Columbia

Jim Engles stresses continuity in his introduction as Columbia’s new head coach

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Photo from byianwenik
Columbia Athletic Director Peter Pilling (left) and Jim Engles share responsibility for the future of Columbia basketball now, in addition to an actual basketball. (Ian Wenik)

NEW YORK — Jim Engles is a unicorn amongst college coaches.

He’s not much of a screamer during games.

He’s never too up or too down in press conferences (just watch the presser after the biggest win of his career, NJIT’s 72-70 win over Michigan in 2014, for proof).

Rarest of all, Engles has never had to move out of the tri-state area during his career, enabling his children to grow up in one home.

That kind of stability is what the Columbia basketball program desperately needs as it enters a period of tremendous transition. Maodo Lo, Alex Rosenberg, Grant Mullins and Isaac Cohen will all be gone, which means that Engles will be forced to replace roughly half of the team’s regular rotation (and its best player) right out of the gate. Oh, and there’s that newfangled conference tournament thing starting next year, too.

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Jim Engles hired as Columbia’s new coach

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Jim Engles comes back to Columbia to helm the program after five years as an assistant there from 2003-08. (USA Today Sports)
Jim Engles comes back to Columbia to helm the program after five years as an assistant there from 2003-08. (USA Today Sports)

Jim Engles was announced as Columbia’s new head coach Sunday by Columbia Athletics, succeeding Kyle Smith in the position. Engles previously served as an assistant coach from 2003-08 under then-head coach Joe Jones and compiled a 100-88 record in eight seasons as head coach at NJIT, which had only competed for two years in Division I prior to Engles’ taking over.

Engles led the Highlanders to the CIT semifinals each of the past two seasons, including an 80-65 loss to Columbia in the semifinals at Levien Gym in his final game as NJIT’s coach as the Lions went on to win the CIT championship.

Engles is a 1990 graduate of Dickinson College. As Columbia Athletics notes, his uncle John was a high school All-American who went on to play at Penn under Chuck Daly from 1973-76. Engles served as an assistant at Rider from 1997-2003 and at Wagner from 1990-97.

Kyle Smith’s departure from Columbia puts Ivy League at a crossroads

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The only thing surprising about the news was its timing: hours before Columbia was set to host UC Irvine in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament final, a report that coach Kyle Smith would accept the same position at the University of San Francisco as soon as Thursday emerged from TV station KPIX.

Smith’s departure, confirmed with an announcement from USF Tuesday, has been a topic of discussion for years, more so now after he coached the Lions this year to what is one of their best seasons ever — a school-record 25 wins, plus the first postseason championship banner of any kind in Levien Gym. Add in the fact that three head coaching jobs opened up in the West Coast Conference this year — where Smith spent almost a decade as an assistant at Saint Mary’s — and the concept became more “probability” than “possibility.”

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Columbia defeats UC Irvine, 73-67, to win CIT championship and end an era

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I have spoken, written, and typed many words about Columbia sporting events since I first stepped on campus and tonight I used a word to describe the experience that I had not used before: fun. Tonight’s environment in Levien felt more like an Ivy clincher than the championship game of a fourth-tier, mid-major only, buy-your-home-court-advantage tournament with teams selected in part by San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates. It was the first postseason tournament victory for the Ivy League in more than 40 years but more importantly than that, it was a happy ending to many eras.

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Columbia readies for UC Irvine in CIT final

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NEW YORK — For Columbia, getting past UC Irvine and winning the CIT title will be a tall order — in every sense of the word.

The Anteaters’ defense is ranked 36th in the country in KenPom in opponent-adjusted points per possession (96.7). They’re probably the toughest defensive puzzle the Lions will have to solve this season outside of Yale.

The big reason for UC Irvine’s defensive success is the presence of 7-foot-6 center Mamadou N’Diaye. After introducing himself to the country with a strong performance in a narrow loss to Louisville in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, the Senegal product has turned in his best statistical effort this year.

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Megan Griffith hired as Columbia basketball coach

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Columbia Athletics announced Monday that Megan Griffith has been hired as Columbia’s next women’s basketball coach.

Griffith was an assistant at Princeton for the past four seasons and also served as Princeton’s director of basketball operations from 2010-12. The Tigers went 54-7 in that span.

Griffith succeeds Sheila Roux, who coached the 2015-16 season as an interim coach after Stephanie Glance stepped down in September 2015 to become the Executive Director of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

Griffith was captain of the Lions for three seasons and earned All-Ivy League honors in both 2006 and 2007.

Columbia defeats NJIT, 80-65, advances to CIT final

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Maodo Lo picked a great time to reach his season high in scoring.

The senior guard scored 29 points on 11-for-18 shooting and added six assists, three steals, three rebounds and two blocks, lifting the Lions past NJIT, 80-65, at Levien Gym and into a CIT final matchup with UC Irvine that will take place Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Levien. The win marked coach Kyle Smith’s 100th victory in six seasons at Columbia.

A 9-2 Lions run gave Columbia a 55-42 lead with 9:45 remaining that it would not relinquish. Freshman Lukas Meisner added 11 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes off the bench for Columbia, which outscored the Highlanders 16-5 at the free throw line and outrebounded them 39-29.

Columbia edges Ball State, 69-67, in CIT quarterfinals

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Columbia earned a berth in the CIT semifinals with a hard-fought 69-67 win over Ball State at Levien Gym Wednesday.

Junior forward Luke Petrasek hit the game-winning free throws for the Lions, breaking the 67-67 tie with 48 seconds left and registering a crucial block six seconds later. Petrasek also got the game-winning rebound off an intentional missed free throw from Ball State’s Sean Sellers with two seconds left after Sellers missed the free throw.

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Columbia to host Norfolk State in CIT first round Wednesday

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Columbia announced Friday it would host Norfolk State at Levien Gym in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Wed., Mar. 16 at 7 p.m.

The Lions enter the CIT with an overall record of 21-10, the most regular season victories for Columbia since 1950-51. Norfolk State, meanwhile, enters with an overall record of 17-16 and a second-place finish in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. (Columbia’s KenPom ranking is 114, while the Spartans’ ranking is 234.) Tickets are on sale now.

Columbia defeated Valparaiso on the road and Eastern Michigan at home in the first and second rounds of the 2014 CIT before losing to Yale, 72-69, in the quarterfinals.

Columbia accepts CIT bid for second time in three seasons

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Columbia is heading to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament for the second time in three years after advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament in 2014, the school announced Friday. The Lions will host a first-round game at Levien Gym on Wed., March 16, against an opponent to be determined.

The school news release notes that Columbia’s 21-10 record this regular season has already given the program its most regular season victories since 1950-51. Columbia defeated Valparaiso on the road and Eastern Michigan at home in the first and second rounds of the 2014 CIT before losing to Yale, 72-69, in the quarterfinals. Yale went on to advance to the CIT championship game, where it lost at Murray State, 65-57, sans Justin Sears.

The complete 2016 CIT field of 32 teams will be announced by CollegeInsider.com on the evening of Selection Sunday.