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D-II Q&A: Lincoln's Doug Overton

09/26/2016, 10:00am EDT
By Michael Bullock

Michael Bullock (@thebullp_n)
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(Ed. Note: This story is part of our 2016-17 college season preview, six weeks of coverage that will span everything from Division I through Division III, junior college and more. To access our entire college of preseason content, check out our Season Preview Hub.)

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Earlier this offseason, CoBL spoke with each of the Division I coaches in the area for a Q&A session, and now we’re expanding it to include the various Division II programs in the CoBL coverage region.

With the first full-time D-II and D-III practices beginning on Oct. 15, we’ll be using the next few weeks to sit down with the area’s D-II head coaches and see where they’re at as they prepare for the 2016-17 season.

A Philadelphia native and former La Salle University basketball standout who played for eight franchises during an NBA career that stretched from 1992-2005 — he also played in Australia and Spain before retiring — Doug Overton is about to begin yet another chapter in his hoops history at age 47.

And the hills of southern Chester County will serve as the backdrop for that yet-to-be-written chapter since Overton is about to embark on his first season as the head coach of the NCAA Division II Lincoln University Lions.

Introduced in May, Overton has spent the past four-plus months assembling a coaching staff that includes his former Washington Bullets teammate A.J. English, Jon Howell-Clarke, Dorian Long and graduate assistant Gene Lett.

Although late to the recruiting scramble, Overton and his staff were able to secure commitments from 6-10 senior transfer Carlton Allen (Manhattan) and junior college transfers James Richardson (Raritan Valley CC), Chester product Khayyir Laws (Delaware County CC) and 6-9 Carl Lane (Southeastern Iowa CC).

The 5-11 Richardson, a Jersey City, N.J., native, was an NJCAA Division II All-American last season after averaging 20.6 points and 6 assists per game.

Cameron Campbell, a freshman from Fayetteville, N.C., also signed on with a Lincoln University program that a season ago posted a 9-20 record under previous head coach John Hill, 6-10 in the remarkably competitive CIAA.

Overton’s newcomers will unite with 10 returnees, including three of Lincoln’s top four scorers from the 2015-16 campaign — 6-6 senior Joshua Davis (12.1 ppg), 6-2 junior Jordan Watson (10.3 ppg) and 6-7 senior Vernon Young (9.0 ppg).

Here are the (copy-edited) highlights of our conversation with the amiable Overton:

City of Basketball Love: You were hired in May. What have you been doing since then to get ready for the upcoming season?

Doug Overton: I tried to get off the ball running. We were going into the summer, so, first of all, I wanted to familiarize with the guys on the team. And I spent most of the summer doing that, just trying to get to know the guys that’s returning. Most of the guys were really great and they’re coming back to the school, working out, just trying to establish a relationship with them and let them know that I care about them finishing their careers. Even though they aren’t guys I recruited, I expect fully to give them 100 percent because I want to have some success while they’re there. The majority of the time I wanted to put my arms around those guys that’s coming back. It’s difficult when you have a coaching change and you don’t know the new guy and you don’t know what to expect. For young people, that can be something that can be a challenge. So I understood that, especially as a former player, so I just wanted to, first of all, let those guys that we’re here to make them better and I want those guys to enjoy the next few years or whatever they have remaining. Other than that, we did some recruiting. Like I said, it was late in the game and I really didn’t get started till June — but we were able to land six new players. I got two junior college transfers, I got one senior transfer from Manhattan College, a 6-10 kid so we were able to get some size because I thought we needed to get some size. The team seemed to be not as big, so I wanted to recruit big guys and I was able to do that. So I was able to get a few players that I think will be able to help us, along with the guys we have, so we feel pretty fortunate about what we were able to accomplish this summer. And then, now, we’re just trying to establish how we want to play. Watching the team from last year and just going over some of the stats, they were one of the teams at the bottom of the league in points allowed defense and field goal percentage defense. If you know anything about me and the way I played coming up from Philly and at La Salle and in the NBA, I’m a defensive-first guy. So that’s kind of going to be our mindset and what we’re going to try to build around is being a strong defensive team.

CoBL: Love the comment in the story about your introduction as coach, “We’ll pick up teams in the parking lot. We’ll be standing by the bus.” That, in itself, paints a pretty interesting picture about the approach that you have.

DO: That’s always been my approach. That’s always something that’s been natural as a player. I like to get after it and I think to be successful you need to be an in-your-face guy. You don’t want teams to feel comfortable in playing. That’s the kind of players I want to play for me, guys that aren’t afraid to stick their nose in there and get grindy and play some defense. I think that’s the key for me to win ballgames. I’m not the smartest guy, but I do know that you gotta play a little defense.

CoBL: What have you been able to do so far in terms of trying to get across what you want to do with your guys once practice gets going for real?

