Defiantly Dutch Q&A: Mo Cassara

There’s no easing into the real start of CAA play for the Flying Dutchmen, who have been sitting on an 0-1 mark for 30 days now and get VCU—the conference’s best team in non-conference play and, as you may recall, the program that went all the way to the Final Four last year—at Hofstra Arena tonight before embarking on a two-game road trip to Delaware and UNC Wilmington.

But the Dutchmen bounced back from a brutal start to December and are bursting with confidence after ending the month with three straight wins, including a very impressive effort against Iona Thursday night. Mo Cassara was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his final night off for the next two-plus months to discuss the Dutchmen heading into the CAA season and his hopes and expectations for the Dutchmen. Thanks as always to Cassara for his time.

How much better do you feel now than three weeks ago?

Certainly, I know that there’s a lot of basketball to play. But I feel a lot better. I think our whole staff does, that we’ve been able to not play well and kind of go through a period of time where, between injuries and not playing well and various other things, that we were able to get through all that and then get back and put together some good wins. I feel a lot better from that angle.

How much of the slump do you think was a result of losing Stevie Mejia and Bryant Crowder right after the team had gotten a glimpse at just how good they could be with those two in the lineup, and how much of the recovery is a matter of knowing that this is the team you’ll be going forward the rest of the season?

I think both things were in play. I think there were a couple of injuries and [they were] not sure who was playing and who was going to play what role. Other than really the first week or 10 days after that, it was kind of up and down and back and forth. We made some decisions and we started to get some guys healthy and Stevie was shelved so we just had to move forward. Once we got some continuity that way and continuity with practice and practice time, it helped us.

What was the most important thing you learned about the Dutchmen during the non-conference season?

They’re a pretty resilient group. There were a couple times where I thought we were really going to go through a bad stretch where we were able to bounce back and fight through it and come back and have good practices. Even [through] the losses I thought we were getting better. They’re a pretty resilient group.

Tom Pecora always used to say seniors and veterans had to take ownership of a team when it was struggling. How impressed have you been with your four core veterans?

I think Dwan really symbolizes that. A year ago at this time he was done playing—played a few games, really, and was never really able to get [going]. He has really embraced being a senior and knowing that this is his last opportunity and he’s really become the vocal leader for the team.

They’re all doing their own things in their own way. I think one thing about leadership is you want guys to do what they do well—don’t try to do things they don’t do well. Nat Lester is not an incredibly vocal kid, that’s not who he is, but he’s doing a lot of the dirty work the last couple games. He’s started each game with an offensive rebound and putback and one. That’s leadership to me, that’s leadership from Nat where he says ‘I’ve got to go get off to a good start here and do things for the team.’ And Mike has done that by scoring and Dwan has done that with a lot of activity, verbally or with his quickness. And Dave has been steady. That’s the thing for him to do. Hopefully he can continue to have nights like he had the other night.

What did you learn about CAA play last year that you can apply this year?

I think the challenge of the schedule. With this week, there [are] three games, with two on the road. I think I’m already advance thinking about that, even after the Iona game—first thing [he thought was], I’ve got to prepare to play three games, we’ve got to [strike a] balance. I think the challenge of the schedule, I think we’ll be able to apply some things that will help us down the road here.

The CAA is wide-open this year. How can you use that as a motivating tool for this team, especially given that it’s probably not the one you envisioned having back in October?

I think our guys continue to watch the scores and monitor the scores. And certainly, James Madison is a very good team and we know we certainly had an opportunity to beat them. We’ve beaten a couple other really high level mid-major teams in Iona and Cleveland State. Now it’s time to string a few in a row. I think the one big key—and this is the thing we were able to do last year—is we were able to win some games on the road. That’s something we have to really do.

Last two questions. Hofstra will contend for a CAA Tournament bye if…

Dave Imes continues to put up double-doubles.

And Hofstra will struggle if…

Mike Moore doesn’t lead the league in scoring.

Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.

Defiantly Dutch Q&A: Mo Cassara

Neither Mo Cassara nor I will be judging cakes tonight.

Last night wasn’t just about judging cakes and reflecting on the first year on the job with Mo Cassara! We also asked him some questions about the 2011-12 season, which finally tips off just 110 minutes from right now, but who’s counting? Thanks to Cassara as always for his time.

How do you feel going into the season?

