Mark Laird steps up this year as a first-year head coach for the Bethany University men’s basketball team, hoping that this season will be transformational both on and off the court.
This is Laird’s ninth season coaching basketball, and his second season with Bethany. He assisted Andrew Snelgrove in 2009.
Laird has been an assistant coach for a handful of NCAA teams, and he considers his role as head coach a big opportunity.
“I’ve told my guys from the beginning, we are here to change perceptions: the perceptions in the community, on the Bethany campus, and the Nor Cal Nevada District (about) what’s possible with college athletics at a small Christian college,” he said.
“I want to put together a team that understands that being a good student and being a good athlete are not mutually exclusive,” Laird added.
The coach’s focus this year is to let the character of the team be displayed in every game through intensity and energy on the court, regardless of the score. Laird said his strategy as a coach leans toward the defensive side, and he’ll introduce the team to some new coaching strategies. He hopes it will be the start of a new era at Bethany.
Last season, the team had a 1-11 record in California Pacific Conference play and went 2-24 overall.
This year, Laird has scheduled a tough pre-conference schedule so that once the team gets into conference play, it will be prepared to excel.
Nyjis McGhee, Micah Jones and Milton Brown are the only returning players who had significant playing time last season. Returners Kenny Thompson and Scotts Valley High graduate Evan Fletcher will take the court after season-long injuries kept them off it in 2009.
Laird has assembled a new group of players who understand the team’s goals and are willing to live up to the image he expects of them.
Seven new members join the roster, including Travis Derochowski, Marcus Crawford, Brett Hoisington, Jonathan Sims and Jonathan Wall.
Derochowski is a 6-foot, 9-inch forward and will be a major component in the success of the team, Laird said.
Hoisington is an explosive player who can provide high energy on both ends of the court and Sims and Wall are incoming freshmen who will work hard on and off the court.
“I have high hopes for the team this year. We have every piece that we need to run through this conference,” senior guard Jones said. “We have the guys that are willing to play for each other and not for themselves, but we have a lot of work to do to put it all together.”
