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Non-New Yorkers may think that the Big Apple seems like one compact unit where everyone is familiar with the boroughs and neighborhoods, but that’s definitely not true. Especially for a teenager who lived in the Mitchell projects of the Bronx in the 1980s.
“I’ve never been to Brooklyn,” laughs Long Island University men’s basketball coach Rod Strickland, a New York City point god who spent 17 years in the league and more than a decade on a high-level college staff before getting his first job. the head coach. work, in the summer of 2022. “I’ve come here to play a few times, but I was so young I can barely remember … I played in the Bronx, obviously, and we played in Harlem.
“So when I first got hired here, it was a completely different environment. I just had to get used to it, which was fine. At the end of the day, it’s really like the Bronx and Harlem. I just wasn’t here. Now it feels like home.”
And isn’t that nice for the LIU Sharks? If you’re doing a double take on what one of your favorite guards ever does at school, maybe you haven’t even heard of it… let’s take a step back.
LIU, formerly known as the Blackbirds, was a national power dating back to the 1930s when legendary coach and author Claire Bee led them to undefeated seasons in 1936 and ’39 and NIT championships in ’39 and ’41. The program collapsed in the 1950s after a shaving scandal and was back in DI until ’68. The only reasons fans under 50 may be familiar with the program are the dope 97 and 98 teams that featured New York City dancers Mike Campbell, Charles Jones and Richie Parker, or the 10-13 teams. , who have made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
Since then, the university’s Brooklyn and suburban Brookville locations officially merged, and the school was officially known solely as Long Island University. Furthermore, the sports teams are now the Sharks.
Rod Strickland, who led the NBA in assists in 1998 (he ranks 13th in career assists) and was named second-team All-NBA, has been coaching the LIU Sharks for two years. uh, and we’re just getting close. covering them. Well, that’s okay with him because it took about 24 months for him to become completely comfortable. “I had to get experience and feel everything,” says Strickland (whose teams went a combined 10-48 in his first two seasons) from the comfort of his office at LIU’s Steinberg Health Center. “As of today, I feel I have a good understanding of the environment. Now that’s a clean slate. These are my recruits. Completely new staff. It feels good.”
OG NYC ringleaders should consider this team the strength of not only Rod, but his newly hired assistant Derrick Phelps, who starred at Christ the King in Queens before a stellar four-year career at UNC. But we get it; that show is getting old. Why should the modern ring enthusiast tune in to see the Sharks? Because they’re going to be good.
Among the newcomers LIU fans are most excited about are freshman Rock Lee, a popular shooting guard from Atlanta who is considered an NEC ROY contender, and Malachi Davis, a senior transfer wing from the Toronto area via Power 4 program Arizona State, which has the NEC. POY potential. We find Davis watching the Sharks court from an office across the hall from Coach Strickland. “The key is building the LIU brand,” Davis says. “We are trying to change the culture. We are trying to change the environment. And bring the community together and do something really special this year.”
Sophomore forward Jason Steele, a Queens native who played his high school ball at Our Savior Lutheran in the Bronx, is one of a select group of returners for the Sharks. “A realistic goal for us is to win,” Steele says firmly. “We have people who want to compete. I would call them straight dogs. Everyone here wants to work and everyone wants to win.”
The team’s de facto leader is another returnee with a very familiar last name. senior point guard Terrell Strickland. Terrell had a great high school career at Tampa-St. Pitt County (my dad used to coach at South Florida) before playing in 50 games at James Madison University from 20-23. Rod was too close in the 22-23 season for Terrell to move up here, but there was no question he would arrive in the 23-24 season. Terell had a solid junior campaign at that point, averaging 7.2 ppg and 3.6 apg, and everyone expects him to perform even better this year.
“There was no debate that I was going to come play for him,” Terrell said. “I really enjoyed my time at James Madison, but this was too special an opportunity to pass up. Not only is he my father, he’s an NBA player who played the game at a high level. The opportunity to learn from him was something I couldn’t pass up.”
As Rod says, “I’ve been quoted as a player saying I never wanted to coach because I wouldn’t want to coach five of me. But when I finished playing, I needed a job. I called my boy William Wesley in Memphis and he brought me up with Cal (John Calipari). Cal was so forward-looking. he knew I was a guard and he got Derrick Rose, Tyreke (Evans), Jay Wall.”
Strickland followed Cal from Memphis to Kentucky, then to South Florida and the NBA G League. “At first I was not ready to be the head coach. But after being there at a high level in Memphis and Kentucky, playing in national championships, I don’t know exactly when, but it just got to a point where it was like the next step. I played. Then I was an assistant coach. Then the next thing was to be the head coach.”
It’s a comprehensive, enjoyable New York story that just needs some luck on the floor to reach the happy ending that everyone in the building seems inevitable.
When asked about his father, who is clearly the key to LIU’s entire hoops rebuild, Terrell says, “I’m really happy for him. Very proud of him. It’s a really amazing opportunity for him, especially for him to come back to New York to do this surrounded by his family and a great group of supporters.”
Action photos via Getty Images and David Patalano.