It’s time to start playing against somebody else. I think sometimes, for so long here—five or six weeks now—you kind of just analyze yourself. It’s time to analyze yourself against somebody else. We have a lot of new faces. We’ve got a lot of guys like Nat and Stevie, who are very talented [and have] played a lot of basketball, but they haven’t necessarily played a lot of basketball together. The last time Nat played, Mike Moore wasn’t playing. The last time Mike Moore played, Nat wasn’t playing. And even if you throw Dave Imes into that—the last time Nat played, Dave really didn’t play. So the you throw Moussa in there or Steven, you’ve really got five guys—although some of them are older and veteran guys that have played some basketball—they’ve never played together. So there’s going to be a learning curve. It’s going to take some time.

Can that learning curve be sped up in practice?

I don’t know. I think it’s getting better everyday, but I think in all reality it’s going to take us playing in some games and having some ups and downs and dealing with some adversity. And ultimately that’s what helped us last year. You come out of Puerto Rico 0-3 and we were all ready to fold the tent, But in all reality, coming through that adversity and then learning how to win really helped us down the road.

Can those experiences from last season—knowing that a bad start doesn’t have to ruin the year—help you this season?

Yeah I think it helps me as a young coach. I think you want to win every time. You want everybody to be happy and you want everything to be great. In some ways, we’re more in more of a transition this year than we were last year. So I think we have to be realistic to know that some of the losses or some of the games in which we don’t do well now, we can use to get us better in February. And if we’re playing better in February, that’s all that really matters.

Obviously everyone’s goal is to win the CAA Tournament and get to the NCAA Tournament, but do you have any numeric goals for this season? A .500 record? A certain amount of wins?

You know what, I don’t. I don’t. I didn’t last year and I don’t think I’m ever going to do that. Because last year, I didn’t think we would win 14 or 15 games when we first started and I got proven wrong. So I try to stay away from that. I never really made a prediction. I just think we’ve got to try to win the games we’re supposed to win, win home games, try to find a way to steal some games on the road. I think one of the things I’m most proud of is that team last year, other than the fact we didn’t turn the ball over and made free throws and won a lot of close games, is we found a way to win on the road. Our road record was really incredible.

Last year, out of necessity as much as anything else, you only used two starting lineups. Now that you have a little more depth, do you think you’ll experiment a bit more, or are you a guy who likes to have a set lineup?

I think, especially when we don’t have a lot of guys who have played together, I think playing the same starting lineup—playing guys together—is something we’re going to have to do. Ups and downs, through good and bad, we’re going to have to continue to play those guys so they can start to get comfortable with each other.

Do you track how certain lineups perform and substitution patterns perform?

We don’t necessarily stat that, but I think I’m a little more of a feel coach. Some guys script that and I’ve worked for guys that did that. Not really my style. I’m much more of a feel guy. Ultimately you have to go back to the film sometimes and say ‘Hey, this group really played well together’ and stuff like that.

Is the lineup we saw Saturday indicative of the one we’ll see [tonight]?

We started a different group at [the scrimmage in] Hartford than we did [against] Queens. We’re going to continue to play around a little bit. I think if you asked me a month ago, I probably would have told you a different group than I would tell you now. That stuff is going to figure itself out a little bit. Ultimately—I say this all the time to our team—basketball’s a very social game. You’ve got to have a good social dynamic and find the guys who socially fit together and can talk to each other and can figure out how to play together and go through those ups and downs. They have to figure that out on their own and they have to do that in the locker room and they have to do that in the huddles. That’s the stuff we promote and talk about all the time.

Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.

CAA Tournament Q&A: Mo Cassara

Our main man Mo Cassara was kind enough to take a few minutes this morning to chat about the challenge of facing William & Mary tonight and the task ahead of the Flying Dutchmen as they try to win the CAA Tournament for the first time ever. Thanks as always to Mo for his time.

Other than stopping Quinn McDowell, what do you have to do to beat William & Mary tonight?

I think we have to execute our game plan better than theirs. I think their style and tempo is very difficult to play against. They’re very, very well-coached. We’ve played them two times and both times we were losing at halftime. So it’s going to be a challenge for us on the offensive end and defensive end. Coach Shaver does a great job with the matchup zone and changing defense and their offense is very difficult. Certainly, McDowell is a real dynamic player, he really had his whole game on display last night. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We have to attack them on offense and we have to do a great job of keeping them off-balance on defense.

Chad Tomko, Chase Allen and Denzel Bowles all saw their careers end with down games last night. Do you think that serves as a reminder to Charles Jenkins, Greg Washington and Brad Kelleher of the urgency of these games, that even one off night can be the end?

