Jake Sinicki is one of four Hawks scoring in double figures and is also the team's top rebounder. Hartwick Athletics photo

Waleed Farid never envisioned himself as a coach, no matter how often others told him he'd be a great fit.

When Farid graduated in 2008 as one of the most decorated and accomplished players in the history of the Stevens Institute of Technology men's basketball program, coaching wasn't on his mind. Farid wasn't done playing yet.

The former D3hoops.com preseason All-American spent a year overseas in Egypt, playing for Alexandria Sporting Club. As a player, Farid was successful, averaging 10 points and 15 minutes per game, but the exposure to different coaching styles and voices planted a seed.

That seed quickly sprouted when Farid returned from Egypt. With the chapter of his playing career coming to a close, a new one was about to begin as a volunteer coach under his former college head coach, Bobby Hurley. Farid, who previously believed he was too impatient to serve as a coach, began to understand he had more to offer the game of basketball with the knowledge he had acquired during his playing days. By 2012, Farid was promoted to Hurley's top assistant coach.

This past fall, Farid was chosen out of a pool of nearly 200 applicants to replace Todd McGuinness as the men's head coach at Empire 8 rival Hartwick College. Farid's familiarity with the Hawks' current players and program history, both from his playing and coaching days, was a major selling point for him.

"These guys were winners before I got here, and they were going to win whether I was here or not, to be honest," Farid said. "They have that experience. They know what it takes to win the big games."

Under McGuinness, Hartwick won three Empire 8 titles, and earned four NCAA tournament berths in seven years, including last season. With standout players like senior guard Joey Lufkin, junior forward Jake Sinicki, senior forward Justin Pratt and sophomore guard Brandon LaForest on the roster, the cupboards were far from bare. Sinicki said the players immediately took to Farid during the interview process, which began when McGuinness stepped down in July to become to head coach at Case Western Reserve and ended when Farid was announced as his successor in September.

"[Farid] brought a new culture, kind of a new vibe every day in practice," Sinicki said. "It's been different, for sure, but sitting here at 11-4, I think we made the right decision."

The Hawks (11-4, 4-2) haven't missed a beat. The team is coming off three consecutive home wins over Empire 8 opponents, and currently sits behind St. John Fisher (9-4, 4-0) and Stevens (11-3, 5-1) in the conference standings. Lufkin (19.1 ppg, 4.7 apg), LaForest (18.3 ppg, 4.0 apg), Sinicki (17.3 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and Pratt (10.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg) have all excelled on the court, but Farid is more thankful for the quartet's team-first attitude and unselfish demeanor.

"They're all extremely talented basketball players, but that's not why they're successful," Farid said. "They're successful because they're great people. They're hard-working people. These guys are in the gym every day, putting in time, trying to get better."

"As a coach, it's something that you can't really ever be too grateful for," Farid added.

Player versatility is a hallmark of Hartwick's program, and the Hawks' current "big four" embodies that. Sinicki, the team's starting power forward and top rebounder, has range out to the 3-point line. Lufkin and LaForest can both shoot the 3-pointer or beat their defender off the dribble. Collectively, the two form one of the Empire 8's most dynamic backcourts.

Hartwick ranks 30th among all Division III teams with its 85.9 points-per-game average. This comes as little surprise, considering Hartwick's collection of established players and Farid's playing history as a successful Division III point guard. While Lufkin, LaForest, Sinicki and Pratt garner most of the attention from opponents, Farid is quick to point out under-the-radar performers like sophomore Justin Carruthers, the team's starting center and defensive anchor; junior forward Marc du Moulin, who is averaging 6.4 points and 5.6 rebounds in 17.9 minutes off the bench; and other reserves like sophomore guard Ned Bakic and junior guard Matt Knezovic.

"We've had different guys step up in different games, and that's what's been great about our bench," Farid said. "You never really know who's going to step in and play well that day, but you know someone is."

With a roster of just 13, each player has a specific role to play, no matter how seemingly minute. When that happens, Hartwick can get on a roll. The Hawks bounced back from consecutive losses to Utica and Ithaca in early January to defeat Stevens, Alfred and Houghton last week.

"Over the past couple games, we're sharing the ball a lot better, for sure," Sinicki said. "It's really starting to pay off."

Farid insisted the win against Stevens carried no additional weight. He'll always love the Ducks, but he's a Hawk now.

"Those are my good friends, and I like those kids, so I hate to give them a loss," Farid said. "But anytime we go up against them, I'll be on the Hawks' side for sure. Every time."

Farid is young -- he's only eight years removed from being a college basketball player himself -- so he's still learning as he goes. That's OK with him, and it's OK with his players. Rather than creating a stressful environment that focuses solely on winning, the Hawks have embraced Farid's message of maximizing their abilities through unselfish attitudes and an appreciation of the day-to-day grind.

"It's about the journey," Farid said. "The results will come as a result of the process, not the other way around."

So far, so good.

"Just like them, I'm trying to get better every day," Farid said. "I may make some mistakes, but I'm accepting that and the guys are bearing with me at times. Hopefully we can keep it rolling."

St. Lawrence men stay hot

The Saints completed a three-game sweep on the road last week, highlighted by an impressive 68-63 win against SUNYAC-leading Oswego State. St. Lawrence also topped Liberty League opponents Bard and Vassar.

In the win over Oswego, junior forward Riley Nacerio led all scorers with 24 points, while senior guard Kyle Edwards added 17 points and nine rebounds. Nacerio, the Saints' top scorer (19.1 ppg) and rebounder (6.9 rpg) has enjoyed a breakout season. Edwards, one of the program's most decorated players, eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career earlier this season.

Behind those two, as well as senior guard Willie Zachery, St. Lawrence has won 12 of its first 14 games to open the season, with its only two losses coming against Amherst and Brockport, two teams drawing votes on a weekly basis in the D3hoops.com Top 25 poll. St. Lawrence sits at 5-0 in conference play, but has a key stretch coming up against RIT, Hobart and Skidmore, three teams on the Saints' heels in a tight Liberty League race.

Geneseo women come through in clutch

Coaching can be stressful enough, but Scott Hemer's team really pushed his heart rate in its last two games. Geneseo held off Fredonia 55-54 in the final seconds of regulation on Saturday, and edged RIT 62-60 on a buzzer-beating layup in overtime on Tuesday.

Senior guard Kara Houppert drew a foul with five seconds left against Fredonia and sank one of her two attempts. The Blue Devils' final shot attempt at the buzzer missed, giving the Blue Knights the nail-biting win.

The overtime win against RIT was even crazier. Both teams had chances to pull ahead in the final seconds of regulation, but the game wasn't decided until a put-back layup by sophomore forward McKenna Brooks with 0.1 remaining on the clock in the extra period.

The two wins kept the Blue Knights perfect on the season (15-0, 8-0).

Top 25 roundup: Rochester slips to No. 8

The Rochester men's team dropped from No. 3 to No. 8 in this week's D3hoops.com Top 25 poll following its first loss of the season. It still marked the fifth straight poll with the Yellowjackets inside the top 10.

Rochester held steady at No. 23 in the women's poll. Geneseo, NYU and Ithaca continued to receive votes in the women's poll, while Brockport continued to receive votes in the men's poll.

Contact me

Have a story idea? A fun stat? Just want to talk some hoops? I'm always happy to hear from a fellow D-III fan. I can be reached via email at andrew.lovell@d3sports.com, or on Twitter at @Andrew_Lovell.