Jim Ferry always expected to lead the Long Island Blackbirds back to the top. He just didn’t expect it to take so long.
Nine years after taking over as coach, the Long Island native was finally cutting down a net in Brooklyn after winning the program’s first conference tournament championship in 14 years.
Before losing to No. 2 seed North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, LIU won 27 games, its most in 74 years. This season, returning most of their core, the Blackbirds were selected in the preseason Northeast Conference coaches poll to repeat as champions.
Ferry feels the pressure of increased expectations, and though he hopes to be standing on a ladder in March, he refuses to predict it.
“I think it’s tough for all players that have success to come back and do it again,” Ferry said. “We got the bull’s-eye. We’re educating the guys on how much different it’s going to be, how much harder it’s going to be. We’re not going to sneak up on anybody this year. That’s why most teams don’t usually go back-to-back.”
The road to their goal begins unpaved, with 10 of their first 11 games away from home, beginning at Hofstra on Friday. The Blackbirds rely on up-tempo aggression and substitute freely, ranking fourth nationally with 82.7 points per game last season even though no player averaged more than 13 points or 27 minutes.
Another title will not be possible without strong seasons from junior forwards Julian Boyd and Jamal Olasewere, who were selected to the preseason All-NEC First Team.
Boyd, who returned last season after missing the previous season with a heart ailment, averaged 13 points and 8.9 rebounds. Olasewere averaged 12.9 points and 6.8 rebounds, and was named MVP of the conference tournament after compiling 31 points and 11 rebounds in their overtime championship game win over Robert Morris.
“I feel we’re getting a little more respect,” Boyd said. “Last year we probably didn’t get as much as we deserved. I feel people know who we are now and we’re not just a team in a smaller conference trying to make their way to the tournament. Everyone’s circling us on their schedules, but we overcame adversity last year, too.”
Olaswere, an athletic southpaw with good ball-handling skills at 6-foot-7, hopes to continue his postseason prowess and expand on the nickname it earned him.
“They always call me ‘Playoff Jamal,’ but my same mindset in the playoffs is going to carry over to the regular season now,” Olasewere said. “We can’t sit here and live off the past. We’re going for another one.”
Ferry has challenged Olasewere to average a double-double, a task he feels is well within reach.
“The player he was at the beginning of last year and the player he is now are two different Jamals,” Ferry said. “He’s just taken off and blossomed.”
The backcourt will be led by a triumvirate of guards with increased responsibility after losing guards Kyle Johnson and David Hicks, the school’s all-time leaders in games played. Playing alongside C.J. Garner and Michael Culpo, sophomore Jason Brickman will handle the point, having led the conference last season in assists (5.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.81).
Talking after practice, Boyd and Olasewere mirror their coach, acknowledging the newfound challenges. Still, the expectations are evident. And should another spring see the Blackbirds repeat, a season after being reborn…
“If we do make it,” Olasewere said, “hopefully, we get North Carolina again.”