I think we try not to focus on that kind of stuff. As I’ve said all along through the season, we’re not a big picture group. I think obviously we’re down towards the end now, we’re down to do or die, so to speak. But at the same time I think Charles and Greg and Brad really remain focused on the task at hand, of just trying to beat William & Mary and not worrying about the season ending or anything like that—just saying focused on what we need to do and execute our game plan.

How confident are you and the team entering the tournament?

I feel good. I was in the arena for great games yesterday, the place was electric, a lot of excitement, a lot of passion. I think our guys are excited and ready to go.

What is it about this team that has you confident it is peaking at the right time?

I think we’re starting to become a little more dynamic offensively. We’re getting different contributions from different guys and really starting to get comfortable with what we’re trying to do on defense. And that’s something that takes time, a couple wins in a row, to get that confidence. I think we’re starting to get really comfortable with the things that we’re trying to do on a daily basis.

How much do you think the week off will help your guys?

I think it helps. I don’t think it changes the dynamic of the game. Certainly [William & Mary has] some advantages, even though they might be a little leg-weary and a little beat up, but they got a chance to play on the court last night and get a great win while we’ve been sitting around a hotel room for a couple days. As a coach its’ easy to say [rest is] what helps you win the game, but sometimes that becomes a real challenge. I think the most important thing for us is to get our feet on the ground, get back to playing basketball. We’ve been resting and talking and focusing a lot this week and now it’s time to go out there and play.

Who besides Charles has to have a big weekend for you to do well?

I think it’s Greg Washington. I think that’s the real key. I think Greg Washington has to score some points, has to stay on the court, has to be a facilitator, has to be a big defensive presence. If he can do all those things, being a fifth-year senior, a guy next to Charles the whole way, we’ll rely on his experience and maturity heading into this tournament.

Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.

Defiantly Dutch Q&A: Mo Cassara

We caught up with Mo Cassara last night, 24 hours or so after the stunning loss to Western Kentucky, and got his take on the mindset of the Flying Dutchmen after the Hilltoppers’ late comeback as well as his other thoughts on the first two games of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic and this morning’s finale against Nebraska. As always, thanks to Mo for his time and accessibility.

How is everyone feeling the day after?

We’ve got a great bunch of guys. They work hard, incredibly hard. We had a couple good team meetings today and film sessions. Our chins are up and we’re going to use these couple real tough losses to ultimately help us get better. That’s been my challenge for this team everyday, is to get better everyday. And I think we’ve gotten better everyday down here. Now our next challenge and the next step, as I told our guys, is to learn how to win. That takes practice and time and we’re working hard at it. Our attitude is great and we’re going to keep working hard and ultimately the wins are going to come.

Is Friday night what you had in mind when you were talking about this season being a work in progress?

Yeah, I think so. I think we really executed our game plan last night, offensively and defensively, and definitely did some good things. I think our guys are starting to learn our system a little bit better. Ultimately, we weren’t able to finish it off last night, and that’s frustrating. But at the same time, my staff and I, we’re still very encouraged with the direction we’re headed.

Friday was obviously your first close game as a Division I head coach. How much self-evaluation did you undergo and what would you do differently, if anything?

I think as a coach—any coach, whether he’s coached a lot of games or a few—you’re always trying to get a little bit better, get an edge. I’ve watched the film, believe it or not, back-to-back-to-back three full times. The big challenge is I need to get a better feel for our guys and certain situations. Still being a new team and still seeing how some guys reacted in the first real tight situation, some guys we felt did a good job and some guys we thought would do a good job didn’t. And we’ve got to do something, we need to continue to analyze and make [more] evaluations and make sure, in these instances, we do it better [next time].

What did you see on the last play?

We drew up a pretty good play, we had a good look at the basket. We knew they were going to run at Charles a lot and we put Shemiye and Mike out to see if we could go to the basket or get a good look at a three. And Shemiye got a pretty good look at he basket. I thought, when it left his hand, it was going on.

Dwan McMillan had a tough game on both sides of the ball. What did you say to him afterward?

He had a disappointing game on a lot of levels. My big challenge to him is he’s got to learn how to be a college point guard and run a team. He’s going to make some mistakes and we’re going to learn through those as he has learn to continue to develop his game and how to run a team. And down the stretch, he didn’t do a very good job. We’re going to work with him and he keeps working hard. His attitude is good. That’s the most important thing to me—his attitude is good, he wants to learn and he wants to be better. He’s got a lot of talent and ability. He just needs more experience.

