Taking the Lead: Six New Hampton School Graduates Have Made the Climb to the Top in Basketball

38 A N E W H A M P T O N S C H O O L

SNOW FALLS ON A PARKING LOT FLOODED WITH CARS. THE

SOUND OF SNEAKERS SQUEAKING ON THE FLOOR OF THE

FREDERICK SMITH GYMNASIUM ADDS A DIFFERENT SOUNDTRACK

TO AN OTHERWISE TRANQUIL EVENING. IN THE WINTERTIME AT

NEW HAMPTON SCHOOL, THE TINY GYM BECOMES A BASKETBALL

BANDBOX THEATER WITH EAGER STUDENTS, FACULTY, TOWNS-

PEOPLE, AND HOOPS FANATICS JAMMED AROUND THE COURT,

ATTENTIVELY SOAKING UP THE ABOVE-THE-RIM ACTION AND A

FUTURE NBA STAR OR TWO IN THE MIDST OF THEIR CLIMBS TO

PROFESSIONAL CAREERS. r BY WILL MCCULLOCH

SIX FORMER NEW HAMPTON BASKETBALLPLAYERS HAVE TAKEN THE ROAD TO THE TOP

T A K I N G T H E L E A D

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New Hampton School Fall 2012 Hamptonia magazine. Finished

NOTE: INTERVIEW ANSWERS WERE EDITED AND CONDENSED FOR PUBLICATION.

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H A M P T O N I A A 39

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magazine. Finished size is 11.0 inches tall by 8.50 inches wide.

CUONZO MARTIN ’91—IN SIGNATURE ORANGE JACKET—FINISHED HIS FIRST

SEASON AS THE MAN IN CHARGE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE

BASKETBALL PROGRAM, LEADING THE VOLS TO A 19-15 RECORD.


FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS,basketball games in the packed tiny NewHampton gym have been a constant on thecampus, a feature attraction that builds com-munity and school spirit on icy nights inJanuary and February. Throughout NewHampton’s long history as an educationalinstitution, basketball has always been asalient aspect of the athletic program, but itwasn’t until 1983 that the men’s basketballteam vaulted into an elite class with thevision of then-coach Whit Lesure and theblessing of then-Headmaster Lou Gnerre.

Sure, Ron Norwood ’72—an NBA draft pickwho will be inducted into the Athletic Hall ofFame this November—is close to the top ofthe list of the School’s best players of alltime, but the rest of that list is dominated byalumni from the last 25 years or so when thebasketball program was a must-stop destina-tion for coaches from most every majorcollege program in the country.

The legacy of basketball excellence (sixNEPSAC titles) and the quality of the playersin the gym has created an unlikely juxtaposi-tion with the tiny village tucked betweenNewfound Lake and Lake Winnipesaukee.Nevertheless, whether it was LawrenceMoten ’91, Darius Songaila ’98, RashadMcCants ’02, or Bernard Robinson ’00, therehave been numerous players who have gone

on to incredible college and pro careers andothers who have honed their skills in prepa-ration for impactful academic and basketballexperiences at Princeton, Lafayette, Harvard,Dartmouth, Williams, Swarthmore, the NavalAcademy, and more.

As another school year and seasonbegins, sixth-year head coach PeteHutchins ’01 attempts to piece together acohesive squad as predecessors WhitLesure, Mark Tilton, Derrick Nelson, andJamie Arsenault did before him. NewHampton has evolved in a variety of ways inrecent years, but the sound and feeling inthe gym remains tied directly to the past.College coaches will flock to gym on autumnnights to watch Noah Vonleh, a top recruit inthe Class of 2013, and other current Huskieswork out and play.

Though the program continues to devel-op student-athletes who are ready to play atthe next level in front of 25,000 fans, there isample proof that the basketball program isproducing something even more important:leaders in the game. Six graduates of theSchool hold highly visible leadership posi-tions. Four of those former players are headcoaches in Division I men’s basketball (hardjobs to land with only 346 available) and twoother graduates are a General Manager andTeam President for NBA organizations, respec-tively. In the six profiles/interviews in thefollowing pages, these six graduates sharetidbits from their journeys, insight into theirjobs, and reflection on their time at NewHampton. As with the atmosphere in the gymduring Husky basketball games throughoutthe years, there is a consistency in the tone.They share a distinct experience and a pas-sion for the game, and now find themselvesthinking about many of the same things. r


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Noah Vonleh ’13, pictured with ball, is regarded as

one of the top recruits in the nation. At 6-foot-8,

Vonleh is one of the most versatile players in the

high school game and is narrowing his list of

schools with Syracuse, Ohio State, Indiana,

Georgetown, North Carolina, and UConn all

possibilities.


HOMETOWN: Buckhannon, West Virginia RESIDENCE: Memphis, Tennessee POSITION: General Manager and Vice-

President for Basketball Operations,Memphis Grizzlies

One of the most compelling stories in NBAmanagement, Chris Wallace graduated fromNew Hampton School in 1977 after a post-graduate year in which he ran cross countryand played basketball. After three self-described uneventful years at the Universityof Kansas, Wallace took an out an $18,000loan in 1981 and began a nascent basketballpublication called the Blue Ribbon BasketballYearbook. As with Bill James’ BaseballProspectus, the made-in-the-basement BlueRibbon garnered a devoted following for itsinsight and evaluation of burgeoning basket-ball players. It afforded Wallace anopportunity to work with grassroots basket-ball pioneer and then-sneaker companyrepresentative Sonny Vacarro at the Nike All-American camp.