DO: Because it’s preseason now and we won’t officially practice on the court until Oct. 15, but we’re all about preseason conditioning and getting these guys in shape. We’re up early in the morning — I’ve got those guys up at the crack of the morning — trying to instill that discipline, that hard-working mentality. We’re up early and guys are on the track trying to get them in the best shape so they’re able to defend 94 feet and play the way we want them to play. If you’re not in condition, you won’t be able to do it. So, I think that’s the first step is getting these guys in that type of shape and then when we get started on Oct. 15 and it’s time to hit the court, we’ll be ready to go. That’s been my mindset, getting them stronger in the weight room and getting them quicker on the court and faster and [building] endurance. We’ve even been doing workouts in the swimming pool as well. The guys have been responding really well, they get the concept and they’re all buying into what we’re doing.

CoBL: How much did you know about your roster going into the process? Did you really have any idea what you were going to inherit at that point in time?

DO: No, I didn’t. I was just intrigued when I found out about the job. Obviously, I wanted to get back into coaching. I always felt like this was my passion, that this was what I wanted to do. I know a lot about the Lincoln history. I have family members that graduated from here. I’d visited the campus before. I was intrigued, but I didn’t really think about the basketball, the roster or the team. I just knew that whatever the situation was, obviously they wanted a new coach so I knew that is has to be turned around. Just wanted to accept the challenge and I’ve been fortunate so far that all the guys I’ve come in contact with on the team so far have been great guys. I think we’ve got a lot of good character kids and, like I said, they’re all buying in and they’re working hard. It’s been everything I’ve asked so far.

CoBL: How much did your basketball background help when starting the beginning of the relationship-building process?

DO: That’s a great question. I think it had a lot to do with it. If you look at these kids today, whether they play Division I, Division II, Division III or whatever, all these kids dream about playing in the NBA and playing after college — whether it’s overseas or giving themselves a chance. Not everybody’s going to make it obviously; the odds are really high. But if you work hard and give yourself a chance, maybe you can play overseas or you can get a degree and have a great career off the court as well. Like I said, the credibility was there and that still may be credited to my background. So guys have their eyes and ears focused on what I say and do, so that makes it easier. The fact I’ve been there, where they want to go, I’ll be able to share those experiences with them. It definitely helps having that background.

CoBL: You referenced family members that had connections to the school, but were there other factors besides the history of the school and your own family’s experiences at Lincoln that influenced your decision when the opportunity presented itself to come aboard?

DO: I think once I visited the school and I saw the direction they want to go in. They play in a competitive conference in the CIAA. I love where the school is situated, 40 miles outside of Philadelphia and 40 miles outside of Baltimore. It’s a great location and I felt like I can make an impact there. Just being from the Philadelphia area, I want to be able to get people thinking about Lincoln University again. I hope I can help in any way I can, hopefully with a successful program that will help enrollment and get kids from Philly and the inner cities — Camden, Baltimore. I think the school has maybe 2,500-2,800 students, but I’d like to get that number up to 5,000 if possible. I’m not saying it can happen just because of basketball, but you saw what Villanova did and what that program can do to their school. There is definitely a correlation that when you have a successful athletic program, it helps in all areas of the university. I think Lincoln is like a gem that’s hidden. It’s a place that we need to get our kids thinking about, about going to college. Not everybody can go to the Ivy League or the Big Ten or the ACC or the Atlantic-10, but I think now, they can say, ‘This NBA guy, a former La Salle player, if he can coach at Lincoln why can’t we go to Lincoln?’ That’s my mentality. I’m not just here to say I’ve coached in the NBA or I’ve coached in college, I’m humble, I’m OK coaching at a small Division II school. I just want people to look at it and maybe they can put the school on the radar. Just try to make a difference however I can. I’ve been a teacher all my life. I was an education major at La Salle, so I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. I’m just living the dream I’ve wanted to do.

CoBL: With Oct. 15 still a few weeks away, how genuinely excited are you, especially since you’re going to be running your own program for the first time?

DO: I’m extremely excited. I have a great staff. We’ve got great assistant coaches. Every day we come in and we try to get prepared for Oct. 15. We take little steps each time making sure we’re working toward that goal. I’m excited. I’m not going to predict where we’re going to finish in the conference or how good this team is going to be. All I can control is that we’re going to work hard every day and we’re going to prepare them the best that we can — and they will be prepared. I’ve been preparing myself for this a long time. I played for some great coaches. I’ve worked with some great coaches as an assistant coach. I know how I want to play and there’s no confusion on how we’re going to do things here. So, we are excited. I can’t wait until we get after it and I think it’s going to be a lot of fun and exciting for everybody at Lincoln University.

CoBL: I get the impression that this is an opportunity you’ve been waiting for and you really want to take advantage of this situation.

DO: Absolutely. Like I said, when you prepare for something a long time, you can step right into it and not have those doubts that you’re ready for it. I’m excited. I can’t wait, but I do feel like I’m prepared. This is what I’ve been preparing myself to do. To play as long as I played in the NBA, I want to coach for a long time and hopefully have an impact on a lot of kids like some of the coaches I played for. I want to have an impact on a program. I think if you have that mentality, you’re already going to be successful because you care about kids and you want to impact their lives like so many people did for me. A lot of people are measured on wins and losses — I guess we all will be — but I think that will take care of itself. We know we’re going to work hard, but the main thing is just making a difference in these guys’ lives. They see the passion that we bring to them and they know I care and they know I’m there every day for them. I’m not here just passing time or some NBA guy that they can’t relate to. In that sense, it’s already been a success.