Down the stretch, do you think Western Kentucky got so hot because it stole the momentum on defense, or did your defense wear down?

I think our defense wore down a little bit. We missed a couple assignments, got out late on a couple of shooters. For about 35, 36 minutes, I thought we did a great job. Our defense was really—with about five minutes to go, they had about 40 points—we did everything exactly the way we wanted to do. There’s a team that goes into St. Joseph’s and beat them by 28 points and our game plan was excellent. We really did a good job I think we got a little tired and part of that right now is we lack some depth between injuries and Brad not playing and some inexperience, That’s part of our issues, especially when you play in a tournament like this. You really feel that when you’re playing two games in a couple days. Depth is an issue for us in a tournament like this.

How pleased were you with the resiliency you guys showed, not only bouncing back from the UNC loss but also the first 10 minutes against Western Kentucky?

I’m very pleased. As a coach, certainly you want to win every game, but I place a lot of value on things that I think are going to really help us down the road as we continue to build and grow. We were able to get right back from a real tough loss against a very good team and come out and perform the way we did against Western Kentucky—obviously, we didn’t come up with the win and we’re all disappointed about that, but I think there’s some real positives to come out of these first couple games.

What were your thoughts on the North Carolina game? Were you guys kind of caught flat-footed by just how hot they were from the field?

Yeah, I mean, they’re a terrific team, and the ironic thing is they come out the following night and Harrison Barnes can’t make a shot. It was just one of those things where we challenged them to make some threes and unfortunately, in the first half, they made 8-of-9. We shot 60 percent from the field [in the first half]. If we didn’t turn the ball over a couple times and let’s say they shot 4-of-9 or 3-of-9 [from 3-point land], heck, we’re not winning the game, but it’s probably a 10- or 12-point game at halftime and you feel like you’ve got a chance. But they shot the ball so well and we got behind and then ultimately their size and speed wore us down and we started to get rushed out there a little bit.

What were some of the other positives you took from the Western Kentucky game?

I really like the way Greg Washington rebounded. I really liked the way that Mike Moore rebounded. I think those guys are going to have to have 7-10 rebounds [per game]. I like the way David Imes rebounded and battled in the backcourt. I really like the way that Shemiye McClendon can continue to score the ball and score in some bunches. He really hit some nice shots for us [Friday] night. I think some guys, on an individual level, did a terrific job, And obviously Charles continues to be one of the best scorers not only in this tournament but in the country.

What is the attitude going into the Nebraska game?

They’re a very good Big 12 team. They’ve got gigantic size in the front court and are just a big, strong team. It’s two teams that have been on similar paths and for certain stretches of time have played very well in this tournament. Against Vanderbilt they looked great and Vanderbilt is a very good team. I don’t think there are any bad teams in this tournament. Nebraska presents a great challenges for us, a big, big front line, a team that we’re going to have to go out and try to execute our game plan [against]. Win or lose, we’re going to walk out of here with some great experience as we move forward and as we get into the meat of our non-conference schedule.

Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.

Defiantly Dutch Q&A: Mo Cassara

Sing it with me, kids! "Too hot to handle, too cold to hold, they're the Flying Dutchmen and they're in control..."

Mo Cassara is so excited about his new home, he can’t even wait for it to be fully constructed before he moves in. The rookie Flying Dutchmen basketball coach, striking a youthful look in a blue Hofstra polo shirt with a white sweatshirt underneath it, is working in chaos as the men’s basketball offices undergo a top-to-bottom renovation but seems perfectly content to occupy a room that has just two banquet tables, two chairs and a whole lot of sawdust in it—and, occasionally, a computer covered by plastic.

And why wouldn’t he be happy? Tonight, a little more than five months after his unprecedented ascension to the top job, Cassara finally gets to take the court with the Dutchmen and preside over his first practice as a Division I head coach.

We caught up with Cassara Wednesday, and after he gave a quick tour of the construction, he sat down and discussed his preparations for the first practice, his whirlwind spring and summer, the enthusiasm he’s brought to the job—both on and offline—and, of course, late ‘80s/early ‘90s dance pop. Thanks as always to Cassara for his time.

So how are you feeling, two days before your first practice?

We’re all excited. Our players are excited, our staff is excited, we’re excited to officially get on the court and be able to work together on a daily basis now. During the fall, we’ve only been able to work together short amounts of time, and moving forward here, when we get out on the court Friday, we’re going to be able to work together for longer periods of time and as a group. We’re really excited about that.

