Latest news with #Andrzejek
Fox Sports
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
John Andrzejek won a national title with Florida to start the week. Now he's Campbell's head coach
Associated Press BUIES CREEK, N.C. (AP) — John Andrzejek is finally done with juggling coaching duties. Andrzejek spent nearly three weeks fitting in work as the newly named head coach at Campbell between his duties as an assistant at Florida. Now, less than 48 hours after Andrzejek made a beeline toward midcourt at the horn to celebrate the Gators' run to the national championship in San Antonio, he can finally focus solely on building the foundation for his own program. 'It's been a whirlwind,' Andrzejek told reporters Wednesday at his introductory campus news conference. "I mean, when that buzzer went off, I was just sprinting on the court looking for people to hug. "It was a long celebration, it was seven or eight hours of hugging people. We did the Riverwalk in San Antonio, had Gator fans cheering everywhere. Came back to my phone to 700 unread texts. But quickly since we got back, I've transitioned to being the head coach here full-time and I couldn't be more excited for this opportunity." Florida beat Houston 65-63 on Monday night, then Andrzejek joined the Gators back to Gainesville for the team's campus celebration Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, he was taking a charter flight to North Carolina to arrive at Campbell, a Coastal Athletic Association program at a private university of about 5,100 students. The Camels have one NCAA Tournament bid in their history, a 1992 first-round loss to Duke on the way to a repeat championship. But on Wednesday, at least, they added another tie to March Madness: their 32-year-old coach, who came armed with a strand of the clipped-down net from the title game that he held up as proof he understands what it takes to build a successful program. The school announced Andrzejek's hiring March 20, the day before the Gators' NCAA Tournament opener in North Carolina's capital city of Raleigh. But the sides planned to wait for Andrzejek to finish the ride with the Gators for him to take over the Camels. Florida went on to reach college basketball's biggest stage at the Final Four. That meant lots of hours switching between finishing scouting work for the Gators, then taking calls from recruits or potential staff hires with the Camels, then back to breaking down film or other tasks in Florida's title push. It helped that he was able to hire Landry Kosmalski, a former head coach at Division III Swarthmore, to assist from afar. Kosmalski said that included Andrzejek forwarding him names of recruits to more fully research as they put together their roster-building board. Yet as Andrzejek noted from the Florida locker room in the Alamodome, the Camels' sales pitch to recruits and fans got stronger with every win by the Gators. 'It's created a lot of energy on our campus, and a lot of support and anticipation of him coming," Campbell athletic director Hannah Bazemore said Wednesday. "And at that point, a lot of Camels turned Gators in really wanting him to be successful. I think it also helped from a recruiting standpoint for him, being able to get out there now say you've got a national championship coach calling you. "It was something we couldn't have dreamed up any better, we couldn't have written a script any better. I think it benefitted him and it benefitted us in a tremendous way." It has gotten the attention of the Camels players he's inheriting, too. 'It makes me excited," guard Tasos Cook said. 'I want to play just how those guys were playing. It looked like they were having fun playing on court, playing together.' Andrzejek also leaned in on Campbell's small-town vibe in Buies Creek, located about 45 minutes south of Raleigh. He talked of growing up and baling hay in a rural town in upstate New York, describing a comfort with living here instead of "a Raleigh suburb.' And that included saying his staffers would immerse themselves in the community by being around campus, at Camels sporting events and tailgates, or at church. He was finally clear to call it home. 'Come say hi and introduce yourselves,' Andrzejek said, promising: 'We're going to make some great memories here together too.' ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and recommended
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
John Andrzejek won a national title with Florida to start the week. Now he's Campbell's head coach
BUIES CREEK, N.C. (AP) — John Andrzejek is finally done with juggling coaching duties. Andrzejek spent nearly three weeks fitting in work as the newly named head coach at Campbell between his duties as an assistant at Florida. Now, less than 48 hours after Andrzejek made a beeline toward midcourt at the horn to celebrate the Gators' run to the national championship in San Antonio, he can finally focus solely on building the foundation for his own program. 'It's been a whirlwind,' Andrzejek told reporters Wednesday at his introductory campus news conference. "I mean, when that buzzer went off, I was just sprinting on the court looking for people to hug. "It was a long celebration, it was seven or eight hours of hugging people. We did the Riverwalk in San Antonio, had Gator fans cheering everywhere. Came back to my phone to 700 unread texts. But quickly since we got back, I've transitioned to being the head coach here full-time and I couldn't be more excited for this opportunity." Florida beat Houston 65-63 on Monday night, then Andrzejek joined the Gators back to Gainesville for the team's campus celebration Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, he was taking a charter flight to North Carolina to arrive at Campbell, a Coastal Athletic Association program at a private university of about 5,100 students. The Camels have one NCAA Tournament bid in their history, a 1992 first-round loss to Duke on the way to a repeat championship. But on Wednesday, at least, they added another tie to March Madness: their 32-year-old coach, who came armed with a strand of the clipped-down net from the title game that he held up as proof he understands what it takes to build a successful program. The school announced Andrzejek's hiring March 20, the day before the Gators' NCAA Tournament opener in North Carolina's capital city of Raleigh. But the sides planned to wait for Andrzejek to finish the ride with the Gators for him to take over the Camels. Florida went on to reach college basketball's biggest stage at the Final Four. That meant lots of hours switching between finishing scouting work for the Gators, then taking calls from recruits or potential staff hires with the Camels, then back to breaking down film or other tasks in Florida's title push. It helped that he was able to hire Landry Kosmalski, a former head coach at Division III Swarthmore, to assist from afar. Kosmalski said that included Andrzejek forwarding him names of recruits to more fully research as they put together their roster-building board. Yet as Andrzejek noted from the Florida locker room in the Alamodome, the Camels' sales pitch to recruits and fans got stronger with every win by the Gators. 