With his basketball life evolving witheach passing year, Wallace seized an NBAentry opportunity in 1986 when he landed hisfirst gig with the Portland Trailblazers. It wasfollowed by stints as a scout, Director ofPlayer Personnel, and two jobs as a GeneralManager (Boston Celtics 1997–2007; MemphisGrizzlies 2007–present). Though he onlyspent one year at New Hampton, Wallacesees it as a transformative experience thatpushed him in a variety of directions.

How did you end up at New Hampton? Nobody from my town went to prep school.No one in my family had a background inprep school—it was a foreign concept. I justfound out about prep schools, and I didn’t

have a major I was set on or a college I wasdying to go to. So I sold my Dad on sendingme to prep school. We started well afterLabor Day. So my parents drop me off, and Idon’t know anybody and I’ve never beenaway from home. Now you’re in the realworld. You’re off on your own. I neverthought to think about the day-to-day exis-tence of New Hampton and how small thetown was. I was from a town of 8,000 butyou could go to the store and get somethingto eat when you wanted.

Describe your basketball experience atNHS? Your team went 14-10? It was a different New Hampton School. WhenI was there we were a hockey school. Theemphasis in athletics was on hockey. Basketballwas secondary. The thought that there wouldbe four or five players in the NBA from theSchool in the next 30 years is astounding. Itwas a hockey school. We had guys who wenton to smaller colleges, but I don’t think we hada Division-I player on the team.

Did you come out of New Hampton with abetter idea of what you wanted to do? I went to the University of Kansas majored injournalism, but I wasn’t involved in anything. Iwent there for three years, came and went,and you’ll find no footprints of me at theUniversity of Kansas. One thing about NewHampton is that it did shape me a littlecareer-wise. During project week I didn’twant to stay up there for a week beforeSpring Break, so I created an off-campusproject in which I covered the NIAA small col-lege basketball tournament in Kansas City. Iended up going to the University of Kansasbecause of it, but I also knew after coveringmy first game out there that I probably was

not going to be a sportswriter. That’s what Ithought I was going to be. I didn’t like thedynamics of the relationships between thecoaches and players and the writers. I couldsee that after one game. It was not a nega-tive experience, but the project periodended up being useful because it showedme what I didn’t want to do. I could mark thatoff the list.

What was the critical moment thathelped you in the industry? I got a break out of others’ misfortune. In1986, there was an NBA Draft that was litteredat the top end with players who had issues(Len Bias, Chris Washburn). I was doing mymagazine the Blue Ribbon Yearbook and alsoworked for Nike. We had a Nike All-Americancamp where we had the best players in thecountry coming and I’m helping to run thatwith Sonny Vacarro. In that 1986 draft, thePortland Trailblazers selected Walter Berry, abig named player in the heyday of the Big


CHRIS WALLACE ’77


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East out of St. John’s. When the Trailblazerswent out to visit him the day after the draft,things started falling apart. They were nothappy with him. There was a negative impetusto try to do something different. Their VicePresident John Spoelstra—who was in chargeof all the business, the father of the MiamiHeat Coach Eric Spoelstra—had been pur-chasing my magazine in a large quantity, like25 at a time. He just called me and wanted meto work for him. He wanted something out ofthe normal scouting thing in the NBA, someonewho could get handle on the background ofsome of these guys. And so if you don’t havethe issues in the draft that year, and theBlazers don’t have an issue with Walter Berry,then I maybe never entered the NBA.

What kind of advice can you give folksgetting into the Sports Industry? It doesn’t have as well-laid out career path assay if you go into medicine and law where itis very clear. Sports you have to look at it likea circle, and you have to figure out how toget inside the circle. No matter how entrylevel it may be—non glamorous or low-payingit may be. The old story about the guys whoworked in the mail room at the entertainmentagencies in Hollywood and ended up beingPresident 20 years later. It’s that same con-cept. You have to get inside, take internships

when you’re in college. If you can’t getinternships with pro teams, you need to workcamps in basketball, work with an AAU team,at your college be your manager. LawrenceFrank, the coach of Detroit, was the managerat Indiana. Whatever sport is your passion,you need to get involved in it. You may justbe laundering towels at a camp, but youneed to meet people because it’s 100 per-cent a people business. It’s not a resumebusiness. And so you have to go into yournetwork of people and differentiate yourself.…You might come in as an intern, and youhave to ace it. Whatever project, howevermundane, however boring, you need to treatit like it’s your graduate thesis and make ithappen with that project. You get littlepieces of responsibility before they give youthe whole enchilada of responsibility. That’swhat a lot of young people I meet with aspi-rations to work in sports don’t understand.They say they’ll work for free and they wantto sweep floors, but they’re bored after aweek because they’re not the commissionerof the league. It takes a number of years toget recognized; you need to keep battlingand grinding on a day-to-day basis and makesure you ace every test you take.