What were you able to take from what you saw of the guys in the fall?

I think our staff has worked pretty hard and we’ve really tried to get a good feel for some of our guys and some of the talents that they have. Certainly, we’ve seen them on film and got to know them as people. But during the course of the late spring and summer, we weren’t able to work with them at all. But now we’re able to get a feel for some of the things they may not do well, some of the strengths and weaknesses of the team and really the whole makeup of the team…what we need to work on and address and more importantly how are we going to be able to play? What are we going to be able to do to make us successful?

I think my biggest job, our biggest job as a staff, is to put our kids in position to be successful. And you may want to play one way or you may want to do one thing, but you may not be able to do that because of the talents that you have. So I think right now we’re still determining some of the things that we do well and trying to put our kids into the best position to be successful.

How do you go about planning your practices?

Lots of time and lots of thought. We’re still tinkering with some things that we want to do and how quickly we can implement some things. I think this year, more than ever, [with] everybody being new—from the staff down to all the players, there’s no returning guys here that have been through our practices and even our whole staff has never all worked together—we’re even working on things like terminology and sayings and how we’re going to phrase things, because we’ve all come from different places. So the practices are very thorough and very thought out right now, because I think the quicker we can all get on the same page, the better.

Are there any coaches on whom you’ve relied upon as you’ve adjusted to the job in the last few months and what kind of advice have they given you?

Yeah, it’s funny, I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to talk to different coaches, ask different people certain things. As a matter of fact, I talked to Josh Pastner last night at Memphis, [a] guy who took over kind of suddenly and got thrust into something after never being a head coach before. And he really gave me some good advice, to make sure you take some time for yourself everyday and make sure you spend some time working on basketball and things that are really important to you, as opposed to getting pulled in a lot of different directions. It’s easy to do that. And I think he was a great resource for me, just because he’s been in a similar situation.

But I’ve talked to a lot of coaches throughout the country—people that I’ve worked for, people that I know and [about] everything from planning practice to things that work to things that don’t work and how to deal with certain situations. I’m very fortunate I’ve got a lot of good people in my corner.

Have you been able to catch your breath at all the last few months or have you been running 24/7?

It’s pretty much 24/7. I do catch myself in the mornings, when I’m going for a run or having a little bit of time to myself, and sometimes I reflect and say ‘Geez, how did I get here?’ And I’m certainly very glad to be here. It’s really worked out well.

What do the members of your first recruiting class all have in common?

I think they’re all young [grins]. I think that they’re all terrific kids, they’re all willing to learn. I think that they’re really good pieces to our program. They’re really great representatives for our university and our program. And they have big upside—they all have a lot of talent, and I think that will certainly show over the course of time.

When did you know you wanted to make basketball your life?

I think as a kid. It was something that was in my blood. It was something that I always wanted to do. I caught myself, as a young kid, not just watching games. I would write things down when I saw a play I liked, or I would talk about it with my father—the way somebody played defense or the way a certain coach coached. I was always fascinated and intrigued by coaching and the business side of this whole thing.

You’ve made dozens of speeches to every type of group since you got this job. Is there a common theme to what you say?

I think excitement and enthusiasm. I have spoken at country clubs and church gatherings and Boy Scouts and boys clubs and different groups and alumni and dinner and lunches—all over the place—and I think the one thing that I’ve preached and talked a lot about is myself and our staff’s excitement and enthusiasm to be here and what a terrific program this already is. And we’re going to work really hard to build upon what’s already been a very, very successful program, but we’re going to continue to bring a new excitement, a new enthusiasm to Hofstra basketball.

You’ve quickly established yourself as someone who is comfortable with social media. How has Twitter helped you introduce to that whole new audience?

I think it’s huge. I think what it’s really become for me is a huge resource for information. I think now, the way technology is and the way that I’m involved in it, it’s a great resource for information from recruiting to alumni. I have so many different people get back to me and [who] like the updates and the different things, and it’s a great way to interact when you know you don’t have time to pick up the phone everyday and talk to everybody. Certainly my time is challenging at times, but I have one phone that I use just for Twitter and Facebook.

How many more followers do you have than a few months ago?

Quite a few [laughs]. Nobody cared about me in March, when I was an assistant. I have a lot more now, and there’s a lot of great Hofstra fans out there. We’re actually going to spend some time here pretty soon linking my networks up to our webpage and making sure that anybody that wants to follow and get involved can do that.

This is an era in which coaches seem to want to reveal less about themselves and their teams. Why are you so open with information?

