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| FDU-Florham coach Marc
Mitchell was more calm this year, which seems hard to
believe. Photo by Jeffrey Levy, d3photography.com |
By Rob Knox
D3sports.com
Though it may be hard for the casual observer to imagine, FDU-Florham senior guard Jalessa Lewis noticed a subtle difference in her ultra-intense head coach Marc Mitchell this season. She believed it was the key to the Devils capping a perfect 33-0 season with their first NCAA Division III national championship in school history.
Throughout FDU-Florham’s season for the ages, the D3hoops.com Coach of the Year still encouraged, fussed, screamed and scolded his players immediately during games in the heat of the moment when he didn’t like something. There were times where he was observed exchanging heated banter with opposing fans and trading verbal jabs with opposing coaches during games.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but coach was more laid back this year,” Lewis said. “He’s very intense at times. He wants the best for us and he pushed us on and off the court throughout the season. He let us play through our mistakes and he had total confidence in us. He makes the game fun and lets us go out and have fun. We like to loosen up and joke around a bit. Once the ball was tipped, we were locked in. If he doesn’t see us having fun, he knows that something is up. He allowed us to be ourselves and that helped us this year.”
FDU-Florham is the first women’s basketball program in the state of New Jersey to win a national championship and the first Mid-Atlantic Region school in either men’s or women’s since the Catholic University men in 2001 to claim the ultimate Division III prize. The Devils are the eighth Division III women’s basketball team to finish undefeated. Rutgers came close, but it lost to Tennessee and Candace Parker in the 2007 national title game.
The roots to the Devils’ national title can be traced back to the hiring of Mitchell five years ago and his ability to keep top New Jersey players in the state, change the culture of a program that experienced moderate success prior to his arrival, set high expectations and motivate his ladies with an emotional and fierce style that’s part Bobby Knight (minus the chair throwing), Pat Summit, Samuel L. Jackson, Gene Hackman in Hoosiers and John Thompson.
Mitchell’s brash approach has occasionally rubbed opposing coaches and parents the wrong way. At times during games, Mitchell is forceful, passionate, animated and fiery while strolling up and down the sidelines like a madman possessed. It’s a coaching style that works for his players and to him that’s all matters. Mitchell doesn’t concern himself with what others think of him.
“Playing on the Newark playgrounds when I was growing up, we always talked smack more out of a competitive nature,” Mitchell said. “Nobody wanted to give an inch back then and that’s how I coach. I don’t allow my players to give an inch. I am very intense and I don’t hold back. I am jumping on them and when they do something right, I am like great job. I am the first to let them know. It’s who I am and that’s how I am wired.”
Mitchell insisted that he doesn’t take any of the criticisms of his coaching style – which some believe crosses the line of professionalism and sportsmanship – personally. He knows that there are other coaches, parents and administrators, who might not be a fan of his style. Mitchell doesn’t let that bother him.
What many may not see is that Mitchell is a loving father of four kids, a strong husband and that following games he is very personable and engaging.
“I’ve had some coaches not directly say anything to me,” Mitchell said. “The message gets back to me that they don’t like my coaching style and things like that. I’ve had parents say negative things about me, I don’t care and it doesn’t bother me. I’ve heard it all. I have mentally tough kids. They get it and they know that the team comes first and that they have to make sacrifices. I have mentally tough kids and who will bounce back no matter what the situation is. My players are all that matters to me.”
The on-the-court success speaks for itself especially since Mitchell and assistant coach Jessica Cavaco have relentlessly recruited New Jersey to keep the best players in state. The work paid off when they landed the Trenton quartet of juniors Kyra and Kara Dayon, Quaneisha Roberts and Robin Peoples three years ago. Since their arrival to the scenic campus, FDU-Florham has soared, winning 67 games.
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| Jalessa Lewis came into
FDU-Florham three years ago after a season in Division
II. Photo by Steve Frommell, d3photography.com |
A Virginia State transfer, Lewis also arrived three years ago with the Trenton crew. She knew Mitchell when she was in high school. Sophomore Schalette Brown, a double-double queen and mean rebounding machine, transferred from Montclair State at the start of this season. Juniors Delisha Thompson and Leigh Ann-Lively were also part of the class that entered FDU-Florham with the Trenton quartet.
In all, 11 of the Devils’ 12 players were from New Jersey. In his first three years, Mitchell compiled a 30-43 record as head coach. The Devils are a sensational 57-4 over the last two seasons.
With a firm talent base in place, Mitchell equipped his players with the tools to conquer the nation especially when they gathered for their first preseason meeting on Aug. 28. Many players from last year’s team that lost a late lead in a first round NCAA Tournament loss to Widener returned with motivation and a fire to do much better this season. The talented Devils were already driven. Mitchell provided the right amount of guidance to his veteran team that was already used to his system and playing with each other.
