Leibovitz Starts Filling Roster

11:55 AM - Jun. 1, 2006 - comments {99} - post comment

Leibovitz finds new beginning at. UHa

For Leibovitz, it is the culmination of a rapid ascent towards a head coaching spot. At age 32, he is the fourth youngest head coach in Division I Basketball. Coach Leibovitz doesn't think his youth is an issue.

"I look at it as a challenge," Leibovitz said. "This [is] something that I've prepared for. I worked at a very high level for 10 years."

For the past 10 years, Leibovitz has worked as an assistant coach at Temple University under Hall of Fame coach Don Chaney. At 10 seasons, Leibovitz had the longest tenure among assistant coaches in the Atlantic 10 Conference. During his 10 years as a Temple assistant, the Owls went to the postseason every season. Five times they made the NCAA Tournament, including two appearances in the Elite Eight.

Leibovitz was also Temple's acting coach for six games over the past two years. In 2005 he led the Owls to a 3-2 record while Chaney was serving a suspension. Leibovitz coached Temple in their 80-73 loss to Akron in this year's NIT. Dan hopes that the experience will help him avoid the initial pressure of his first head coaching job.

"I think it helps in a certain sense," Leibovitz said. "I probably won't be as nervous for the first game. If you're a basketball coach you always feel at home in the basketball gym."

Coach Chaney has always been a significant influence in Leibovitz's basketball life. As a child, Leibovitz was a ball boy for Chaney at Temple. He has also been an assistant coach at the John Chaney-Sonny Hill Basketball Camp for the past 11 summers. The influence that Chaney has had on his life goes beyond basketball.

"You have to know [Chaney]," Leibovitz said. "It's hard to sit down, talk with him and not leave the room feeling that you met with somebody who's deeply concerned about young people."

The relationship between Chaney and Leibovitz has become so close, that Chaney has often referred to Leibovitz as his 'son.'

Dan played college basketball for a year at Division III Franklin Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. After one season there he transferred to the University of Pennsylvania. Leibovitz tried to earn a spot as a walk-on, but failed to make the team. Rather than attempt to continue his playing career he decided to start his coaching career.

"I knew I wanted to [coach] at an early age," Leibovitz said.

Leibovitz's first coaching job came in 1994 as the junior varsity coach for Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pa. Episcopal was the same school where Leibovitz was a three-year varsity letterman in basketball.

In his short time as a coach, he has already earned a reputation as one of college's best coaching prospects.

"Dan is one of the brightest young coaches in the East and is well respected by his peers," Villanova men's basketball coach Jay Wright said in a press release. "He'll bring an undying commitment to the University of Hartford basketball program."

Commitment is just one of the values that Leibovitz hopes to bring to Hartford. Improving communication and having clearly defined roles are also goals for the rookie coach.

"You can draw up great plays," Leibovitz explained. "But if you can't communicate it and you can't get those guys to be on the same page, it's all worthless. In anything you do in life, you can never lose that personal touch."

Despite only six winning seasons in the last 22 years, Leibovitz believes that you can win at Hartford. Building a consistent winner just like Jen Rizzotti has for the Hartford women's team is the goal.

"Starting in October, we're working towards a common goal that ends in a championship," Leibovitz said. "You build teams and you build success. It's not about one game here or one game there."

7:03 AM - May. 18, 2006 - comments {9} - post comment

UConn, Hartford players get USA Team invitations

   Both have been invited to try out for USA Basketball Under 20 team.

   Montgomery was the Big East Freshman of the Year this past season. Her 123 assists were the most in a single season by a UConn freshman.

   Hood, a sophomore forward, was the Hawks' leading scorer. She averaged nearly 14 points a game.

   They are among the 37 players who will take part in four-day team trials beginning May 18th at the U-S Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. A team of 12 will eventually be chosen for the national team.

12:17 PM - May. 10, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment

MBB's Leibovitz Announces Coaching Staff

"John Gallagher, Chris Gerlufsen and Elliott Broadnax are three men who bring to the University of Hartford tremendous ethusiasm, teaching ability and the highest degree of integrity," said Leibovitz. "I could not be more pleased to have these individuals by my side as we work toward building a championship-caliber program. Our staff combines youth with valuable experience, and it is a collection of guys that quite simply will not be outworked. This is an exciting day for me and for this university."

Gallagher becomes the Hawks associate coach after serving as the top assistant at Lafayette College the past two seasons under head coach Fran O'Hanlon. He was the Leopards' top recruiter and handled the development of the team's guards.

Gallagher previously coached five seasons at La Salle University, two of which came under Speedy Morris and the final three under Billy Hahn. His coaching career began immediately following his graduation from Saint Joseph's University (1999), where he enjoyed a successful playing career as a guard for three seasons.

Gerlufsen joins the Hartford staff after serving as an assistant coach for four years at The Citadel as a member of Pat Dennis' staff. He joined The Citadel staff in 2000 as a graduate assistant coach and worked his way up to the top assistant spot by the 2003-04 season. In addition to serving as the team's recruiting coordinator, Gerlufsen also assisted in scheduling and had on-floor coaching responsibilities with the guards and wings.

A 1998 graduate of Randolph-Macon College, Gerlufsen played for Hal Nunnaly for two and one-half seasons and served as the team captain his final two years. He also helped the Yellow Jackets to the NCAA Division III Tournament twice (1996 and 1998).

Broadnax also comes to Hartford via Lafayette, where he served as an assistant coach the past four seasons. As the second assistant on O'Hanlon's staff, his primary responsibilities included recruiting and developing the Leopards' post players.

Broadnax is a 2000 graduate of Colorado College, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in Mathematics with an emphasis on Computer Science. He also played basketball for the Division III school and graduated as the all-time leading rebounder (721) and fifth all-time scorer (1,311).

8:33 AM - May. 9, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment

Ryan's Zeglinski picks Hartford

For Joe Zeglinski, despair has yielded to walking on air.

Zeglinski, a two-sport franchise at Archbishop Ryan High, has signed to play basketball at Hartford University, only 7 months after shredding his right knee in a football game.

"I never thought something like this would happen," Zeglinski said. "It tells you a lot about Hartford that they're willing to do this, and that they have this much faith in my athletic ability."

The 5-11, 185-pound Zeglinski is the only athlete in city history to rush for 3,000 yards and top 1,000 basketball points.

He was injured Sept. 30 while making a cut, with no contact involved, in a game against St. Joseph's Prep. That was beyond eerie, because his older brother, Zack, then a senior at Penn Charter, injured the same knee in the same manner 13 months earlier. Only difference: It occurred in practice.

Joe fiercely attacked rehabilitation and made it back for Ryan's final four basketball games, raising his career scoring total to exactly 1,300. His career rushing total was 3,289.

Joe's younger brother, Sammy, a junior at Penn Charter, already has committed to play basketball at Virginia. Joe was given a walk-on invitation for Cavaliers basketball, with the idea he could perhaps switch to football as a soph.

Also, Temple wanted to make Joe a preferred football walk-on.

"I visited both places and liked them a lot," he said. "But getting a scholarship, that's a big difference."

Hartford's new coach is Dan Leibovitz, the former Temple assistant. One of his aides is John Gallagher, most recently of Lafayette.

"Before coach Leibovitz got the job up there, my dad [John] got a call from coach Gallagher," Joe said. "He said we should hang on and not make any decisions because 'something could be happening' with Hartford.

"When coach Leibovitz did get the job, I was the first guy he offered. I was really excited. The first guy they wound up signing was a 7-foot Californian, from Sweden, but the call to me was first. The day after he got the job. That meant a lot.

"I visited Hartford last weekend. I like it. It's a good fit. I'm looking to go up there and do good things. To win some championships and be part of something really nice."

So, how's Sammy taking all this?

"He's not too mad," Joe said, dryly.

8:40 AM - May. 5, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment

Turner will play hoops at University of Hartford

Turner, a Marin Catholic High grad and the 2005 MCAL basketball player of the year, signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Hartford  on a basketball scholarship. After spending a year at West Valley College in Saratoga, Turner is finally realizing his basketball dream.

"Getting a scholarship (coming out) from anywhere is a great thing," Turner said. "It just shows that all my hard work has paid off."

Last year, Turner had a verbal commitment to attend Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., which doesn't award athletic scholarships. Lafayette assistant coach John Gallagher wanted Turner on his team, but the school's lack of scholarships prevented Turner from attending the school and forced him to West Valley, which Turner says may have been a blessing in disguise.

"Coming out of high school I wasn't physically ready to play D-I," Turner said. "This year I grew into my body and gained some weight. I matured physically."

Turner's coach at MC, Rick Winter, knew that Turner wanted to transfer to a D-I school and wanted to help his former player. On April 14, Hartford hired Dan Leibovitz as its new head basketball coach and Leibovitz in turn hired Gallagher as a top assistant. Gallagher told Leibovitz that Turner should be on the Hawks, so Leibovitz called Winter for more info.

"The first thing Gallagher told him was, 'This guy Turner is the first guy we have to go after,'" Winter said. "Michael is going to be playing for a coach who fully believes he can be an impact player, and that was crucial to Michael's decision to go."

Two weeks ago Hartford offered Turner a scholarship, and after a visit to the school Turner signed. NCAA recruiting rules prevented Gallagher and Leibovitz from commenting on Turner, whose signed letter of intent has not been filed yet.

Turner's inside connection got him a shot at D-I, and one look at the school convinced him it was the right place to be.

"We set up a trip out there to the campus, and I just loved it. It was beautiful and just really nice," Turner said. "The fact that (Leibovitz) came from under John Chaney at

Turner didn't admit it, but Winter says the decision to move east was a hard one for Turner.

"Michael was very wary of going to the East Coast," Winter said. "Once he visited, he realized he loved it. He hasn't had a winter there yet, though. I don't know how he'll react once there's snow on the ground."

Turner has the rest of the summer before he leaves for Connecticut. He'll spend the summer in Marin with his family and friends and will take advantage of his last few months in California, but he won't forget why he's headed back east in the first place.

"I'm going to be working out, getting better for next season," Turner said. "I'm planning to get after it all summer long."

Not that a higher level of basketball will be the only thing Turner prepares for.

"The weather's going to be different, that's for sure. But it's nothing I can't handle," Turner said.

- Redwood High grad John Quine had an up-and-down week for the USF baseball team. Quine pitched 4 2/3 innings of relief against Cal on April 25, giving up five hits and three runs in the Dons win, then gave up four hits and two runs in just 2/3 of an inning a 9-3 loss to San Diego on Sunday. On the season Quine is 2-3 with a 3.47 ERA and three saves in 36 1/3 innings pitched.

- The Marin consortium that is the Sonoma State baseball team met one of its county brethren when the Seawolves hosted San Francisco State on April 25. Former COM catcher Bryan Moore went 1-for-3 with an RBI for the Gators in a 3-2. Former COM infielder T.J. Drotleff went 2-for-2 for SSU, and Novato High grad Jason Searle went 0-for-3.

- The Dominican University women's volleyball team has received a signed letter of intent from former all-MCAL player Gabby Pecora of Justin-Siena High in Napa.

1:25 PM - May. 3, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment

Nebraska assistant joining Shocker staff

Nebraska associate head basketball coach Scott Spinelli has joined Mark Turgeon's staff at Wichita State, WSU announced this afternoon.

WSU coach Mark Turgeon wasn't immediately available for comment. Spinelli replaces Tad Boyle, who left to become coach at Northern Colorado.

Spinelli will make the same base salary, $100,000, that Boyle was to have made next season. Spinelli made $143,600 in base salary last year at Nebraska.

Spinelli, 40, is regarded as an excellent recruiter and was a finalist for two head coaching positions recently, including Hartford betting. He has been at Nebraska since 2003, and has also coached at Loyola-Chicago, American and Wyoming.

1:56 PM - Apr. 28, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment

Women's Hoops Honored at State Capitol

The Hawks were honored at the Capitol for winning their second-straight America East Championship and winning the schools first ever NCAA Tournament game over nationally ranked Temple University in the first round.