'It's created a lot of energy on our campus, and a lot of support and anticipation of him coming," Campbell athletic director Hannah Bazemore said Wednesday. "And at that point, a lot of Camels turned Gators in really wanting him to be successful. I think it also helped from a recruiting standpoint for him, being able to get out there now say you've got a national championship coach calling you. "It was something we couldn't have dreamed up any better, we couldn't have written a script any better. I think it benefitted him and it benefitted us in a tremendous way." It has gotten the attention of the Camels players he's inheriting, too. 'It makes me excited," guard Tasos Cook said. 'I want to play just how those guys were playing. It looked like they were having fun playing on court, playing together.' Andrzejek also leaned in on Campbell's small-town vibe in Buies Creek, located about 45 minutes south of Raleigh. He talked of growing up and baling hay in a rural town in upstate New York, describing a comfort with living here instead of "a Raleigh suburb.' And that included saying his staffers would immerse themselves in the community by being around campus, at Camels sporting events and tailgates, or at church. He was finally clear to call it home. 'Come say hi and introduce yourselves,' Andrzejek said, promising: 'We're going to make some great memories here together too.' ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and Aaron Beard, The Associated Press
Associated Press
09-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
John Andrzejek won a national title with Florida to start the week. Now he's Campbell's head coach
BUIES CREEK, N.C. (AP) — John Andrzejek is finally done with juggling coaching duties. Andrzejek spent nearly three weeks fitting in work as the newly named head coach at Campbell between his duties as an assistant at Florida. Now, less than 48 hours after Andrzejek made a beeline toward midcourt at the horn to celebrate the Gators' run to the national championship in San Antonio, he can finally focus solely on building the foundation for his own program. 'It's been a whirlwind,' Andrzejek told reporters Wednesday at his introductory campus news conference. 'I mean, when that buzzer went off, I was just sprinting on the court looking for people to hug. 'It was a long celebration, it was seven or eight hours of hugging people. We did the Riverwalk in San Antonio, had Gator fans cheering everywhere. Came back to my phone to 700 unread texts. But quickly since we got back, I've transitioned to being the head coach here full-time and I couldn't be more excited for this opportunity.' Florida beat Houston 65-63 on Monday night, then Tuesday. By Wednesday morning, he was taking a charter flight to North Carolina to arrive at Campbell, a Coastal Athletic Association program at a private university of about 5,100 students. The Camels have one NCAA Tournament bid in their history, a 1992 first-round loss to Duke on the way to a repeat championship. But on Wednesday, at least, they added another tie to March Madness: their 32-year-old coach, who came armed with a strand of the clipped-down net from the title game that he held up as proof he understands what it takes to build a successful program. The school announced Andrzejek's hiring March 20, the day before the Gators' NCAA Tournament opener in North Carolina's capital city of Raleigh. But the sides planned to wait for Andrzejek to finish the ride with the Gators for him to take over the Camels. Florida went on to reach college basketball's biggest stage at the Final Four. That meant lots of hours switching between finishing scouting work for the Gators, then taking calls from recruits or potential staff hires with the Camels, then back to breaking down film or other tasks in Florida's title push. It helped that he was able to hire Landry Kosmalski, a former head coach at Division III Swarthmore, to assist from afar. Kosmalski said that included Andrzejek forwarding him names of recruits to more fully research as they put together their roster-building board. Yet as Andrzejek noted from the Florida locker room in the Alamodome, the Camels' sales pitch to recruits and fans got stronger with every win by the Gators. 'It's created a lot of energy on our campus, and a lot of support and anticipation of him coming,' Campbell athletic director Hannah Bazemore said Wednesday. 'And at that point, a lot of Camels turned Gators in really wanting him to be successful. I think it also helped from a recruiting standpoint for him, being able to get out there now say you've got a national championship coach calling you. 'It was something we couldn't have dreamed up any better, we couldn't have written a script any better. I think it benefitted him and it benefitted us in a tremendous way.' It has gotten the attention of the Camels players he's inheriting, too. 'It makes me excited,' guard Tasos Cook said. 'I want to play just how those guys were playing. It looked like they were having fun playing on court, playing together.' Andrzejek also leaned in on Campbell's small-town vibe in Buies Creek, located about 45 minutes south of Raleigh. He talked of growing up and baling hay in a rural town in upstate New York, describing a comfort with living here instead of 'a Raleigh suburb.' And that included saying his staffers would immerse themselves in the community by being around campus, at Camels sporting events and tailgates, or at church. He was finally clear to call it home.
