re not going to remain the same and it’s our challenge to adapt to a changing environment and elevate our program to the point where we’ve reached some of the level that those programs that have departed once held in the CAA.
HN: What are the expectations for next season?
BC: We’re just kind of wrapping up this year but our kids are back in the weight room and I think they got a taste of success, they got a taste of being a conference champion and they want to get back there, as I would imagine every team and every coach in this league is dreaming about. So it’s not going to be easy but I know we have the right kids in the locker room. Kids with high character and high determination and they have goals, and when you merit goals with work ethic, you got a chance. So we’ll be setting our sights again on the CAA championship and we’ll work to every extent of our ability to achieve it.
