I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Manhattan College basketball coach Barry Rohrssen. We talked about the upcoming season and what to expect. Hope you enjoy. You can also find my Manhattan College basketball preview here.
Q: Could you tell us a little bit about Operation Hardwood and what you saw over there? How did it influence you?
Coach Rohrssen: Well, it was a privilege and an honor to be asked to be a part of something that has such an impact on a lot of lives both abroad and here.
One of the things that we found (the coaches who went over there) was what joy and relief it brought to the daily grind of the servicemen’s life. To be able to give them another outlet, whether it was a basketball game or even just a conversation in the tent or the mess hall, was great. Just to be able to share stories with them.
The interaction from having people from their country over there to come and visit them relieved them. Then as it narrowed down to people, in my particular case, from the East Coast, then from New York, finally even New York City even.
You just come across and in contact with so many people over there, it was one of the more incredible things to have ever happened to me. It was certainly eye-opening.
When asked before if it was a once in a lifetime experience, I have used maybe, because it will be more than that if they ever ask me to go again. It left such an impression, so certainly if the opportunity presents itself again I would do it again.
Q: There are a couple new faces on the coaching staff in C.J. Council and Guy Ngarndi. How will they add to your staff?
Coach Rohrssen: Well, both of the new members of the staff have higher education degrees. C.J. Council is an undergraduate and master’s degree graduate from St. John's, and Guy is a Manhattan College double major graduate. A double major graduate is someone who deserves cartwheels for what they did.
Guy, the year that we had been together here as coach and player, he was our hardest worker. Not just during the 40 minutes on game day, but also in each and every practice we had.
When you look at both these young men, what you are seeing is two people that have an idea about what higher education is, C.J. having both a bachelor's and master's degree and Guy having a double major.
One of my main points is that our players don’t ever lose sight of the value of education. I stress the student part of student-athlete. It is of paramount importance to me that they don’t go through their college years and leave without acquiring their degree.
Guy is personal proof from being on this campus that those things are obtainable and are achieved through hard work. Some of these guys may be able to relate to Guy in particular because they were teammates of his and know what his work ethic is like.
Both of these guys can be an example and someone that you can look towards when it comes to being a good student and good person.
Q: You and Coach De La Rosa go way back, right? You used to play at Saint Francis?
Coach Rohrssen: He was the captain of our team in college.
Q: How important is it to have someone there that you have known for so long?
Coach Rohrssen: Well, even though we played in college, we go even further back to high school together. We grew up in the same neighborhood and played at competing rival high schools. Edgar, even in high school, was a very good player.
Throughout his career he has been an overachiever. He has excellent leadership qualities, and he is an outstanding gentleman. So when you are putting a staff together there are certain things you look for, and first and foremost is a quality person and individual that also demonstrates good leadership abilities.
Having that good background and familiarity with Edgar throughout our lifetime together has really made him a nice addition to our staff.
4 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete