#1
Colin Rajala: Her (DeFalco) departure certainly leaves big shoes to fill. On that front, you brought in someone you and many fans are very familiar with, former Seton Hall guard Ka-Deidre Simmons, along with Cassandra Callaway former assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts. What did you see in both of them to try and fill Lauren’s shoes?
Bozzella: Before we get to them, I want to start with [Assistant Coach] Jose (Rebimbas), who I went to college with. He’s been with me now for seven years and he’s a very talented coach, a great strategist. He's really done a great job of delving into player evaluation. He's picked up a lot of things that Lauren did for me and he's also not afraid to give me his opinions, which is not easy.
I also have Director of Player Development Pete Cinella, who’s another veteran coach who's been a head coach for over 20 years, and they've done a lot to continue to get the program to the next step, to the next level.
I also want to mention Shakena Richardson, who’s a former great player of mine. She's taken on a much bigger role now and is very involved in recruiting on campus, very involved in talking with the young ladies when they get on campus and she’s been a big, big help and will continue to grow as an asset for our program.
Now Lauren and I have always talked about having DiDi [Ka-Deidre] on staff and it was Lauren’s idea to bring her along as a graduate assistant and coordinator of basketball operations. It was also a great idea to have DiDi move on to a different program [St. Bonaventure University] and see things differently. I did that with Lauren when she played for me, she moved on to a different program [Sacred Heart University] for a few years. You learn a lot there and DiDi learned a lot at St. Bonaventure, you know what to do and what not to do. She really developed and she's come back an even stronger coach. Her player development skills are fantastic, her player evaluations......she learned a lot under Lauren and still leans on her for some questions, but she’s been fantastic and I couldn’t be more pleased with DiDi. She’s the coach I envisioned years ago when I coached her, when I had her on staff, when she left to go to another staff and then come back. She's going to be a head coach one day, hopefully not too soon, but one day for sure.
Cassandra I've known for a few years now and I always thought in the back of my mind, she'd be someone that could come in and whether Lauren stayed and moved into a different role or whether Lauren moved on, which she did, Cassandra could come in and do a great job. She’s a New Jersey product from Bayonne and she's exceeded my expectations. She’s super smart, super organized, another passionate coach, who is a really good talent evaluator. I have seen just a continued understanding of the type of players that we look for and we want, and Cassandra has done a great job of not only doing it herself, but also by mentoring DiDi and talking with Jose. She has just come in and continued to make this a family as our staff and it's not easy. There's a lot of pressure put on her and she's done an amazing job so far. We’re thrilled to have both of these young ladies here; they have done a great job and I am very thankful to have them on staff.
Tony Bozzella discusses his staff
Colin Rajala: Her (DeFalco) departure certainly leaves big shoes to fill. On that front, you brought in someone you and many fans are very familiar with, former Seton Hall guard Ka-Deidre Simmons, along with Cassandra Callaway former assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts. What did you see in both of them to try and fill Lauren’s shoes?
Bozzella: Before we get to them, I want to start with [Assistant Coach] Jose (Rebimbas), who I went to college with. He’s been with me now for seven years and he’s a very talented coach, a great strategist. He's really done a great job of delving into player evaluation. He's picked up a lot of things that Lauren did for me and he's also not afraid to give me his opinions, which is not easy.
I also have Director of Player Development Pete Cinella, who’s another veteran coach who's been a head coach for over 20 years, and they've done a lot to continue to get the program to the next step, to the next level.
I also want to mention Shakena Richardson, who’s a former great player of mine. She's taken on a much bigger role now and is very involved in recruiting on campus, very involved in talking with the young ladies when they get on campus and she’s been a big, big help and will continue to grow as an asset for our program.
Now Lauren and I have always talked about having DiDi [Ka-Deidre] on staff and it was Lauren’s idea to bring her along as a graduate assistant and coordinator of basketball operations. It was also a great idea to have DiDi move on to a different program [St. Bonaventure University] and see things differently. I did that with Lauren when she played for me, she moved on to a different program [Sacred Heart University] for a few years. You learn a lot there and DiDi learned a lot at St. Bonaventure, you know what to do and what not to do. She really developed and she's come back an even stronger coach. Her player development skills are fantastic, her player evaluations......she learned a lot under Lauren and still leans on her for some questions, but she’s been fantastic and I couldn’t be more pleased with DiDi. She’s the coach I envisioned years ago when I coached her, when I had her on staff, when she left to go to another staff and then come back. She's going to be a head coach one day, hopefully not too soon, but one day for sure.
Cassandra I've known for a few years now and I always thought in the back of my mind, she'd be someone that could come in and whether Lauren stayed and moved into a different role or whether Lauren moved on, which she did, Cassandra could come in and do a great job. She’s a New Jersey product from Bayonne and she's exceeded my expectations. She’s super smart, super organized, another passionate coach, who is a really good talent evaluator. I have seen just a continued understanding of the type of players that we look for and we want, and Cassandra has done a great job of not only doing it herself, but also by mentoring DiDi and talking with Jose. She has just come in and continued to make this a family as our staff and it's not easy. There's a lot of pressure put on her and she's done an amazing job so far. We’re thrilled to have both of these young ladies here; they have done a great job and I am very thankful to have them on staff.