The team was introduced in the House of Representatives by State Reps. Demetrios Giannaros, D-Farmington (a professor of economics at the Barney School), and Andrew Fleischmann, D-West Hartford. The team was also introduced in the Senate by State Sens. Jonathan Harris, D-West Hartford, and Thomas Herlihy, R-Simsbury. Coach Rizzotti had a chance to address the Senate, thanking them for their continued support throughout the season.

11:00 AM - Apr. 25, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment

Hartford Men's Basketball Coach Larry Harrison Announces Resignation

"This resignation affords us the opportunity to reinforce the University's commitment to the men's basketball program," said Director of Athletics Pat Meiser-McKnett.  "We intend to establish a foundation for success with men's basketball in the same manner we have with our women's program." 

Harrison was the eighth coach in the program's history and posted a 67-107 record in his six years.  The Hawks were 13-15 this season.

"I want to thank all my players, staff, coaches, and the entire University of Hartford community for the support and effort that they have given me over the past six years," said Harrison. "While we did not win as many games as we wanted, I am proud to say that the program is in better shape than when we first arrived.

"I am pleased with the turnaround that we had at the end of this year and I am confident that the program is headed in the right direction. It was also an honor for me to be voted 'Coach of the Year' by my peers in the America East Conference. However, it would not have been possible without the support of my coaches and players.

"Lastly, I want to encourage the current players, as well as the incoming recruits, to stay with the University to continue their education and to continue building upon the University of Hartford basketball program."

8:05 AM - Apr. 7, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment

Looking toward the Future

9:13 AM - Mar. 31, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment

Georgia puts end to Harford's run

Sherill Baker scored 26 points and Tasha Humphrey had 24, helping Georgia blow the game open in the second half and take a 73-54 win in the second round of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

Humphrey had 17 rebounds for No. 3 seed Georgia (23-8), which reached the round of 16 for the 16th time in 23 NCAA appearances.

The inside-outside combination of the 6-foot-3 Humphrey and the 5-8 Baker was too much for No. 11 seed Hartford (25-8), which had upset No. 6 seed Temple Sunday for the first NCAA tournament win in school history. Erica Beverly led the Hawks with 13 points.

Cleveland Regional

Tennessee 66

George Washington 53

NORFOLK, Va. - Shanna Zolman scored 19 points and Candace Parker had 15, and Tennessee started fast and led throughout.

The Lady Vols (30-4) advanced to the semifinals of the Cleveland Regional against TCU or Rutgers. They also reached 30 victories for the 16th time in Pat Summitt’s 32 years as coach, and will play in the regional semis for the 25th straight year.

Parker never attempted a dunk like the two she pulled off in her history-making first round game against Army, but still showed enough razzle-dazzle to get the crowd roaring.

Purdue 61

UCLA 54

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Katie Gearlds scored 15 points and Erin Lawless and Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton added 14 apiece as Purdue advanced to the regional semifinals for the third time in four years.

Nikki Blue had 18 points and five assists and Lisa Willis added 15 points for the Bruins.

UCLA took a 53-49 lead on a Lisa Pluimer basket with 7:21 to go, but the Bruins didn’t make another basket the rest of the way.

Albuquerque Regional

Maryland 81

St. John’s 74

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Crystal Langhorne capped a 30-point effort with two late inside baskets and St. John’s went cold from the field as the second-seeded Terps advanced to the regional semifinals.

After Barlow hit a free throw to tie the game at 72-72 with just over 3 minutes left, Maryland (30-4) took over from there. Toliver connected with Langhorne for a layup inside. Then Langhorne converted an offensive rebound to give the Terps a 76-72 lead.

Kia Wright finished with 23 points and nine assists, while Tara Walker had 17 and Greeba Barlow 16 for St. John’s.

11:51 AM - Mar. 29, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment

Rizzotti is building a power at Hartford

Back to a time when UConn was only a program fighting to carve out a niche in the world of women's basketball.  Now, keep those eyes closed and remember Jennifer Rizzotti on the cover of Sports Illustrated, a tribute to the Huskies completing an undefeated 1995 season to claim the program's first of five national championships.

