LutherRackleyRulez
01-30-2010, 11:50 PM
Per New York Times.....
Rhode Island’s Coach Jim Baron Is a Rebuilder at Work, Again
SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. — Rhode Island Coach Jim Baron, the son of a mason, grew up in a Brooklyn tenement. One of eight kids, he willed his way out of the projects through hard work. Baron still has a gruff Brooklyn accent, and his old-school mustache and Burberry glasses show the dichotomy of his hard-nosed work ethic and his success as a college coach with more than 350 victories.
“Look at his hands and you see those fingers — they go in about 10 different directions,” said Kevin McNamee, who attended St. Bonaventure with Baron. “You get a real quick feel for where he came from and how he got where he is. And it wasn’t by playing piano.”
Like his father in many ways, Baron is a mason of blighted basketball programs. His legacy will be that of a master rebuilder, and his latest project may be his most impressive. With a 72-66 victory against George Washington on Saturday, Baron’s Rams are 17-3 and appear headed to their first N.C.A.A. tournament since 1999.
Baron, 55, took St. Francis (Pa.) to its only N.C.A.A. tournament in 1991 and led St. Bonaventure there in 2000. Neither team has been back since.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/sports/ncaabasketball/31rams.html?ref=sports
Rhode Island’s Coach Jim Baron Is a Rebuilder at Work, Again
SOUTH KINGSTON, R.I. — Rhode Island Coach Jim Baron, the son of a mason, grew up in a Brooklyn tenement. One of eight kids, he willed his way out of the projects through hard work. Baron still has a gruff Brooklyn accent, and his old-school mustache and Burberry glasses show the dichotomy of his hard-nosed work ethic and his success as a college coach with more than 350 victories.
“Look at his hands and you see those fingers — they go in about 10 different directions,” said Kevin McNamee, who attended St. Bonaventure with Baron. “You get a real quick feel for where he came from and how he got where he is. And it wasn’t by playing piano.”
Like his father in many ways, Baron is a mason of blighted basketball programs. His legacy will be that of a master rebuilder, and his latest project may be his most impressive. With a 72-66 victory against George Washington on Saturday, Baron’s Rams are 17-3 and appear headed to their first N.C.A.A. tournament since 1999.
Baron, 55, took St. Francis (Pa.) to its only N.C.A.A. tournament in 1991 and led St. Bonaventure there in 2000. Neither team has been back since.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/sports/ncaabasketball/31rams.html?ref=sports