How did the year at New Hamptonprepare you for adult life? New Hampton was my first experience in theoutside world. Sure, I’d traveled outside ofWest Virginia with my parents, but never out-side the country. I’d never been aroundsuburban kids from Boston and New York. Itwas a totally different world than I grew upin. There was a guy from Japan in the dorm.I’d never been around someone from anothercountry. From a people standpoint—not atechnical standpoint—I got my first exposure

on my own, away from family, away from mypeers and town in a broader world and wasable to survive and get a better sense ofwhat’s going on in the outside world. Thatwas important because the world I had toenter later on as an NBA Executive was glob-al. It’s not the world I grew up in myhometown. When I first got to NewHampton, I said “when is this going to end?”What was I thinking choosing this path andliving in this very small town that I can’t getout of except on a school athletic trip. I was18 years old, used to hanging out with col-lege kids, and now I’m living with all theserules they put on you and going to crosscountry meets within a week of enrolling andI wasn’t prepared for that. You can surviveand make it, even though it looks tough atthe time. And you’ll be surprised if you’reopen-minded and embrace an experiencewhere it can lead you. So by the secondsemester in the spring, I didn’t want to gohome. I grew to enjoy New England and gota feel for that. I went into Boston—that wasthe first city I had gone to without my par-ents. I hitchhiked with some guys from schooland also spent time there before I flew out forproject period. I started reading the BostonGlobe. So I didn’t want to leave by the time Ileft. I had a tremendous self-evolution fromwhen I got there in September and when Ileft in May in terms of being more comfort-able in the outside world and getting a realfeel for a region I had no experience with. r


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Some members of the 1977 Men’s Basketball Team:

FRONT (L–R) Chris Wallace, Mark Smith, Chickie

Guzman, Brian Oakes, Manager Beverly Brown;

BACK (L–R) Frankie Garcia, Jim Foley, Mark

Daigneault, Howard Kantor.




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HOMETOWN: Providence, Rhode Island RESIDENCE: Providence, Rhode IslandPOSITION: Head Men’s Basketball Coach,

Providence College

A native of Providence, Ed Cooley is headinginto his second year as the Head BasketballCoach at Providence College. He returnedto his hometown to lead the Friars after fiveyears as the Head Coach of Division-IFairfield University in Connecticut, where histeams posted a 92-69 mark. Cooley becamethe first Fairfield head coach to guide theteam to a .500 or better mark in MAAC actionin each of his first five seasons. In 2009–10,he led the Stags to a 23-11 record and theteam’s first post-season berth since 2003. Hewas the first recipient of the Ben JobeAward, presented annually to the top minori-ty men’s basketball coach in the nation.

Prior to Fairfield, Cooley spent nine sea-sons as an assistant coach at Boston Collegewhere he worked tirelessly as a recruiter onthe road, as a teacher of the game, and as amentor to student-athletes. During his time inChestnut Hill, BC advanced to five NCAATournaments and one NIT. Cooley alsohelped lead the Eagles to the 2001 BIG EASTTournament title and three BIG EAST regularseason titles in 2001, 2003 and 2005.

Before arriving at New Hampton School inthe Fall of 1988, he attended Central HighSchool and earned two Rhode Island HighSchool Player of the Year honors.

Cooley was part of an overachieving NewHampton squad and helped lead the 1989Huskies to a 20-6-1 record and a NewEngland Prep School Championship with a79-73 victory over St. Thomas More in thetitle game. Cooley returned to campus inMay to speak at New Hampton’s 191st

Commencement and inspired graduates withhis recollections of New Hampton and hisunlikely admission process.

“I did not let New Hampton tell me no,”Cooley explained. “I was trying to rememberthe name of the gentleman who was in theadmissions office in that June of 1988 whosaid ‘sorry, no you can’t come.’ Three weekslater, I came back with an $800 check, a$3,000 check from the Narragansett IndianCouncil, and put it in their hands. I don’t knowwhat the tuition was then and I probably stillowe some money today and you know—I haveit to pay it. I said ‘you’re not going to tell meno. I want to know who your boss is’ andthat’s the truth. ‘If you say no, you’re crazy. Ihave nowhere to go. I don’t want to go to theArmy or the Navy. I want to be special.’Somehow I got into this school and itchanged my life. This is a place that I love.”

Cooley returns to the gym on occasion torecruit NHS players, and memories tug at himas he recalls his time at New Hampton.

“The journey of life for me really startedhere when this school gave me the opportu-nity to change,” he said to the 2012 graduates.“…I wasn’t fortunate to have my biological par-ents raise me day in and day out. The womanwho dropped me off here died and I knowshe’s watching. She died in 2010. She said tome ‘go there, and become a man, don’t be ababy, change your life, and it did.’”

How is the Big East game different? The obvious answer is the level of play. TheBig East is a little bit faster, taller, thicker, andstronger. You are recruiting pros in the BigEast where in the MAAC you are trying torecruit really good Big East players. So it’sjust level of play.

ED COOLEY ’89


How is the new job different?It’s a lot different. This job is a little more corpo-rate in terms of the demand on your time interms of trying to build your brand. You do thatat Fairfield, but it’s a little more magnified inProvidence where you are one of the onlyshows in town with respect to entertainmentand sport. So those are the things we deal with.

You grew up in Providence, so how is itbeing back? It’s a dream. Growing up here and being aFriar fan and always wanting to go to agame, trying to get a ticket to a game, andsneaking into games, it’s truly a dream cometrue for me, and I feel honored that I’m partof something here. And I’m honored that I’meven the Head Basketball Coach. This placeis truly home for me and a place where I fit.