Boston Globe
05-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
As Final Four opens, three assistants juggle current jobs while getting set to lead their own programs
'I didn't second-guess this at all,' White said. 'There was no thought in my mind that said now that you've become a head coach, you need to get down there immediately. This is a family to me and families stick together and see things through.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The programs where they've spent multiple seasons are two wins from winning a national championship, which would be the first for Florida since the 2006 and 2007 repeat, and the first ever for Houston — the program best known for the 'Phi Slama Jama' glory days of the 1980s that twice brought the program to the title game. There's the emotional pull to stay with their teams to the end, bitter or glorious. Advertisement Awkward timing The thrill of this week's Final Four conflicts with a key time for the programs the coaches are taking over. The transfer portal is open, with players already jumping in to move on from their current schools. So it's a fertile time for coaches looking to reshape rosters for next season, meaning any time away from those new programs is time lost. Advertisement Another team in the Final Four, Duke, had a staffer face that same conundrum. Jai Lucas, who was the team's defensive coordinator, left the Blue Devils after the regular-season finale at North Carolina to take over at Miami. Miami men's basketball coach Jai Lucas (left) left his role as a Duke assistant after the regular season to lead the Hurricanes. Lynne Sladky/Associated Press That's meant the Blue Devils having to shuffle responsibilities, with assistant Emanuel Dildy noting that coach Jon Scheyer — who called the timing 'not ideal' — has been diving even more into some of the scouting work. 'It's really been the same as always: just next man up,' Duke guard Sion James said. 'Same as when players get hurt. . . . And our coaches are the exact same way, we've got coaches who are ready to step up whenever their number is called since then.' For the holdovers still with their teams in San Antonio, there's a bit more room to wait by going to a mid-major that can only benefit from the promotion that will come with Saturday's games and maybe a trip to the title game Monday night. 'The further we go, the better our sales pitch gets, the better our brand is for Campbell,' Andrzejek said. 'I think kids are already really excited to play for a coach who has coached in the Final Four. And I know they'd be even more excited to play for a coach who's a national champion.' The new jobs White, 44, is the only one of the three who has already had an introductory news conference at his new school. He's taking over a Sun Belt program that reached March Madness just two years ago. Advertisement The 32-year-old Andrzejek and the 36-year-old Hovde will be introduced next week. Andrzejek is taking over a Coastal Athletic Association program in North Carolina with a single NCAA Tournament bid in its history (1992). Hovde, 36, is taking over the New York City-based Ivy League program with three NCAA bids but none since 1968. The key for Andrzejek, Hovde and White has been simple: adaptability. 'I just spent a lot of time on the phone, to be honest,' said Hovde, who at least has two assistant coaches in the hiring process at Columbia. Calls, visits and recruiting Hovde jumped at the chance after the Gators 'They're awesome,' Hovde said of the Columbia players. 'They're Florida Gator fans now, text me after every game.' Andrzejek hasn't been able to do official visits because he's otherwise been with the Gators in Gainesville. He's hired Landry Kosmalski, a former coach at Division III Swarthmore, to give him another set of hands in Buies Creek. 'I won't lie to you: it's a lot of nights going on four hours' sleep, trying to do both,' Andrzejek said. 'It's not neatly compartmentalized. It'd be nice to say, 'All right, from 9 to 4, I work on Florida. From 4 to 10, I work on Campbell.' It doesn't really work that way.' Advertisement As for White, he has hired three assistants and even managed to sneak away for a quick visit to Louisiana for recruiting this week. 'Had a kid on a visit who committed, thank God,' White said. 'So right after the visit was over, I flew back [Wednesday], got with the team, practiced, and drove up here and started preparing.' Still, his work with the Cougars takes priority for a few more days, at least. 'Even when I was down at Lafayette,' White said, 'I was watching film on Duke.'
