Post by firk on Mar 26, 2009 18:55:31 GMT -5
‘Gym rats’ jell playing for Bona’s Crowley
By Amy Moritz
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Recruiting players to St. Bonaventure has always been a challenge. The small, private, Catholic school is nestled in the Allegheny Mountains on the border of Pennsylvania. That in itself is not a negative — if you were recruiting athletes to compete against other small, private, Catholic schools based in a traditionally rural area.
But St. Bonaventure is not. In the Atlantic 10, the Bonnies are trying to recruit athletes to compete against a mix of large state schools and deep-pocketed private schools, many based in large urban areas.
As women’s basketball in the A-10 grew to be a presence on the national stage in recent years, merely being competitive with the rest of the conference, let alone successful, proved to be a challenge.
And so, head coach Jim Crowley made a conscious decision on how he would recruit players to Bona’s program.
“It’s something we tried to adjust the last few years,” Crowley said. “We want to evaluate good players but we want to recruit great kids. This is a special place and we want people who want to be here. Sometimes you talk to a recruit and they have other schools looking at them. They end up here and it wasn’t the right place for them and it throws them and the program off balance.”
So instead of looking for the best possible athlete, or basketball player, Crowley looks for the best fit for his team.
And it’s difficult to argue with his results.
Crowley has led the Bonnies to increased win totals each of the last four years capped by this year’s record- setting 22-win season, first postseason berth in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament and a WNIT win to boot plus A-10 Coach of the Year honors.
“When I came on board [in 2006] Jim told me he wasn’t recruiting the best athlete or the best basketball player,” Bona Athletic Director Steve Watson said. “He was recruiting the best Bona basketball player and he has defined what a Bona basketball player is. He gets the right kids on that team and they’re a lot of fun to watch.”
So what is a Bona player?
“They’re gym rats,” Watson said. “They’re in the gym working on their game outside of practice. They’re great students. They’re good kids. When he brings a recruit in for a visit, they spend time with the players. If the team comes back and says they don’t feel a kid is a good fit, he won’t recruit them. He’s developed that trust in their assessment of values and the way a kid would fit in on campus and with the team.”
Senior guard Katelyn Murray said her career at Bona with Crowley and the coaching staff has been a blessing and a learning experience.
“[Crowley] is intense on the court. He’s all business and he wants what’s best for us on and off the court,” Murray said. “If that means pushing practice later because of classes, he will because he knows how important an education is. We’re similar in many ways because we’re both competitive. He has the will to push not only us, but the rest of the people around him to the point where everyone does what it takes to prepare mentally and physically.”
And while his competitiveness has remained pretty much the same since he took the job in 2000, he has worked hard to improve his communication skills between himself, his staff and his players.
“I’ve been fortunate to have good, mature kids we can put our trust in,” Crowley said. “We ask them to trust us to give them the best game plan we can and we have to return their trust and their opinions on things. I’ve tried to do more, and my staff has been great, to develop good communication with the kids and listen to them. They might not always get what they want, but when we disagree, we talk and understand why we’re doing it a certain way.”
By Amy Moritz
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
Recruiting players to St. Bonaventure has always been a challenge. The small, private, Catholic school is nestled in the Allegheny Mountains on the border of Pennsylvania. That in itself is not a negative — if you were recruiting athletes to compete against other small, private, Catholic schools based in a traditionally rural area.
But St. Bonaventure is not. In the Atlantic 10, the Bonnies are trying to recruit athletes to compete against a mix of large state schools and deep-pocketed private schools, many based in large urban areas.
As women’s basketball in the A-10 grew to be a presence on the national stage in recent years, merely being competitive with the rest of the conference, let alone successful, proved to be a challenge.
And so, head coach Jim Crowley made a conscious decision on how he would recruit players to Bona’s program.
“It’s something we tried to adjust the last few years,” Crowley said. “We want to evaluate good players but we want to recruit great kids. This is a special place and we want people who want to be here. Sometimes you talk to a recruit and they have other schools looking at them. They end up here and it wasn’t the right place for them and it throws them and the program off balance.”
So instead of looking for the best possible athlete, or basketball player, Crowley looks for the best fit for his team.
And it’s difficult to argue with his results.
Crowley has led the Bonnies to increased win totals each of the last four years capped by this year’s record- setting 22-win season, first postseason berth in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament and a WNIT win to boot plus A-10 Coach of the Year honors.
“When I came on board [in 2006] Jim told me he wasn’t recruiting the best athlete or the best basketball player,” Bona Athletic Director Steve Watson said. “He was recruiting the best Bona basketball player and he has defined what a Bona basketball player is. He gets the right kids on that team and they’re a lot of fun to watch.”
So what is a Bona player?
“They’re gym rats,” Watson said. “They’re in the gym working on their game outside of practice. They’re great students. They’re good kids. When he brings a recruit in for a visit, they spend time with the players. If the team comes back and says they don’t feel a kid is a good fit, he won’t recruit them. He’s developed that trust in their assessment of values and the way a kid would fit in on campus and with the team.”
Senior guard Katelyn Murray said her career at Bona with Crowley and the coaching staff has been a blessing and a learning experience.
“[Crowley] is intense on the court. He’s all business and he wants what’s best for us on and off the court,” Murray said. “If that means pushing practice later because of classes, he will because he knows how important an education is. We’re similar in many ways because we’re both competitive. He has the will to push not only us, but the rest of the people around him to the point where everyone does what it takes to prepare mentally and physically.”
And while his competitiveness has remained pretty much the same since he took the job in 2000, he has worked hard to improve his communication skills between himself, his staff and his players.
“I’ve been fortunate to have good, mature kids we can put our trust in,” Crowley said. “We ask them to trust us to give them the best game plan we can and we have to return their trust and their opinions on things. I’ve tried to do more, and my staff has been great, to develop good communication with the kids and listen to them. They might not always get what they want, but when we disagree, we talk and understand why we’re doing it a certain way.”