Did you always know that you wanted to coach? I wanted to be in a leadership position andobviously I started out in teaching. I always

say I like teaching, but love coaching. It’s adifferent level of teaching. Your classroom isnow the basketball court. Your classroom isnow the locker room. Instead of having 28-30students per class, you have 14 you have tomonitor for the rest of their life, because Iwant to be a part of their life.

Once you have players, what is thekey in building team? First and foremost I want someone who fitsat Providence College and wants to be here.It’s like marriage; you don’t want to marrysomeone who has doubts. You want to marrysomeone who knows you’re his or her partnerfor life. And I want someone who is character-based. And with that in mind, somebody whois talented enough to be here. Then you lookfor the intangibles. What are the intangiblesthat help you build a program? Pride, integri-ty, character, and guys who want to graduate.That’s who I want here.

What was it like to speak tothe graduating class? I reflected with Billy my assistant coach onthe way home about how New Hamptongives many young men and women theopportunity to change their lives, to continuetheir education, to grow up, to shape theirlife and give them a college experience. Thenthere are people you met like Mark Tilton,who is a central figure, and to have team-mates come back… I grew up there. I wasonly there for nine months, but I always feellike I’m connected to the School.

What are your memories from yourbasketball career at New Hampton? Winning the NEPSAC Championship at BUand beating St. Thomas More. I rememberthe Fork Union Tournament, driving all theway there together, and then we had tosleep on the floor of the locker room. It wasreally important as far as cultivating relation-ships with our players and staff. r


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The 1989 NEPSAC Champions: FRONT (L–R) Todd Boyle, Walter Devenne; MIDDLE (L–R) Michael Stewart, Eric Ward, Dan Petrocelli, Bill O’Connell, Phil Glenn, Manager

S. Bryant; BACK (L–R) Mark Tilton, Whit Lesure, James Wilson, Cedric Seymour, Ed Cooley, Jose Ocasio, Jason Suzor, Sean Etmon.




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HOMETOWN: East St. Louis, Illinois RESIDENCE: Knoxville, TennesseePOSITION: Head Men’s Basketball Coach,

University of Tennessee

Cuonzo Martin ’91 did not have an easy tasklast year. He finished his first season as theman in charge of the University of TennesseeBasketball Program, leading the Vols to a 19-15 record. Martin, who took over for abeleaguered but successful Bruce Pearl,spent three years as the Head Coach atMissouri State after eight years as an assis-tant coach at his alma mater PurdueUniversity. Martin’s playing career at Purduewas as steady as it was productive. Hescored 1,666 points in 127 career games. Thehallmark of his playing career was victories.Martin won Big Ten titles in each of his finaltwo years, averaged 18.4 points per games asa senior, and was named to Dick Vitale’s All-Defensive Team.

His professional career included briefstints with the Milwaukee Bucks (twice) andVancouver Grizzlies, considerable time in thenow-defunct Continental BasketballAssociation, and a season in Italy. With fourknee surgeries on his medical chart, Martinknew his professional career would not be along one. “It was a bonus to play in the NBA,just to have the opportunity and to put thejersey on,” he says.

The knee problems were not the onlyadversity he faced, though. He later surviveda bout with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at theage of 26.

Martin—who graduated from Lincoln Highin East St. Louis—arrived at New Hamptonwith some uncertainty and left with wonder-ful memories. Despite playing at what formercoach Mark Tilton describes as 60 percent

most of the season because of his knee,Martin helped the Huskies to a 23-3 recordwith all three defeats coming to MaineCentral Institute, and played alongside oneof the finest NHS squads, which includedLawrence Moten ’91 (Syracuse), KenyaHunter ’91 (Duquesne), and Jose Ocasio ’91(Merrimack) among others.

How would you describe your NewHampton experience on and off the court? I was never 100 percent because I was com-ing off a knee surgery, but they gave me anopportunity. Rarely will you take a guy who isnot 100 percent. It was a great year, justbeing in the state of New Hampshire comingfrom East St. Louis. It was one humbling andtwo, a blessing. I’m forever grateful to CoachTilton and Coach Lesure for giving me anopportunity. …Everyone was so genuine. Theynever saw color and they embraced me as anindividual. I like how they treated everybodyand me across the board. Having that oppor-tunity taught me so many things about life ingeneral—take away the basketball part—therewere so many things I learned from a lifeskills standpoint.

You played for a lot of great coaches—whatdid Tilton and Lesure leave you with fromthat perspective? Coach Tilton and Lesure taught me that youcan have fun and coach. They had a greatability to relate to players, regardless ofbackground. They got on you, but they did itwithout breaking your spirit and confidence.You could tell they had passion for what theywere doing.

CUONZO MARTIN ’91


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How is the job change treating you?When you’re coaching the game, it’s all thesame from a coaching standpoint. You haveto get the best players you can get to winballgames and quality student-athletes—that’svery important. It’s an adjustment going fromthe mid-major level to this level because ofthe fan support throughout the state.Everyone in the state of Tennessee, especial-ly Knoxville, is all orange. It’s big orangecountry. But for me it’s just doing the job anddoing the job to the best of my ability. That’show I look at it.

How has it been adjusting to the media? When you have been in sports so long themedia scrutiny comes with the territory what-ever level you’re at and if you get caught upin that, it’s an uphill battle. So for me that’snot a big concern.

