Jim Baron’s first experiences in Madison Square Garden came back in the 1960s and ’70s, when the Brooklyn native would sneak into the building to watch the Knicks.
“I used to follow the Knicks when I was a young boy,” Baron said. “[GM] Eddie Donovan, [coach Red] Holzman, Bill Bradley, winning titles with Clyde [Frazier], Dick Barnett. Those guys were special to me growing up as a kid in Brooklyn. I used to sneak into the Garden just to watch them through the bowling alley, just to get in the arena. It’s what dreams are made of.”
Tuesday night, however, there will be no need for the 56-year-old Baron to sneak in, because he will be coaching his Rhode Island Rams against North Carolina in the NIT semifinals.
And more Garden games could be in Baron’s future.
As the search for St. John’s new head coach stretches into its second week, Baron’s name has begun to garner some attention. But Baron, who has won four A-10 Coach of the Year awards in his 18 years in the conference with St. Bonaventure and Rhode Island, was quick to put any future job speculation to rest.
“Right now, I’m just worried about our kids and the NIT,” Baron said. “When the season’s over, I’ll think about it, because that’s the time to evaluate those things. But I’m really just concerned about what we have to do with these kids, and what we have to do against North Carolina.”
Entering the season, though, making it this far was nowhere near the Rams’ radar. After Baron’s son, Jimmy, a first team All-Atlantic 10 player, and Kaheim Seawright, who made the third team, graduated, Rhode Island was expected to be in a rebuilding year and was picked to finish eighth in the A-10 in the preseason coaches’ poll.
But the Rams far exceeded anyone’s expectations by going 12-1 in non-conference play, including wins over Providence, Boston College and Oklahoma State. Rhode Island finished the regular season with 20 wins for the fifth time in Baron’s nine seasons before falling on the wrong side of the bubble for an NCAA Tournament berth.
“You just don’t know because [the Atlantic 10 coaches] picked us eighth in the preseason,” Baron said of his preseason expectations. “The kids were disappointed, I was disappointed, because, non-conference wise, I thought we did enough with upgrading our schedule.
“But in college basketball, there’s so many good teams and coaches and players . . . to still be playing is something very special.”
If Baron and the Rams win against the Tar Heels, Baron will have a chance to add a NIT championship as a coach to the one he has a player, when he co-captained St. Bonaventure to the tournament’s title in 1977.
“Being the only player on the team from New York City, that was extremely special,” said Baron of winning the title with a 94-91 victory over Houston.
If the Rams do come away with the title, Baron would become just the second man to both play for and coach NIT champions. Jeff Jones, who won it as a player in 1980 and a coach in 1992 with Virginia, was the first.
“It’s so special, but, you know, I don’t want to put the cart before the horse,” Baron said. “I’m just not that kind of guy. Any time you have a chance to win a tournament, you have a chance to do something very, very special, especially since it’s at the Garden.
“But there are three other very, very good teams that have worked to get to the [semifinals] of the tournament, and now we have a tremendous challenge against North Carolina.”
Tuesday’s game will be Baron’s first as a head coach at the Garden.