Fox Sports
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Florida duo, Houston's White juggle tasks as Final Four assistants set to lead their own programs
Associated Press SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Florida assistant coaches John Andrzejek and Kevin Hovde are racking up the hours before the Final Four. So is Houston assistant Quannas White ahead of Saturday's national semifinals at the Alamodome. Yet all three are doing more than fine-tuning scouting reports or breaking down video of their opponents. There's also work — fit carefully into an already-stuffed schedule — to get started on running their own programs. Andrzejek is headed to Campbell, Hovde to Columbia and White to Louisiana-Lafayette in hirings that have already been announced. That means taking calls to interview staff or talk to recruits while riding out the rest of their current teams' title pushes, including taking the practice court in the Alamodome on Friday ahead of the Florida-Auburn and Houston-Duke semifinals on Saturday. 'I didn't second-guess this at all,' White said. 'There was no thought in my mind that said now that you've become a head coach, you need to get down there immediately. This is a family to me and families stick together and see things through.' The programs where they've spent multiple seasons are two wins from winning a national championship, which would be the first for Florida since the 2006 and 2007 repeat, and the first ever for Houston — the program best known for the 'Phi Slama Jama' glory days of the 1980s that twice brought the program to the title game. There's the emotional pull to stay with their teams to the end, bitter or glorious. Awkward timing The thrill of this week's Final Four conflicts with a key time for the programs the coaches are taking over. The transfer portal is open, with players already jumping in to move on from their current schools. So it's a fertile time for coaches looking to reshape rosters for next season, meaning any time away from those new programs is time lost. Another team in the Final Four, Duke, had a staffer face that same conundrum. Jai Lucas, who was the team's defensive coordinator, left the Blue Devils after the regular-season finale at North Carolina to take over at Miami. That's meant the Blue Devils having to shuffle responsibilities, with assistant Emanuel Dildy noting that coach Jon Scheyer — who called the timing 'not ideal' — has been diving even more into some of the scouting work. 'It's really been the same as always: just next man up,' Duke guard Sion James said. 'Same as when players get hurt. ... And our coaches are the exact same way, we've got coaches who are ready to step up whenever their number is called since then.' For the holdovers still with their teams in San Antonio, there's a bit more room to wait by going to a mid-major that can only benefit from the promotion that will come with Saturday's games and maybe a trip to the title game Monday night. 'The further we go, the better our sales pitch gets, the better our brand is for Campbell,' Andrzejek said. "I think kids are already really excited to play for a coach who has coached in the Final Four. And I know they'd be even more excited to play for a coach who's a national champion.' The new jobs White, 44, is the only one of the three who has already had an introductory news conference at his new school. He's taking over a Sun Belt program that reached March Madness just two years ago. The 32-year-old Andrzejek and the 36-year-old Hovde will be introduced next week. Andrzejek is taking over a Coastal Athletic Association program in North Carolina with a single NCAA Tournament bid in its history (1992). Hovde, 36, is taking over the New York City-based Ivy League program with three NCAA bids but none since 1968. The key for Andrzejek, Hovde and White has been simple: adaptability. 'I just spent a lot of time on the phone, to be honest,' said Hovde, who at least has two assistant coaches in the hiring process at Columbia. Calls, visits and recruiting Hovde jumped at the chance after the Gators beat two-time reigning national champion UConn in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to catch a flight for a daylong visit to Columbia. He had individual meetings with current players to build rapport with them, then rejoined Florida ahead of its trip to San Francisco for West Region games. 'They're awesome,' Hovde said of the Columbia players. 'They're Florida Gator fans now, text me after every game.' Andrzejek hasn't been able to do official visits because he's otherwise been with the Gators in Gainesville. He's hired Landry Kosmalski, a former coach at Division III Swarthmore, to give him another set of hands in Buies Creek. 'I won't lie to you: it's a lot of nights going on four hours' sleep, trying to do both,' Andrzejek said. 'It's not neatly compartmentalized. It'd be nice to say, 'All right, from 9 to 4, I work on Florida. From 4 to 10, I work on Campbell.' It doesn't really work that way.' As for White, he has hired three assistants and even managed to sneak away for a quick visit to Louisiana for recruiting this week. 'Had a kid on a visit who committed, thank God,' White said. 'So right after the visit was over, I flew back (Wednesday), got with the team, practiced and drove up here and started preparing.' Still, his work with the Cougars takes priority for a few more days, at least. 'Even when I was down at Lafayette,' White said, 'I was watching film on Duke.' ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. recommended
