By Doug Bonjour

For a few of Hofstra’s first-year head coaches, wins on the field have been hard to find. While the football team ended their season with a 2-9 record and the team’s lowest winning percentage since 2004, men’s and women’s lacrosse have also struggled, beginning the season with 1-4 and 2-4 records, respectively.

On the contrary, teams such as women’s basketball have managed to find success under new coaching, as they have earned a 26-7 record and a berth in the WNIT Quarterfinals.

While Dave Cohen, Abby Morgan, Krista-Kilburn Stevesky and Seth Tierney have guided their teams to different records, each head coach has one thing in common with his first-year counterparts: Various circumstances have made the transition into the job smooth.

“Nothing has made it difficult. I’ve been given a humbling feeling by President [Stuart] Rabinowitz and the Athletic Director Jack Hayes,” said Tierney, head coach of the men’s lacrosse team.

Tierney, who served as an assistant coach at Hofstra from 1995 through 2000 before leaving for the same position at Johns Hopkins University where he coached for six years, pointed to his previous experience at Hofstra as one reason his transition has been smooth.

“It has made the transition easier. I was familiar with a lot of people and the Hofstra campus,” said Tierney.

Morgan, head coach of the women’s lacrosse team, who served as an assistant coach at Hofstra the previous three seasons, also pointed to her familiarity with the university and her players as reasons for her smooth transition.

“Its been pretty easy compared to Krista [Kilburn-Stevesky]. The difference is I was already here. All except for one girl made the transition,” said Morgan.

Morgan also noted that the opportunity to work as an assistant in previous seasons under then-head coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe, helped prepare her for game choices. “She really let me make decisions on the field. I was able to put myself in certain situations,” said Morgan.

While Tierney and Morgan pointed to their familiarity with Hofstra as a main reason why their transition has been unproblematic, Cohen, head coach of the football team, also believes his familiarity with Hofstra has helped ease his transition. However, Cohen is familiar with Hofstra because of his past experience coaching against them, not for them.

“From my Delaware experience, it made it easier since I was familiar with the teams in the conference,” said Cohen.

Cohen, who served as the linebacker and defensive line coach from 1994-1998 and defensive coordinator from 2002-2005 at the University of Delaware, coached against Hofstra in the Atlantic 10 Conference and is familiar with many of Hofstra’s yearly opponents.

Cohen, who was first attracted by the head coaching position at Hofstra because of the “tradition of Hofstra football,” pointed towards the growing connection with the players and coaches as one of the positives despite a losing season, and one of the means that will help him further ease the transition into his job.

“I think it was a growth process, and the relationships continue growing with the players and coaches,” he said.

For many of the first-year coaches, the attitudes of the players have been key in making the process easier.

“The players have made this season successful. A coach is only as good as her players. The team does a good job of managing itself. The players and staff do a good job of keeping the team together,” said Kilburn-Stevesky, head coach of the women’s basketball team.

Morgan also expressed positives concerning her players and their response to her coaching.

“The players have responded very well. They are very determined. They have such drive that they have been so receptive. They understand how close we are as a team,” she said.

While each coach has faced circumstances that have eased the transition, some difficulties have also presented themselves, making the transition tougher at times.

“The graduation of many players has been difficult” said Cohen.

Players who graduated from the football team last year included Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Tackle Willie Colon and New Orleans Saints Wide Receiver Marques Colston.

Although such strong talent was lost, positives can be found in the graduation of future pro players.

“The great publicity from the players who have played in the NFL have helped us in recruiting,” said Cohen.

Tierney has also had to deal with a loss of superior talent from last year’s 17-2 team. The team lost 14 players from last season, including nine starters.

However, Tierney finds that with losses come positives.

“It has brought excitement to practice, players have had to step it up,” he said.

For many coaches, the hope is that such positives translate into success on the field.

Coach Morgan knows that “It takes time to coach [players] and get the best out of them.”