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Message: [QUOTE="Matrim55, post: 2493642, member: 3376"] Wagner had five losing records in seven seasons before he took over, including 5-26 the year before he was hired. In his first year they went 13-17 and in the second he went 25-6. Under his former assistant, Bashir Mason, they've largely kept that going, posting winning records in four of the last five seasons (and look a good bet to make it five of the last six). Rhode Island had gone from 26 wins to 20 to 7 in the three years before he took over. Then they went from 8 to 14 to 23 in his first three years in charge, and are going to post their fourth straight winning season – and, I'd wager, their second straight 25+ win, NCAA appearance season. This despite seeing his best player (Matthews) ravaged by injuries over the past three seasons. Last year was their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1999, and their first win since 1998. Prior to taking the job at Wagner he was head coach at St. Benedict's in New Jersey, a prep powerhouse, for nine years. He has over two decades of coaching experience, more than 15 years of which have been as the head coach. So in short: He has a history of rebuilding northeast programs that have fallen on hard times by getting them to play suffocating defense, shoot well and rebound the hell out of the ball. He also recruits well relative to his team's pedigree, with deep ties in two local (New England and New Jersey) talent hotbeds. And he has Big East blood. [/QUOTE]