Introductory press conferences are, if nothing else, primetime for optimism for the future. A blank slate, a fresh start, all benefits and no doubt. But all that notwithstanding, the bar for new Howard men鈥檚 basketball coach Kenny Blakeney has been set extremely high.
鈥淎s I told him when I met with him, I see no reason why we shouldn鈥檛 be participating in the NCAA Tournament every year. That鈥檚 one of the ambitions of the program,鈥� said Howard President Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick at Monday鈥檚 introductory press conference.
鈥淥ur expectation is every March we鈥檙e going to turn on the television and watch Mr. Blakeney on the sidelines with the rest of the team representing the university well.鈥�
No pressure.
Bear in mind, this is a program that hasn鈥檛 finished over .500 since 2001-02; that hasn鈥檛 made the NCAA Tournament since 1991-92; that hasn鈥檛 had consecutive winning seasons since the late 鈥�80s, more than 30 years ago. But the school believes it鈥檚 found the right man to turn that around.
鈥淗e has the type of pedigree we鈥檙e looking for,鈥� said Frederick. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been at very strong academic institutions, including Harvard and Columbia, and he鈥檚 also been coached by some of the best in the business as well.鈥�
A D.C. native, Blakeney was a McDonald鈥檚 All-American under Morgan Wootten at DeMatha before playing at Duke for Coach Mike Krzyzewski. He began his coaching career under Lefty Driesell at James Madison, later working under Mike Brey at Delaware before moving to the Ivy League as an assistant, to fellow D.C. area native and Duke player/coach Tommy Amaker at Harvard.
鈥淢y first call when we were looking for a coach was to Tommy Amaker,鈥� said Howard Director of Athletics Kery Davis. 鈥淎nd Tommy Amaker said, 鈥業 only have one name for you: Kenny Blakeney.鈥欌��
The challenges of the Ivy League鈥檚 high academic standards and lack of traditional athletic scholarships mirror some of those faced at Howard. With power conference programs like Maryland and Georgetown nearby, and even mid-majors like George Washington and American both within the city limits, there鈥檚 plenty of competition for talent. But Blakeney 鈥� like his high school coach 鈥� believes our area is the most talent-rich in the country, estimating there are between 100-120 Division I caliber players coming out of the region every four-year class period.
鈥淚 think what we have to do is really get out and show this community that we want to keep these kids here,鈥� he told 草莓传媒. 鈥淲e want to keep them home. We have a quality, world class education, and we鈥檙e going to build and develop an incredible basketball program.鈥�
Now, Blakeney just has to get them to buy in.
鈥淚 grew up three miles from where we鈥檙e standing right now, on the corner of 4th (St.) and Missouri (Ave. NW),鈥� said Blakeney. 鈥淎nd I can鈥檛 name five players that I know that have gone to Howard.鈥�
He鈥檒l have his work cut out for himself out of the gates, as he may lose all three of last year鈥檚 top scorers, who accounted for 53.6 points per game. MEAC Player of the Year RJ Cole and Charles Williams each declared for the NBA Draft, but even if Cole stays in school, , likely to either Alabama or UConn. Meanwhile, third-leading scorer as a grad transfer.
While introductions are not a time to get heavy on specifics, Blakeney made it clear that the first priority for his vision 鈥� before schemes, or conditioning, or recruiting 鈥� is establishing a mindset and building relationships.
鈥淭here just has to be a mutual respect between coaches, staff and the players. Once we establish that, I think we can do anything together,鈥� he said.
In his prepared remarks, Blakeney read a quotation from Howard alum and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winner Toni Morrison, which he repeated for emphasis.
鈥淎s you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think.鈥�
Monday was a day for dreaming on the Hilltop. And while Blakeney was more cautious about his own expectations 鈥� 鈥淚f we can check the boxes at the end of the game and see that we鈥檝e done our best, regardless of what that looks like in terms of the score, I think we鈥檒l feel good about our results鈥� 鈥� he admitted freely that he鈥檚 a dreamer. The road to transforming that into a reality begins tomorrow.
