The task of building up a men’s basketball program from scratch is among the most difficult in college sports, but our own Joe Reilly is well on the way to going 2-for-2 in the country’s most competitive conference. After turning a 3-21 Bates program into a yearly NESCAC contender, the 2004-05 NESCAC Coach of the Year is working his magic at Wesleyan, taking the Cardinals from 7-17 to their highest win total and first playoff appearance since 2005 in just one year. Coach Reilly recently took the time to answer some questions about his program-building prowess, the difficulties of building up a NESCAC program, and the charm of Bates’ 84-year old gym.

Argus: When you took over at Bates, you inherited a team that had finished more than one game above .500 just three of the previous 22 seasons. How did you get recruits excited to play at a school whose tradition frankly paled in comparison to many of its NESCAC rivals?

Joe Reilly: When I started the rebuilding process at Bates, I was trying to get the recruits excited about my vision for the program. We were also selling the NESCAC, a gym that was old but an exciting place to play, and of course, we were selling Bates College as one of the finest small liberal arts colleges in the country. It takes a special student-athlete to trust in your vision – there is comfort choosing a program with a tradition of excellence. Student athletes who choose to join a growing program have to experience many challenges – but when they get it done on the court there are great rewards. There were a lot of hurdles to get it going at Bates – it took a lot of effort and a lot of patience.

A: When you started at Bates, did you have any particular time frame in mind to turn the team into a contender, or were you more focused on ensuring the team simply improved every year?

JR: There was no timeframe – we were just trying to grow as a program every year. As long as you show improvement in the early years it is easy to be excited about the future. You have to be patient in the rebuilding process because you are often playing young players who lack college experience.

A: From 2002-05, you made it a step further in the NESCAC tournament every year—losing in the first round in 2003, semifinals in 2004, and finals in 2005. In 2005-06, you went 20-6 but lost in the semifinals, and then lost in the first round the following two years. How did these results compare to your expectations entering the season? Was there any concern, particularly the last two years, that the program had peaked and was falling back into the middle of the pack?

JR: As with all sports in the NESCAC, it is very difficult to be in the top tier every year. In basketball, once you are in the playoffs a bad 40 minutes can end your season unless you are a lock for an at-large bid. Both those years our season ended to high level NCAA tournament teams on their home court. One of the most important aspects of advancing to the NESCAC final four is to host a home game. With only nine conference games there is no margin for error. Also, when I first arrived at Bates a 17-win season would have been one win short of the best record ever. After 11 seasons and more success, 17 wins didn’t bring the same amount of excitement. Once you start winning games expectations also rise. Also, my final season at Bates we had the NESCAC Rookie of the Year [current junior Brian Ellis] so I thought the future was bright – he was a first-team All-NESCAC guy this year.

A: When you arrived at Wesleyan, the team had gone 6-17, 7-16, and 8-16 the previous three seasons and had won a combined three NESCAC games in that span. What made you decide to leave Bates to come to Wesleyan? Did/do you have any benchmarks for where you expect the program to be after one season, two seasons, three seasons, etc.?

JR: On a professional level, I was attracted to Wesleyan because of its national reputation for academic excellence and the great leadership of John Biddiscombe and Michael Roth. I was also impressed with the athletic facilities and its location – which is certainly an advantage in the recruiting process. Competing against Wesleyan every year I always believed Cardinal Basketball had tremendous potential. On a personal level, I grew up in Connecticut and all my family (and my wife’s family) live in the area. It was a great move for my family.

A: Is your approach to recruiting and program-building at Wesleyan any different than it was at Bates, and if so, how?

JR: I am definitely less patient during this rebuilding process. We want to have more success as soon as possible. I am very excited about the first recruiting class and all the players that we inherited are doing [or] have done a great job to make the program more competitive. A new coach is only as good as the level of commitment, loyalty and unselfishness of the players in the program.

A: How much more difficult is it to build up a program in the NESCAC, given the top-to-bottom strength of the conference, than in a weaker D-III league? Do you see any benefits to being an up-and-coming program in such a competitive conference?

JR: It is difficult to build a program in the NESCAC. In some conferences it is a two-step process. The first step is to get to the top of your league, [and] the next step is to become competitive on a national level. In the NESCAC it is one giant step. In men’s basketball, if you are at the top of the NESCAC you are an NCAA final four contender. It was great this year for our young team to play seven games vs. teams in the NCAA tourney – that is the level we need to attain. You are always guaranteed to play top-25 teams in the country when you play in the Little Three and the NESCAC.