Conversations with College Coaches: Long Island University
Justin Roswell, our Senior Director of Team One Baseball, recently caught up with Assistant Coach Craig Noto from Long Island University (LIU). Long Island University is located in Brooklyn, NY and the baseball program is currently third in the Northeast Conference with an 18-9 record (27-19 overall). Coach Noto is also the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach at LIU. Noto played at John Jay College and coached at the high school level for many years before joining LIU.
1. How long have you been coaching? How long at Long Island University (LIU)?
I have been here at LIU for six seasons. One season under former Head Coach (LIU Hall of Famer) Frank Giannone as the Volunteer Assistant and five years now with our current Head Coach, Don Maines. It has been a great experience helping to build a winner here at LIU. The support we receive from our Provost, Athletic Director and Campus Community is just incredible.
2. Who are some of your mentors or coaches that you look up to?
Some of the coaches that I respect tremendously are Fred Hill (Rutgers University), Eddie Blankmeyer (St. John's University), Dave Perno (University of Georgia), Jim Toman (Liberty University) and Joe Walsh (Harvard University). Over the years I have taken many things from each of them and adapted it to my coaching philosophy. I have also been blessed to be around many great MLB Scouts and professional players during my years coaching that have taught me an immeasurable amount about the game. I have taken a little bit of everything from all of them and shaped it into my philosophy of the game. I've been very fortunate in my years as a coach to be surrounded by so many great baseball minds.
3. What is the first thing about your school and program that you’d want a recruit to know about?
The first thing that I want our recruits to understand is that they will be dealing with quality people (Coaching Staff/Faculty/Administrators) on a daily basis. Our Athletic Department works extremely hard for our players day in, day out. There is a family atmosphere here at Long Island University and it really makes a difference in the experience our student-athletes have. The people you deal with every day is what makes your experience a good or bad one.
4. What do you look for in a prospective recruit for your team?
We are looking obviously for talented players; however, they must be of high character. Once I figure out that a prospective student athlete can play, I try and make sure that I do my best to find out everything about his character. Over the years, it has become clearer and clearer to me that the character of a player dictates the experience we will have with that individual.
5. What qualities do you look for in a prospect on the field? Off the field?
I am looking for athletes first; athletic ability is paramount for players at our level of play (Division 1). Secondly, I want guys that are comfortable in their own skin when they play the game. I don't want a leadoff hitter that thinks he's a four hitter. Potential recruits need to understand their abilities as players and accept them. I tell all of our recruits they need to be three things to play for the Blackbirds; 1) coachable 2) dedicated to the weight room and 3) interested in obtaining their degree. If we have guys with those three qualities, we have what we are looking for in a potential recruit.
6. Where do you try to see a lot of your recruits?
We are recruiting on a national and international level at this point and try to spend as much time as possible at tournaments and showcases. We spend a lot of time in California, Florida, Arizona, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, New York, New Jersey and Canada. There are many stops in between but we love to see players compete at these events.
7. Do you recruit from Junior Colleges?
We do recruit from Junior Colleges. It is something that we have begun to do a little bit. We are actively recruiting in California, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Kansas and Illinois at the JUCO level. We are looking for some immediate impact players out of those JUCO programs, that we feel fit our programs' needs. We have a former JUCO player in our line up now and have received commitments from two other JUCO players from the 2011 recruiting class.
8. How does video footage help you with the recruiting process?
Video is the most important tool I use as a coach and evaluator. I receive hundreds of e-mails a week from potential recruits and it is impossible to go see every one of them play. Video allows me to look at a players pitching delivery, arm action, movement on his pitches, swing mechanics, athleticism, fielding mechanics, etc. If I see the things that I feel are conducive for what I am looking for, then it allows me now to narrow down who I should go see in a game. With the expense of travel and limited budgets, it's important for us to spend our money wisely. Video allows us to do that more efficiently and is a huge benefit for the player.
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9. Can you break down your fall practice schedule? What do you try to accomplish?
We try and mirror our Fall after our Spring schedule as far as the calendar goes. Monday is a day off, Tuesday and Thursday we practice at 9:00 am (kids take classes from 12 pm on). Wednesday we practice at 4:00 pm and Friday/Saturday and Sunday we play games. We spend a lot of time on individual development during the Fall. The concentration is on development in the weight room, individual skill enhancement and evaluating/correcting flaws that a player may have. That is the time of the year that is the most important to our program. The Fall/Winter is when players get better.
10. Do you have a strength and conditioning coach?
Our strength Coach is Richard James. Coach James is a former Olympic Sprinter (2004 Olympics/World Championships for Jamaica). Coach James does a great job of incorporating modern exercise physiology into our workouts. He is a master motivator who has extensive World Class training and knowledge. We are also fortunate to have one of the best Sports Science programs in the country here at LIU. Coach James does a great job of using the resources we have in [the] Sports Science department, to better our athletes programs. We have a very advanced approach to our strength programs and Richard paves the way for us with his vision of strength training.
11. What is your favorite ballpark to play at?
Hands down…The Bird Cage at LIU. Great place to play a series at.
12. What part of the 2011 schedule/year are you looking forward to the most?
We are looking forward to the stretch run in the Northeast Conference. We are currently in first place in the NEC and are excited about the opportunity that lies ahead of us. This team really doesn't seem to care who they play, they just love to compete. The NEC at this time of the year is challenging and a lot of fun. We prepare all year to be able to compete for a Conference Championship.
13. What do you think of the new BBCOR bats?
I personally like the new BBCOR bats. I believe they are going to force coaches to be better coaches and players to be more disciplined in their approach to the game. You will really have to do a better job in your evaluations of players and how you structure your program. Speed, defense, bat control and obviously pitching have always been staples of our game; however, now more than ever at this level, it is crucial to make the right decisions with your recruiting. We are teachers of the game and feel that the challenge of the new bats feeds into the philosophy we have as coaches. We do not see the new BBCOR as a step backwards for college baseball.
14. Anything planned for your facilities (upgrades, changes, etc.)?
We have just broken ground on a brand new state of the art $23 million facility. We will be getting a completely new field turf playing surface, stadium & seating, lighting (for night games), press box, dugouts, bullpens, hitting area, concession stands and bathrooms. It will also house the LIU Baseball Hall of Fame. They are expecting the entire renovation to be completed by Spring of 2012 (next year). We are excited about the upgrades to our facilities and so are our players. It's a great time to become a Blackbird!
