Former NBA player Roshown McLeod starts a new era at St. Benedict's

From the outer fringe of the Eastern time zone, Roshown McLeod kept considering a return to his New Jersey roots. Although he was in his second season as an assistant coach at Indiana University, the former St. Anthony star and NBA first-round pick saw himself developing players within a high school setting.

"I always talked to Coach (Bob) Hurley about coming back to help out at St. Anthony," McLeod recalled.

Once Danny Hurley left the sideline at St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.) for a college Division I head job at Wagner College, McLeod found his road home this past April, becoming the Gray Bees' bench boss just after his predecessor's departure.

Eight months later, he found himself in his Newark office, reflecting on how everything came together leading up to his first game at St. Benedict's, which saw the No. 12 team in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 sprint past Atlantic Christian, 73-49, last Friday in Philadelphia.

"It was the opportunity to be a head coach," McLeod said. "It was good for me because I was familiar with the history of this area and St. Benedict's. Danny Hurley has done a great job of building this program into a national powerhouse. Coming from the same background, I thought I could use my experiences to help these kids and win games."

McLeod learned from a Hall of Fame who's who of coaching greats as a versatile forward who starred at St. Anthony under Bobby Hurley, then played at St. John's before transferring to play under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. He was drafted 20th by the NBA's Atlanta Hawks in 1999 and got to play for Lenny Wilkens. Eventually, he played for another legend, Larry Brown, with the Philadelphia 76ers

If learning from Hall of Famers helped McLeod mold his coaching philosophy, it also helped him keep his wits when he arrived at St. Benedict's. Only 6-4 junior guard Andris Misters remained from the 2009-10 roster, while McLeod estimated only 15 percent of the Gray Bees' schedule was completed. And without a staff in place, McLeod, in his words, "hit the ground running" over the next four months.

"If it was easy, everybody would be great coaches," McLeod cracked. "That's the challenge. Because of my background and my experience in (basketball), I have some credibility with the kids. They have an easier time of acknowledging my success."

It got easier thanks to his inner circle of Bob Hurley, Sr., Danny Hurley, former St. Anthony and current St. Patrick athletic director Joe Whelan, and former Paterson Catholic coach and present head of the renowned Playaz AAU program head Jimmy Salmon.

Combining their thoughts with his own, he assembled a roster and staff before school started in September and cemented his schedule before flipping the calendar page from November into December. St. Benedict's schedule includes a Jan. 9 game against No. 2 St. Patrick's and a road test against perennial power Montrose Christian in the season finale Feb. 26.

From there, it became about bonding with his staff and a roster including Division I recruits in 6-8 forward Tyler Harris (North Carolina State) and 6-5 wing Vaughn Gray (George Mason), ensuring everyone shared a clear and consistent vision.

"A lot of kids think they know everything because they play basketball and watch it, but as far as being a great player they have no clue," McLeod said. "I'm the kind of coach that I coach during practice. I pay attention to all the details and let the kids play during the game.

"They'll know who we are in practice and I make the adjustments based on who we're playing and types of defenses we're playing. I try to give the kids freedom."

McLeod's coaching philosophy, as well as his continual emphasis on his players maximizing their academic opportunities at St. Benedict's, is what made him an easy hire for Headmaster Fr. Edwin Leahy.

"We had the privilege of talking to some really outstanding candidates, but I believe we have a guy in Roshown who knows what it means to be successful and who seems to have a great heart and is ready to be part of our community," Leahy said upon McLeod's appointment. "He's been associated with some great leaders and coaches throughout his career and I expect him to continue our tradition of helping players become quality young men."

The beginning of the McLeod era has already started with an impressive win and offers plenty of promise for sustained excellence once the Gray Bees' new bench boss gets even more settled leading the powerhouse he inherited.

"I feel very confident in our direction," McLeod said. "I think we have some good people on board. That'll give us a solid foundation to work with."