What has been the biggest highlight? I think personally getting guys to competeand finishing strong as a team this past sea-son. We got off to a very slow start. To beable to finish strong was great to see.

What skills did you bring into this position? It’s the same philosophy I learned as a playerand as an assistant coach at Purdue Universityfor eight years under Gene Keady and MattPainter and things I took with me to MissouriState. It’s your blueprint, it’s what defines you,and what your program is built on, and I wasnot about to change a whole philosophy,scheme because I went to a new program.

How did you get guys to buy in? Anytime there is change, it’s not easy thingbecause kids have a different style and a dif-ferent ways of doing things. You makeadjustments, figure out the lay of the land,and go from there.

What have you learned from Pat Summit(recently retired women’s coach) and beingaround her? I think it was a great opportunity just beingaround her, and I got a little more insightbecause her son was a part of our team as awalk-on. She’s just a very nice, genuine per-son who cares a lot about the program, theuniversity, and the state of Tennessee and

does everything in her power to always shineit in a good light.

What are short- and long-term goals foryour program? You want to have a consistent program. Onething you always want to do is consistentlybe in the NCAA tournament. That’s a goal forour program. Now we have to work towardthat goal and do the right things on and offthe court to reach that goal.

What was the toughest part of thetransition? Getting guys to understand early in the sea-son the level we had to play at and how hardwe needed to play and to compete at alltimes. We had a lot of talented guys butunproven guys—who hadn’t played a lot ofminutes at this level.

How did all your injuries as a player andyour bout with cancer affect you?I don’t think they necessarily changed me,because I’d like to think before those situa-tions or issues I was a decent person. For meit’s put life in perspective and makes youthink what is truly important. Every coach,regardless of the level, wants to win at high-est level and be the last team standing whenit’s said and done. I think you also have tovalue life and understand that as much asyou want to compete and win games, it’s justa game. You always approach with the maxi-mum effort, but you also have to put things inperspective. r


The 1991 Men’s Basketball Team, New Hampton

Invitational Champs. Cuonzo Martin is pictured

in center with a towel draped over his shoulder.

(L–R) Lawrence Moten, Kenya Hunter, Lance

Hendrick, Tom Robbillard, Jose Ocasio, Scott

Ennis, Brian Bassett, Cuonzo Martin, Brendan

Pocock, Krys King, Whit Lesure, John Andrews,

Mark Tilton, Mike Walker, T. H. Moore.


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HOMETOWN: Columbia, Missouri RESIDENCE: Denver, ColoradoPOSITION: Team President and Governor,

Denver Nuggets

There are few things that connect centralMissouri and central New Hampshire, but in1998 basketball did just that. When JoshKroenke and his parents thought he neededanother year of hoops before matriculatingto a Big 12 program, Kroenke found his wayto New Hampton, and helped an incrediblyskilled Huskies team to a solid season. Alongthe way, Kroenke exhibited his versatilegame. With a spectacular eight three point-ers, he helped the Huskies knock off a MaineCentral Institute squad that includedDerMarr Johnson and Caron Butler, givingMCI its first loss in a year-and-a-half. Kroenkereturned to his hometown of Columbia thefollowing year, prepared for what became aproductive career in a Tiger uniform.Kroenke averaged 17 minutes per game as ajunior, shot 45 percent from behind thethree-point line, and was named to the Big 12All-Academic team. He averaged 16 minuteshis senior season in 2004. He was the teamcaptain in each of his final two seasons.

After graduating from Missouri with adegree in financial management, Kroenkewas an intern with the NBA, learning all thenuances of the front office business in theplayer development department. He workedfor Lehman Brothers for a few years, but feltthe tug of basketball and the NBA in 2007and moved from New York City to Denverwhere he joined the family sports businessand became a vital cog in the DenverNuggets organization. Over the last threeyears as President of the Nuggets, he has ledthe team to unprecedented success, and

earned tight-rope skills as he immediatelyengaged in the difficult conundrum thatCarmello Anthony and his contract broughtto the Nuggets. Kroenke, who is also aGovernor for the Nuggets and the ColoradoAvalanche, brings a dynamic blend of busi-ness insight and basketball experience fromhis playing days into the NBA front office.

What was the biggest challenge making themove to the NBA from the corporate world? They are similar but different. The biggestchallenge for me was to look at everythingobjectively. Growing up, I was such a fan. Iwas a player. It was more about learning theintricacies of how the league operates. I hada head start, playing at New Hampton, play-ing at Missouri, and after school I did aninternship with the league office. On the

business side, it’s the driving forces behindsports business—your ticket base, your spon-sorships. I had a leg up because I did aninternship with league office and then Iworked for Lehman Brothers in real estateand investment banking for two years.Business is business. It’s just how you’re gen-erating revenues and how you go aboutbalancing budgets. It’s been a lot of fun. I cantell you that much.

How much influence do you haveon shaping the team? From my background in basketball, that’swhere the base of my passion is: the actualproduct on the floor. I’m involved in all ourmeetings whether it’s our marketing guysbriefing me or other meetings. The way ourcompany is structured, it’s different from

JOSH KROENKE ’99

(L–R) Josh Kroenke ’99, Denver coach George Karl, and GM Masai Ujiri


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other teams because we have multiple teamsunder one umbrella. But I get to meet withall our guys. The roster meetings are themost fun for me. Our general manager MasaiUjiri and I have a great relationship. He keepsme up to speed with everything that’s hap-pening around the league. And he and Iknow where each other stands on players—well in advance since we talk so much. I havefinal say on roster decisions. It’s been fun thelast couple years because we’ve made someinteresting moves, and I think we have a fun,young team.

