By Mikael DeSanto
Sports Assignment Editor
On May 26, Tim Kenney, the athletic director of St. Bonaventure University, hired Jesse Fleming as the new head coach of the women’s basketball team. The position became open when former head coach of the Bonnies, Jim Crowley left to become the head coach at Providence.
Fleming, who graduated from St. Bonaventure in 2005, started in the program as a student manager, spent part of 2005 as an assistant coach at Louisburg, before returning and going as far as becoming the Bonnies associate head coach in 2010. He then coached at Stony Brook and Bowling Green State, spending last season as the Bowling Green’s associate head coach.
Kenney said that there are specific things that he looks for when hiring a coach, leading him to hire Fleming as an embodiment of the qualities he was looking for.
“Number one, obviously, knowledge of the game, recruiting ability, and in the case of Jesse, was he ready to be a head coach,” Kenney said. “Finally with him, which was unique amongst all the other folks, was his familiarity with us, and our program, and our culture.”
Kenney said the prior experience Fleming had within the program made a big impact in the decision to hire him, making him the primary choice during the search process.
“Continuity is a huge part when you are trying to keep a winning culture going,” Kenney said. “We believe he’d be able to keep that continuity as to what has been going on with our women’s basketball program.”
Kenney said he sees Fleming not only continuing the tradition of the program, but bringing his own style of coaching, and some changes in play calling, to that tradition.
“I think the first thing will be his energy level, so he is going to bring even more energy than what was in the program,” Kenney said “They’ll be some more plays coming out of the running of the set that will take advantage of the players skill set.”
Kenney reported that, aside from Andrea Mulcahy, Fleming will bring in new assistant coaches, but no names have been brought forward.
desantmj13@bonaventure.edu