Rizzotti's playing days may only be memories, but she's still making history in the state she's always called home. The seventh-year coach at Hartford is preparing for the Hawks' third trip to the NCAA tournament during her tenure, but like the first program she helped to create an identity for, the hope here is that the best stories have yet to be told.

"I definitely let my mind wander and think, because that's what I want to build," Rizzotti said last weekend at the America East tournament, which Hartford captured for a second consecutive season. "That's my vision and I'm working hard to achieve it."

Although Hartford managed to produce NBA veteran Vin Baker, its women's basketball program had only four winning seasons and no postseason appearances in the 24 years prior to Rizzotti's arrival.

Now the Hawks are the No. 11 seed no one wanted to face this NCAA tournament -- Temple drew Hartford in a first-round game this Sunday -- after posting a school-record 26 victories. Rizzotti, who already owns school records for wins (118) and career games coached (206), is not-so-quietly creating a program that expects and is expected to be successful.

"I'm glad that she's been patient enough and not kind of succumb to what a lot of coaches succumb to," said UConn coach Geno Auriemma, who recruited Rizzotti out of New Fairfield High. "Which is at the first sign of success they jump up to what they think is a greener pasture -- a big-time job somewhere else. But she's been patient enough to kind of build something that's going to be long lasting."

Although the expectation is not to be national champions in the next decade, the Hawks are suddenly competing with power-conference schools for recruits, all the while being dodged by similar competition when Rizzotti tries to fill out her schedule. Victims this season include Big East and Atlantic 10 teams, helping the Hawks achieve an RPI ranking of 29.

Hartford's NCAA seed could even be perceived as a sign of disrespect considering its track record and the conference ranking 11th this season out of 32.

All that does is further fuel a coach trying to defy the logic that an America East school can't compete on the national level.

"We have to really schedule tougher in our non-conference and we have to win games that we're not 'supposed' to win," Rizzotti said. "And then we've got to win our league."

UConn, the one game Rizzotti still considers beyond winning, will again be on the Hawks' schedule next season, along with 2005 NCAA runnerup Michigan State and possibly St. John's.

But a coach's confidence and quality opponents don't mean anything if the players aren't capable of competing.

Forget her success at UConn, or five WNBA seasons with a pair of league championships, Rizzotti sells Hartford above anything when approaching a recruit. When conveying that point she is clearly genuine, but the name doesn't hurt.

Like a shrewd politician, Rizzotti knows to capitalize on something worth taking advantage of. She stills go by her maiden name even though she's married to Bill Sullivan, a Hartford assistant and former assistant at Norwich Free Academy.

"When we were little I'm sure we were obsessed with the '95 team: Rizzotti and (Rebecca) Lobo. And then Sue Bird came along, and that team," said sophomore Courtney Gomez, an NFA graduate. "But being here at Hartford and being the next-best team in Connecticut has just been something that's amazing, and it's exciting to be a part of."

Gomez isn't the only one who feels that way.

Erica Beverly, this year's conference rookie of the year, is from Bridgeport and came here after Miami showed interest. Although Beverly admitted she actually knew very little of Rizzotti as a player -- her teammates were shocked by the revelation -- staying home and having success locally was important to her.

In some cases, it can even create a hometown discount offered by a talented player who came to Hartford instead of choosing a traditional power.

After shortening her list to Hartford and Penn State, Lisa Etienne initially chose Happy Valley. But the Norwalk product left the Nittany Lions after her freshman year, sat out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, and will help Hartford go for a three-peat and maybe more.

Rizzotti is now focused on making sure the best available players continue coming to Hartford. Pulling a first-round upset figures to make that job a bit easier. That's just what the Hawks plan on doing.

"These kids, they're not going to be satisfied just going anymore," she said of the NCAAs. "Like last year, they were happy to be there. This year, they want to win a game."

1:40 PM - Mar. 17, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment

Hartford, Boston University

10:16 AM - Mar. 13, 2006 - comments {0} - post comment