Describe the learning curve.There is a natural maturation process goingthrough those years in your life. I think that’ssomething that’s different from organizationto organization. New York Knicks and LosAngeles Lakers can do things differently anddo things that we can’t do in Denver,Colorado. It’s a team-by-team philosophy, butit has been eye-opening to see some of thesuper-teams form and see how they haveformed whether it is via free agency or forc-ing a trade. There’s a lot of ways to go aboutwinning basketball games and I think wehave a pretty good young team—a lot of tal-ent we still need to develop. It’s been ahigher education from Coach Karl and someof the other guys he had on staff, but I had agreat base of knowledge coming out ofMissouri. I played there obviously but lis-

tened really well and was basically a spongefor my whole five years there. I came outknowing what to look for in basketball play-ers and what it took to win. It was great toget out here and see what George thoughtand blend what I thought in.

What about the media and fan scrutinyyou must have to face? I have really thick skin, and because of myposition and because of my family, from ayoung age I was used to being in the spot-light. It never really bothered me. I had beenthrough a lot of scrutiny at a young age. Wewere under a lot of scrutiny during theCarmelo saga, and people have always ques-tioned my position just because of who Iam—it’s just natural. It bothered me more as a19-, 20-year-old kid in college than it doesnow. I don’t think about it much right now.The first time you get lit up in a newspaperit’s an eye-opener. It’s not easy, but you haveto embrace the philosophy of what you wantto do, form a plan to do it, you can’t worryabout the people on the periphery and youneed to stay committed to your plan and gono-holds bar.

Describe your New Hampton experience. It was a great year out my life and helpedshape the person I am today. There weregreat people and it was a great place. Iwouldn’t change anything. I met a lot of great

people. The level of basketball is so good. It’samazing it’s not talked about more becauseour league was so strong. MCI had ten guysgo Division I. It was a fun league, a fun year,and all-around good experience.

What was Coach Arsenault’s style? I remember one practice that he ran us. Onlyone day in college trumped New Hampton interms of the number of sprints I had to run.And that was Coach Aresenault. I think it wasafter we played Harvard JV. We beat themby 20, but probably should have thumpedthem. I think Chris Wallace ’77 (then-GM ofthe Celtics) came to watch us and said some-thing along the lines of “great game, youguys have a lot of talent, but they could haveplayed harder.” The next day CoachArsenault had us running 17s until ourtongues hit the floor. …It was a really goodgroup of guys. You’re playing against guyswho are following the same path as you.They’re all very focused. It was a great experi-ence because I learned a lot of self-disciplinebeing away from home like that. It was out ofmy comfort zone, which is something I thinkall young people should do.

What are your memories of New Hampton?I lived in Draper. We had a lot of fun timesaround the dorm when we were not sup-posed to be having fun times around thedorm. I know I really enjoyed Fall FoliageDay. We went out for a big hike and it wasreally cool to get out and see some of thescenery. I remember going home for break,and I remember I was never bummed to goback to New Hampton after break. r


The 1999 Men’s Basketball Team: FRONT (L–R)

Manager Ben Brown, Matt Powell, Justin

Dussault, Tom Coverdale, Jeff Cornute, Rudy

Wise, Quincy Steele; BACK (L–R) Jamie Arsenault,

Mike Causey, Eric Barlow, David Muller, Tyler

Jackson, Marius Petravicius, Kei Madison, Jesse

Stead, Josh Kroenke, John Hazelton, Will Levy.


Draft 6 (05NOV12)


HOMETOWN: Bloomington, Indiana RESIDENCE: Beaumont, Texas POSITION: Head Men’s Basketball Coach,

Lamar University

Pat Knight ’90 was one of the first NewHampton basketball players from Indiana tomake a one-year stop in Husky Nation, but hewas certainly not the last. Knight, who grewup the son of coaching legend Bobby Knight,arrived in New Hampton in the Fall of 1989after visiting the School the spring before. Hisexperience at New Hampton playing underWhit Lesure and Mark Tilton led to a pipelinebetween New Hampton and Indiana. SteveHart ’93, Tom Coverdale ’99, and MikeRoberts ’00 each followed Knight’s path.

Knight had coaching in the blood, andimmediately followed his father’s career pathafter his playing days at Indiana were over.He was a scout and administrative assistantwith the Phoenix Suns, an assistant coach inthe CBA, a head coach in the IBA, and then anassistant at his alma mater Indiana. Knightfollowed his father to Texas Tech where hewas an assistant for seven years before lead-ing the program for three more.

Knight recently wrapped up his first yearat Lamar where he led the Cardinals to a 23-12 record, the Southland ConferenceTournament Championship, and a berth inthe NCAA Tournament.

Knight carries fond memories of his yearin Husky Nation, which included a 17-9record, an appearance in the NEPSAC Class Asemifinals, and a victory in the always toughFork Union Tournament.

