NJIT basketball: Brian Kennedy resigns as coach. Who are potential candidates?
As an assistant coach, Brian Kennedy played a key role in helping the NJIT basketball program make a successful transition to Division 1.
As the Highlanders’ head coach, he could not keep the momentum going.
Kennedy’s seven-year tenure at NJIT’s helm ended Monday with his resignation. The Christian Brothers Academy grad and former Monmouth University captain furnished a record of 81-123. This season the Highlanders went 7-23 overall and 4-12 in the American East Conference, their fourth straight losing campaign.
"I would like to thank Coach Kennedy for his for his hard work and dedication to the University and our student-athletes during his time at NJIT as both an assistant and head coach," NJIT director of athletics Lenny Kaplan said in a statement.
Well-regarded in New Jersey hardwood circles, Kennedy played high school ball at Christian Brothers Academy in Middletown and then collegiately at Princeton and Monmouth, captaining the latter before graduating in 1990. His family helped pioneer the basketball camp industry. His eye for overlooked talent helped fledgling NJIT turn the corner when, as an assistant to Jim Engles, he brought aboard Union Catholic High School guard Damon Lynn. Virtually unrecruited, Lynn became a dominant force, leading the Highlanders to back-to-back 20-win seasons.
That success led to Engles taking the top job at Columbia and recommending Kennedy as his successor. The Highlanders posted a record of 22-13 in his third season, and a year later switched leagues from the Atlantic Sun to the America East – a much better fit geographically and academically. In three seasons at their hew home, however, they have not finished higher than eighth place.
The opening will attract plenty of attention within the college coaching community. NJIT is a good job in many respects. Its arena, the Wellness and Events Center (WEC), is a state-of-the-art, 3,500-seat facility that opened in 2017. Its home base of Newark is a fertile recruiting area. The academic requirements are stringent at NJIT, but generally speaking, the league is composed of like-minded institutions.
Two well-regarded Jersey college assistants who surely will receive consideration during the search are Rutgers’ Brandin Knight and Princeton’s Brett MacConnell.
Knight grew up in Essex County and starred at Seton Hall Prep, so he knows the lay of the land as well as anyone. An ace recruiter and talent developer, he helped Steve Pikiell build Rutgers from the ashes over the past seven years. He’s well-compensated at Rutgers but, at age 41, this could be a prime opportunity to run his own shop without having to pick up stakes.
MacConnell, a former manager at Rutgers, has been on Mitch Henderson’s staff at Princeton since 2013. He’s helped the Tigers win three Ivy League titles and recruited New Jersey remarkably well for a program that typically casted a national net. He also discovered current Princeton star Tosan Evbuomwan, the 2022 Ivy League Player of the Year, in England. And he's familiar with recruiting for a school known for its academic rigor.
And although Engles is still at Columbia, it's worth monitoring the situation there. In six seasons there his record is 46-121 overall and 19-65 in the Ivy League. This season the Lions finished last at 2-12 in the Ivy and 7-22 overall. Certainly no one knows NJIT better than Engles.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJIT basketball: Brian Kennedy resigns as coach. Potential candidates?