The first week of practice set the tone for the season and provided the needed boost to survive the tough times and adversity it faced during games this season. Whenever the Devils were pushed, Lewis and Kyra would think back to the grueling preseason workouts when all they did was run until their legs felt like jelly. During the first week of practice, the Devils rarely touched a basketball as they ran, practiced defensive drills, ran, discussed defensive principles and ran.
“Our legs were sore the next day,” Kyra said. “During those sessions, if we messed up, then we had to run what he called ‘champions,’ which really were suicides. That first week was hard, but we knew we needed it to help us out during the season. We adopted a motto as a team that hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. We knew we had talent as a team so we focused on working hard every single day. Coach was very influential and he kept putting it in our heads every day about being great and not settling for being good. He believed in us since my freshman year.”
The Devils pulverized the opposition this season with a 24.1-point average margin of victory and scoring 100 or more points four times. The Devils aced their share of tests during the season. They trailed late against Eastern in a regular season game on the road and Delaware Valley in the MAC semifinals at home before pulling away to win both games.
During the NCAA Tournament, the Devils had their share of difficulties, but they displayed championship character in finding ways to get the job done. FDU-Florham trailed or was tied in each of its final five NCAA tournament games. There were doubters during the year that said FDU-Florham wouldn’t know how to react when the pressure was on or worse wouldn’t advance to the second weekend of the tournament.
The Devils responded like somebody shrugging dirt of their shoulders by outscoring the opposition 268-158 in the second half during the tournament. Mental toughness, confidence, believing in each other and running endless suicides are what players credited for being able to have an awesome finishing kick.
Trailing 30-24 at halftime to in-state foe Montclair State in an a heavily anticipated Elite Eight matchup, the Devils outscored the Red Hawks by 26 points in the second half to win 73-53. That game showcased all of the ingredients that made the Devils special this season: toughness, heart, talent, grit and resiliency.
“That game was emotional for us,” Kyra said. “There were a lot of fans at the game and as a team we had a chip on our shoulder because we knew everybody was expecting Montclair to win. That motivated us to go hard. The atmosphere of the game was different and we knew we had to show up. Plus that was our last home game and we had to give it our all.”
Following that victory, FDU-Florham gutted out a 42-39 win over Tufts in the national semifinals, despite missing 16 of their first 17 shots to start the game and being held 37 points below their season average of 79.4 points per game. They trailed by as much as six in the closing minutes of the first half, before rebounding to another second half victory. For perspective, the Devils scored 49 points in the second half against Montclair State.
In the title game, the Devils overcame an early nine-point deficit and pulled away in the second half to beat Whitman, 80-72. Kyra was named the tournament’s most outstanding player after averaging 15.3 points during the postseason and scoring 18 points in the title contest. Lewis, who was also named to the all-tournament team, led the way for FDU-Florham with 21 points, six assists and four rebounds against Whitman.
“It was an honor to be named outstanding player,” Kyra said. “I didn’t expect it. I just wanted to play, win and help my team out. It’s a wonderful feeling and I can’t even describe it. To accomplish our goal of winning a national title is amazing and unreal. It will be a memory that will never be forgotten. I will say that coaches’ intensity definitely rubbed off on us.”
The players respect Mitchell and get a kick out of his intensity at times. They enjoyed him so much so that Kara and Kyra sang a revised version of the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” theme at the NCAA championship banquet with lyrics about Mitchell that had the entire room laughing.
No matter the style or critics, the bottom line is Mitchell helped a talented group reach the pinnacle of its sport. It’s a summit few achieve.
A photo of seniors Melissa DeHaas and Lewis perfectly sums up the unique accomplishment on the Devils’ website. DeHaas, who wears uniform No. 33 and Lewis, who wears No. 0 are side-by-side in the picture that symbolizes everything that this terrific group of young women accomplished during a special season. With many key pieces returning next season, the Devils will enter next year as perhaps the No. 1 team in the country and the odds-on favorite to repeat as national champions.
For now, they are savoring the moment and basking in the glow of their amazing accomplishment.
“It means the world to me to be a national champion,” Lewis said. “Not a lot of people can say that. There is no greater way to have ended my career and it feels great. I still can’t believe we went all the way. We are national champs and nobody can take that from us. We worked so hard from day one. It’s truly a humbling experience and I am happy that I was a part of this team.”
Lewis also witnessed another side of Mitchell that hardly anybody sees.
“We always see a soft side of coach,” Lewis said. “Nobody else sees it. We were all sitting around the locker room after the championship game expressing how thankful we were of one another and we all shed a couple of tears, including the coaches. This year was an amazing experience and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Others will never see him cry and get emotional, but we do.”
Added Kyra: “He said we were perfect, he loves us as players and he was glad he was able to coach us. He’s already talking about being back in the national title game next season.”