How was your first year at Lamar afterthree years as the head guy at Texas Tech?Tech was a great place to be an assistant, butI should have left. Each time I tried they gaveme a bump up and eventually I became thehead coach in waiting. What the hell was Idoing getting my first job in the Big 12. Ishould have gone back to the Midwest, but Icouldn’t turn it down. I was not prepared forit. I went from sitting next to my Dad tocoaching against Bill Self and Rick Barnes. Itwas like winning the Golden Gloves andbeing thrown into the ring with MuhammadAli. Lamar has been perfect for me. I see it asmy first coaching job. I’m more comfortableat this level, and there is no cheating and youdon’t have to deal with the street agents. It’sthe purest level of college basketball. I can’tsell my soul. I can’t get into trouble becauseof my family and my Dad’s legacy. I have nointerest in a BCS program now—it’s too much.

What do you tell young coaches? I ask them: “Do you want to sell your soul?”The majority of big schools are shady. Youhave to make that decision. I know how tocheat, but I can’t do it. I’m more scared of myDad than the NCAA. Everyone talks about themoney, so you have to decide if you are in itfor the money or to build a legacy. Quality oflife is very important to me, and I’ve just hadthe two best summers of my career because Ican recruit differently. We don’t have to dealwith the AAU coaches like we did at Tech.

When did you know you wantedto be a coach? I was working for the Phoenix Suns and DickVan Arsdale in the front office, and I missedwinning and losing. And he told me that theclosest thing to playing was coaching and I



PAT KNIGHT ’90


Draft 6 (05NOV12)


wanted the excitement of winning and losingand what that brings.

How did you adjust to New Hampton? I had to grow up quick being away from home.I remember we drove there from Bloomington,and you leave home where you are the manand everyone at New Hampton was the bestplayer on their high school team. It was like anall-star team. I was one of the first Midwestguys to go to prep schools so it kind of blewthe door open. So it was strange at first.Everyone thought I was the biggest hick withmy accent. They thought I was from the“Beverly Hillbillies” or something.

What do you remember about yourexperience? The classes were tailor-made from a collegestandpoint. I went up there to mature. Theteachers were great. I lived in Veazey andCoach Tilton was like an extension of myparents. You had Coach Lesure who remind-ed me of my Dad, Coach Tilton with thecigar was Bo Shembechler, and HarryGolden the lobster guy who coached foot-ball and was a throwback to the days ofleather helmets. The main thing was the corevalues. They didn’t put up with any BS. It wasone of the greatest experiences I’ve everhad. My brother told me I’d be closer to theguys at New Hampton than guys from col-lege and he was right. We had all types of

guys, hockey and football players, and I’vestayed in touch with a lot of them. I talked toMark Stachelski ’90 last week and we hadn’ttalked in 16 years, but it was like old times.

How was the basketball team? We were good but we couldn’t beat MCI. Webeat everyone but they beat us twice. Wehad them beat in a couple games but endedup losing. We had some real good players:Dan Purdy, Mark Raveling, Dan Callahan. Butwe didn’t have one star. We spread it aroundand it was one of the better teams I’ve beena part of in that respect. I thought thecoaches did a great job.

What was it like being Bobby Knight’s kid atNew Hampton? They didn’t know who my Dad was. Some ofthe hockey and football players knew him ofcourse, but I was just Pat Knight fromIndiana. It was kind of cool. The local newscame up to do a story on me, but the Schoolwas just happy to get the publicity. It wasnice because for the first time I was walkingaround an no one was pointing at you. I wasjust a guy across the hall at New Hampton,and I’ve been in the frying pan ever since. r


1990 Men’s Basketball Team: FRONT (L–R) Devoir

Vinson, Chris Curran, Duffy McNulty, Chris Slater,

Jose Ocasio, Mark Raveling; BACK (L–R) Manager

Jack Siegal, Cedric Seymour, Pat Knight, Tim

Aramini, Dan Callahan, Rashid Shabazz, James

Wilson, Dan Purdy, Manager Ed Maxie.


Draft 6 (05NOV12)




HOMETOWN: Charlotte, North CarolinaRESIDENCE: Greensboro, North CarolinaPOSITION: Head Men’s Basketball Coach,

University of North Carolina-Greensboro

A three-year student at New HamptonSchool, Wes Miller became the then-youngest coach in men’s college basketballlast year when he was named the InterimHead Coach at the University of NorthCarolina Greensboro. Miller’s world transi-tioned from a passive 2-3 zone as an assistantcoach to a full-court press when UNCGreensboro Head Coach Mike Dementresigned on December 13, 2011. After sixstraight losses, Miller led his team on a streakin January, winning 10 of 11 games and finish-ing the season with a 10-8 record inconference play and a 13-19 overall record.Miller’s interim tag was removed at the endof the season to the approval of UNCG fans.

Miller, who played a pivotal role in NewHampton’s 2002 New England Championshipteam, played basketball at UNC Chapel Hillwhere he was a fan favorite and won anational title in 2005 before a brief playingcareer in England and assistant coachingpositions at Elon and High Point. A native ofGreensboro, North Carolina, Miller is backhome in Greensboro now and is surround-ed by players and coaches who bleed Huskygreen. Mike Roberts ’00 is his AssociateHead Coach, Chris Parsons ’92 is thestrength and conditioning coach, NickPaulos ’11 just finished his freshman season,and Kyle Cain ’10 recently transferred fromArizona State and will be eligible to play in2013–14. Miller, who was married in the sum-mer of 2011 to Ashley Love, reflected on hiswhirlwind year in North Carolina when hereturned to NHS in May.

