Niagara welcomes large crop of newcomers, hopes to advance its climb in MAAC

Now in his fifth season at Niagara, Greg Paulus continues to build his vision amid roster turnover, welcoming eight new players to Purple Eagle program. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

Greg Paulus’ first four years as a head coach have gone largely under the radar in most circles. And while most of his efforts have lied in anonymity through his time at Niagara, the numbers do not obscure facts.

Each year since assuming the reins on Monteagle Ridge, doing so just two weeks before the 2019-20 campaign began after Patrick Beilein resigned, Paulus' teams have finished in the top half of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, earning first-round byes in three straight MAAC tournaments. But while Paulus, the former Mike Krzyzewski point guard at Duke, has quietly molded his program into the most consistent Niagara outfit since Joe Mihalich left for Hofstra a decade ago, the work that has gone into creating a sleeping giant has not come without its share of adversity.

Last season’s largest obstacle came in the form of ten newcomers to the program, a variable Paulus was able to turn into an advantage by cycling fresh bodies in and out during games. This year, the Purple Eagles — who lose each of their top three scorers after Noah Thomasson and Aaron Gray transferred, as well as Sam Iorio, who graduated — have eight players going through the orientation process this offseason. And beyond the introductions and proverbial name tags in practice, the same ethos of Niagara’s commitment to fostering an atmosphere conducive to player development is forged through simply getting to know each one on and off the floor. It was this personal connection, among many things, that made Krzyzewski such a special coach, and one that has aided his former pupil immensely as he leads a flock of his own.

“You learn from experiences, maybe things that worked well or things you’d adjust as you go,” Paulus said of how he treats each year as its own blank canvas. “For us, with the foundational pieces of our program, relationships being number one, that’s something we’ve invested a lot of time in. Whether it’s the new guys or the returning guys, we’re just trying to develop those relationships, learn who they are and (let) them learn who we are. When you get to see these guys on a daily basis, you’re able to get some of things you’re not able to learn until you spend time with them and what makes them who they are.”

“We believe in a process here, and we try to work at it. When you look at this group and eight new guys, that’s different from ten new guys, which is different from when you have a core returning. What we try to do as coaches is learn what the guys can do on the floor, develop them on the floor, but also stay true to our values within our program. We haven’t changed the core values, but in terms of learning our new guys and trying to put them in positions for success, that happens over the course of time and we’re able to try to do that to the best that we can.”

With college basketball operating in its current landscape, such consistency at the mid-major level has become a greater challenge than ever before. So while Niagara’s trajectory has been sustained, the constant hurdle has been managing the roster turnover, similar to most other MAAC schools in the transfer portal. For Paulus and his staff, the highest wall to scale has simply been laying the foundation for getting to know what he and the Purple Eagles have.

“I think it’s just learning our guys again,” he opined. “We have eight new guys on the roster, and every year is different. Last year was ten new guys on the roster for us and this year, it’s eight, so I think it’s just growing the relationships that you have with the current players and developing them. Now it’s about learning those (new) guys, not just on the court (and) what they do well, what they don’t, but just getting to know them as people and spending that time together.”

“When you go through one year here in our program, the terminology isn’t new, the system isn’t new. You can see that these guys are a little bit more comfortable from their play and just being around them this summer. Having the new guys coming in, we want a combination of the returners who understand what we’re trying to do, we want them to demonstrate those skills, but we also want the newcomers to demonstrate those qualities too. There’s a lot of that coming in, so the combination of the two is something that we’re going to need as we try to bring this team together.”

Braxton Bayless (4) is one of six returning Niagara players, and should be among leading scorers for Purple Eagles. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

The combination of youth and experience manifests itself again this coming season, with a bevy of senior and graduate transfers arriving in western New York as Niagara looks to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. Paulus’ method of roster construction was not by design when navigating the portal, but rather a fortuitous stroke of finding the right fits for the advanced stages of his build, which just happened to come with veteran hands to join the likes of Braxton Bayless, David Mitchell, Lance Erving and Harlan Obioha.

“You’re trying to identify guys that can come in and want to be a part of something, love the game and want to work at it, are appreciative of an opportunity and bring a certain skill set,” he said. “We tried to identify some guys, and I think having some experience with this group is the way it worked out for us. Sometimes you just try to find a profile, and the way it worked out was with more experience this year. Trying to find some guys with versatility is certainly something we tried to look for with adding guys in the spring.”

“We did a lot of research across college basketball. Malik Edwards is from an NAIA school, Aime (Rutayisire) is from a junior college, we got some transfers with Dre Bullock from Louisiana Tech, some grad transfers. Luke (Bumbalough) has a great feel and an understanding for how to play the game, he’s an experienced guard that can create for himself and others. Kwane (Marble) is a guy that really knows how to play, is versatile with not only the positions he can play, but also in the way he can impact games. Dre is a dynamic player with his versatility and athleticism, Randy (Tucker) has been very dependable with his skill set and knowing how to play, being in the right place at the right time.”

“Yaw (Obeng-Mensah) is somebody who brings versatility to the frontcourt, someone that had a lot of production last year at UMBC. Malik is a guard that comes from a powerhouse and a program that has won a lot of basketball games, Ahmad (Henderson) is a dynamic guard that really had a terrific senior season at Brother Rice, and Aime has been very dependable and gives versatility in the frontcourt with playing inside and outside.”

A trademark of Niagara’s early-season preparation under Paulus has been a non-conference schedule that features big names and favorable opportunities spread out equally. This year’s slate is no exception, with trips to Notre Dame and Syracuse bookending home games against St. Bonaventure and Bucknell, plus a multi-team event at Youngstown State. The primary objective, Paulus says, is to not only acclimate himself to his players, but continue to develop and hone the connection and synergy he holds so dear within his program.

“You get a chance to learn your team a little bit in the summertime, but it goes to another level when you get a chance to start the season,” he revealed. “We’ve tried to be aggressive in playing some of those high-major teams, whether it’s Big Ten, ACC, Big East. We like to play a few of those each year, I think it gives you a chance to learn a lot about your team, play on the biggest stage. And so for us, it’s a very difficult schedule but a great opportunity.”

“I want to learn our group. I want to learn how we handle situations, and we want to continue to keep teaching and help our team grow. We have a saying, and it hasn’t changed: We want to be better today than we were yesterday, be better tomorrow than we were today. That’s something that our program has tried to do, be better and get better as the year goes on.”

Now a seasoned 37 years old, Paulus’ journey has taken him on one of the more unique paths in the game. From switching to football for his final year of collegiate eligibility as a player to getting into coaching, and becoming a father along the way — he and his wife Megan welcomed their third child this offseason — his perspective has matured in lockstep with his years. And as his Niagara team has grown in a similar vein, he is simply hoping to stay in the moment and experience it together with a new group of young students.

“There’s been different challenges along the way,” he reflected. “We’re grateful for the blessing. As you go through coaching here and being here for five years, you learn a lot about yourself. We’re excited to continue to hopefully work hard, learn this group, and help this team be a connected, unselfish, hard-playing group that tries to represent those that have come before us. There’s a lot of pride, and we’re just grateful to be a part of it.”