There’s people that really care about the program and want to know about the program. And I don’t think there’s any big secrets here, you know? I think that my enthusiasm and my excitement is because I really am excited about what I do everyday and I’m excited about being here and I want to share that with as many people that are interested in it. And I think the more people are interested, the more people that we have following our program and [will] hopefully be as excited about it as I am.

Last question: Everyone knows your fondness for music. What would a Mo Cassara mix tape in 1991, your senior year in high school, sound like?

Whew. [Laughs] Probably some Bobby Brown. Let’s see, my senior year in high school. Definitely Bobby Brown, I’m trying to think what else would have definitely been on there. Probably some old school rap music. I was going to say New Edition—I couldn’t remember [if] Bell Biv Devoe was [1991]? Yeah? So definitely Bobby Brown, Bell Biv Devoe and some old school rap music. That was pretty much what I was listening to. Stevie B, Johnny Gill—definitely, no doubt.

Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.

Defiantly Dutch Q&A: Mo Cassara

Mo Cassara woke up today in the graduate dorms at Hofstra, an assistant coach in limbo and not even officially working for the school following the resignation of Tim Welsh on Monday. Cassara will go to bed tonight the head coach of the Flying Dutchmen. Cassara took a few minutes out of the wildest day of his life to answer a few questions from Defiantly Dutch. We profusely thank Cassara for his time.

Could you begin to describe what the last several days have been like for you?

I couldn’t even. It’s crazy.

How did this process begin for you?

Yesterday morning, Jack Hayes and the president approached me about sitting down and talking about the team and the program and where we were and what the current status was with our players and recruiting and how everything was going. And then after our meeting—which I thought was going to be pretty informal and short—it went a lot longer, I had a feeling they may be interested in hiring an internal candidate.

It really went fast from there. I think from there, Jack and his staff and Danny McCabe, they did a really good job of reaching out to people who know me. I think they started to feel comfortable with the situation. One of the unique things here, like Danny McCabe said, sometimes, when you interview somebody, you talk for a couple hours. I’ve been here almost six weeks. They really got a shot to see how I operate. Part of the reasons is they’re comfortable with the staff here, not just me, and the staff we can hire. I think it’s going to be a great marriage.

Did you have a feeling last night that you might be a candidate for the head job?

I really didn’t know. I’ve been staying at the graduate school dorm. I was laying there in the bunk bed last night and not sure what’s going to happen. And obviously here we are today. It’s really crazy.

There was such a level of uncertainty and you know it’s been a tough haul for everybody at a lot of levels. They’ve been great—the administration has been great, the players have been great—we kept working, we kept trying to fight through this and certainly now we’re going to continue to move forward. We’re just going to keep moving forward, we’re going to hit the ground running. We don’t really have to stop what we’re doing.

Presumably, the negotiations were quick?

Really was. It was very quick. It was late this afternoon. And then obviously we went right into meeting with the team.

What was their reaction?

Very excited. I think they wanted to put this all behind them. They felt very comfortable with our staff. Again, they felt very comfortable with our staff—not just me, it was all about this terrific staff that was already in place.

Have you been able to talk to family members and fellow coaches and inform them of the news?

Not a lot. I’m sitting here, my phone’s ringing off the hook and going crazy. But I did manage to call my Dad quickly and he almost drove off the road. So I’ve got to call and make sure he’s OK [laughs].

What can fans expect from a Mo Cassara-coached team?

I think you’re going to have a team that works incredibly hard, plays together and that’s going to have a real sense of teamwork. I think if we can do those things we can be pretty successful because of the people we’ve already got here. And that’s a credit to Tom Pecora and Jay Wright.

There have been rumors that Chaz Williams is thinking of transferring. Do you think your presence will help keep players here?

I think that anytime there’s a lot if instability and a lot of uncertainty, players are uncertain. With what has happened here recently, that’s expected. I think with the stability and keeping of our staff here, I think that hopefully we can move forward with this group already in place.

Have you talked to Tim today?

I haven’t had a chance to talk to him. I’m sure I will reach out to him tonight and have a chance to talk to him.

Lastly, what does it say for Hofstra that it was willing to move forward with you and not start anew with a different staff?

I think when you’re in a situation like this, I think the most important thing is the team and the players grew very comfortable with the staff. I can’t emphasize it enough: We’ve got a great staff in place here and together we’ll have a chance to really do something special.

Email Jerry at defiantlydutch@yahoo.com or follow Defiantly Dutch at http://twitter.com/defiantlydutch.