Trust in the process.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mike DeGeorge was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Coach of the Year. The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) followed it up by naming DeGeorge the NABC All-West Region Coach of the Year.
“I’m not quite sure why they give out coaching awards, whatever the team successes are what really matters so you know obviously if you’re getting an individual award, it means you’re as a coach it means your team’s having success and that’s ultimately what it’s about, so you know it’s nice to be recognized and all that but certainly would’ve traded it for a win an NCAA Tournament,” DeGeorge said.
DeGeorge led the Mavericks to a 21-2 record, an RMAC Regular Season and Tournament Championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Regional Tournament.
The trust within CMU’s Basketball Program is what has made them successful in the three years that DeGeorge has been the coach. That trust runs within the Mavericks coaching staff, training staff and their players.
He has been a head coach for 17 years and he now has four coach of the year awards with three different schools. DeGeorge has had to switch up his coaching style slightly throughout the years.
“I have a division three background and so they took a little bit of a chance giving me an opportunity, I’ve got a family and proving that you could do it. In some ways the success we’ve had and being honored in that way certainly validates the decision, not only for them giving me the opportunity but for me taking the chance,” DeGeorge said.
DeGeorge made the jump from Division Three to Division Two basketball when he came to CMU. He coached at Eureka College, Cornell College and Rhodes College before he became the Mavericks head coach. He won coach of the year awards at both Cornell College and Rhodes College.
One of the coaching adjustments that DeGeorge made was trusting his assistant coaches more. CMU Assistant Coach Kyle Bossier is in his fifth season with DeGeorge and Dutch Johnson who has been at CMU since 2014.
“About the time the first year, I really sort of let go and stopped trying to control things too much, was that championship season of 2009. Up until that stage, I was trying so hard to be successful that there were times where it inhibited our success because I was following my energies in the wrong way or my tension in the games led to the players being more tense.
“I just took a step back that year and gave my assistant a bigger role and became more of a manager of the program rather than sort of trying to just control everything and so I do think that was a big factor in that and then I was very fortunate at Rhodes, I had some outstanding assistant coaches including Kyle [Bossier] and so it just became way easier for me to give up control because I felt like those guys were really good at their jobs,” DeGeorge said.
This switch in coaching style, allowed DeGeorge to be at his best when his best is needed.
Senior guard David Rico said that when he told DeGeorge that he had a family member pass this season. DeGeorge immediately called him to check up on him and see if he needed anything whether that be going home or missing practice.
“Over winter break, my grandfather passed away and I told him, you know, I usually don’t tell anybody whenever stuff is going back home,” Rico said. “I was like coach, I can’t make it a practice my grandpa is in the hospital, he’s going to pass away. I sent a text message and he called me instantly, we were just on the phone talking, and he’s just like if you need to go home it’s okay like we’re here with you and then I feel like you know to me that I really just proved that he does care outside of basketball.”
CMU was supposed to have seven seniors on the roster, but the Mavericks ended up with three seniors going into this season. Ten freshmen made up the majority of the roster and when they started 6-0, some adjustments needed to be made.
“Going into the season, we didn’t have very many expectations we certainly believed in the talent of our group but we didn’t believe in the experience of the group if you remember at the time Georgie and Jared weren’t playing due to injuries and so it was this open book which actually just created the space for guys to really come together. I think the adjustment mid-year ironically was, we have a lot of good players, how are we going to make all the pieces,” CMU Assistant Coach Kyle Bossier said.
DeGeorge and his staff navigated the uncertain style of the season to finish with the best season in CMU history.