Do you guys talk a lot about Husky Nation? We absolutely talk about New Hampton atUNCG. It’s neat to have guys in the programwho share an experience that’s really specialfrom high school and gives us something incommon from players to coaches, and it’ssomething we’re really proud of.

You recently hired Mike Roberts ’00as an assistant coach? We met in the fall of 1999. Mike was a post-graduate and I was a junior. Mike was like abig brother to me like many of the guys onthat team were for me. I stayed in contactwith him not just during my time in collegebut as we both got into coaching. Our rela-tionship continued to grow as we began tocoach. He’s a guy I completely respect as afriend and professionally in the sense that hehas as good a work ethic as anyone I know inthe business. He’s extremely knowledgeable—he’s been around some of the greatestcoaches in the game and I feel like I com-

pletely hit a home run getting him to cometo UNCG from Rice and be my AssociateHead Coach. I know more than anything else,because of our friendship and the experi-ence we shared at New Hampton, that theloyalty is there.

Chris Parsons ’92 coached me while I wasat New Hampton and another guy I’ve hadan extremely strong bond with. I played forhim at New Hampton. He has done a tremen-dous job coming in working with our players,just really proud to have someone who I notonly have a professional relationship with butI also I really trust.

How has Nick Paulos ’11 progressedas a player? Nick had a real solid year. I feel like he hadone of the toughest roles on our teambecause I played him out of position in thesecond half of the season. It wasn’t neces-sarily what was best for Nick individually, butit’s what was best for our team in terms of

WES MILLER ’02



giving our team the best chance to wingames. He did it gracefully. He accepted hisrole and gave us everything he had. I’m real-ly excited about moving forward because weget to get him back to the perimeter at hisnatural position. He has a great attitude. Theguys on the team love him, he’s a fanfavorite, and I think Nick has a chance to bea special player for us.

You lost six straight games against top non-conference competition including Dukebefore getting your first win over Collegeof Charlestown. How did it feel? It was a thrill, one of those moments I’ll neverforget. And (then College of CharlestownCoach Bobby Cremins) took the time to saysome kind things to me at a time when hewas probably pretty upset about the game.

Have you had a chance to sit back and thinkabout the removal of the interim tag? Things have happened so fast, there hasn’tbeen a whole lot of time to reflect. In thosemoments, you sit back and think about every-thing. I almost start to pinch myself becauseit’s such a surreal thing to be able to get upin the morning and do what you love everyday and do what you’re passionate about, to

do it in your hometown and a place you real-ly believe in. I just want to make the most ofthe opportunity.

What’s the best advice you got sincegetting the interim tag removed? My college coach Roy Williams said “just beyourself.” That sounds cliché but what he real-ly helped me to understand is that becauseI’m in a new role I don’t have to try to besomeone who is not 29 years old or someonewho is not really positive, or take the charac-teristics that make me who I am and changethem because I’m in a different seat. I thinkhe’s helped me see the big picture.

What have you learned from your coaches? One thing that I’ve always taken from Coach(Jamie) Arsenault, my New Hampton coach,was his competitiveness. He had such a driveto compete that it carried over to our team. Ihope as a coach I inspire guys to play withsame passion and effort he inspired us toplay with at New Hampton. And CoachWilliams: He molded my beliefs about thegame of basketball as a whole. Anything thatcomes up, from a drill to a game situation todecisions on team travel, and I don’t knowwhat I want, I just think about how he did it.

There are decisions to be made every day asa head coach, and I don’t have to thinkbecause I watched one of the best evermake those decisions.

You played on the last New EnglandChampionship team at New Hampton in2002. What did you learn from thatexperience? We used to laugh at the end of that seasonbecause our practices were often tougherthan our games. It was not always about thego-to guys. We held ourselves to a champi-onship standard every day as much as anyteam I’ve ever been around. Every day inpractice, Mike Konovelchick ’02 (who playedat Manhattan) challenged RashadMcCants ‘02 as much as anyone did at NorthCarolina. And Collin Bray ’02 (the backuppoint guard) challenged me as much asRaymond Felton did in any practice. It wassuch a competitive mindset that the entireteam had.

When you drive back to New Hampton,what type of emotions do you get? I think the word that sums up how I feel whenI pull up to New Hampton is comfort. I’vealways felt my three years at New Hamptonwere some of the best years of my life. Thisplace will always feel like home. And to beable to come back here and not only remem-ber the experiences I had here, but also seefamiliar faces and people who are some of mybest friends like Pete Hutchins ’01 (currentNew Hampton Head Coach) and JamieArsenault (former Head Coach and currentAD) among many others, makes showing uphere even more special, knowing these guysare still around. r

2002 Men’s Basketball Team, NEPSAC Champions:

ROW (L–R) John Naparlo, Jerrell Lewis, Chet

Truskowski, Ryder Arsenault, John Blizzard,

Wes Miller, Collin Bray; MIDDLE (L–R) Manager

Jason McGaughey, Mike Konovelchick, Rashad

McCants, Rob Stockwell, Michael Clarke,

Will Levy; BACK (L–R) Chris Parsons, Donatas

Rackauskas, Adam Tancredi, Jamie Arsenault.


Taking the Lead: Six New Hampton School Graduates Have Made the Climb to the Top in Basketball

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