CoBL: Who are some of those people that really influenced your development the whole way through?

DO: We’ve got to start with my early years. It all starts with John Hardnett, my first Sonny Hill coach who passed away a few years ago. To me, he’s the guru of basketball in Philadelphia. He’s coached and mentored so many great players out of Philly. He introduced me to the game and brought me down to play against other kids from the city. Then you got Rich Yankowitz at Dobbins, who won all those Public League championships with Hank Gathers, Bo Kimble, all the great players I played with at Dobbins. Then you’ve got Speedy Morris, who should be a Hall of Fame coach in his own right. And then you’ve got all the great coaches I played for in the NBA — Wes Unseld, Jimmy Lynam, Larry Brown, Jim O’Brien, Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Mike Dunleavy. I played for a lot of great coaches in the NBA. Mo Cheeks. And the list goes on and on. Derek Smith, who was an assistant coach with Jimmy Lynam but passed away, was one of the first coaches who put his arms around me. And you got more Sonny Hill coaches, all those guys in the Sonny Hill League. So there’s been so many guys and you take bits and pieces from everybody and that’s kind of how you formulate who you are. I can’t say just one guy, but I think if you combine everybody it’s kind of developed who I am right now.

CoBL: When people learned that you were taking over the Lincoln University program, did you hear from any of those guys?

DO: I got so many calls and congratulations from so many coaches — Fran Dunphy, Joe Mihalich, Speedy, so many NBA guys, general managers and coaches — and they kind of just laughed. Doug, we know you’re stepping into what’s natural for you. A lot of guys I played with, they always say point guards make the best coaches. It’s exactly what I want to do. I’m excited about the challenges ahead. I’ve got a lot of support from a lot of good people, so it all should be good.

CoBL: When you started recruiting and you mentioned your background, I’m guessing you started in Philadelphia since that’s the area you come from and that’s the area you’re most familiar with. Did you get any quizzical looks from people, ‘Like Lincoln University, where is that?’ Even though it’s so close.

DO: There’s some people that say, ‘Why Lincoln?’ They figure since I’m an NBA guy that I can coach in the NBA or at the Division I [level]. And I say, ‘Why not? Why not Lincoln?’ I think it’s a great opportunity. Great school. Great history. It’s not far from home and I’m still close to my family. John Chaney, the great Temple coach, he started at Cheyney University and did a tremendous job and was able to be one of the greatest coaches around. I thought this would be a great place for me to call home and make an impact. I’ve always never worried about naysayers and people that doubt what you do. You’ve got to follow your own path and do what’s best for you. It felt right to me, so that’s why I did it.

CoBL: The fact that Lincoln University is part of the CIAA, one of the best Division II conferences out there, does that make it easier or more difficult to try to get a kid interested? Or, do you say Earl Monroe played for a school in this conference and Charles Oakley, guys of that lofty level from a basketball perspective?

DO: One of the guys I have on my staff as an assistant coach is A.J. English. He played at Virginia Union and we actually were teammates with the Washington Bullets back in the early 90s for two years. We’re good friends. He’s from Wilmington, Del. He’s a guy on my staff. He’s a guy that can let the kids know that you can make it from the [CIAA], the league. Like you said, that’s exactly what we want to show them. It’s a competitive league and hopefully I can help bring some more attention to the conference and to the league because of my background and where I’m coming from. That’s exactly what we want to do, that you can make it. People have done it before and hopefully we can get somebody from Lincoln to do it.

CoBL: Since Lincoln isn’t all that far from Philly and you’re a Philly guy, Philly’s going to be watching. Does that add pressure or do you welcome that?

DO: There’s no pressure at all. Hopefully, if we bring that attention to Philly we can get more kids thinking about Lincoln University. It’s a win-win. Not just for basketball players, but for students in general because now we’ll be able to bring attention there and maybe kids that weren’t considering Lincoln will consider it now. I don’t feel any pressure. I think we’ll be able to do what we do on the court and we’ll be able to play some of the city schools, schedule some games and get Lincoln back in the public eye around the city. I think it’s all a good thing.

CoBL: I took a look at the schedule and I see you guys are opening with Indiana (Pa.) and that’s a program that’s been one of the best Division II programs in our state and they’re just a little bit removed from a national championship appearance. Thoughts about opening against a program of that stature?

DO: That’s what you want to play against. You want to play against the best and you want to see where you’re at. I think that’s the only way you can gauge where your program is at and which way your program is going, to play against top programs. We’re always going to do that. We’re going to schedule teams that are good and it’s going to help our strength of schedule, but it’s also going to let us know where we’re at. We’ll be prepared and, no matter what happens, we’ll be able to see where we’re at and how we measure against programs that have been around and have been competitive. We’re excited about it and I’m looking forward to it.

CoBL: Having played at La Salle and working for Phil Martelli at Saint Joseph’s and now being on the job for four-plus months, what are the biggest differences between D-I and D-II ball — other than the size of the budgets?

DO: Definitely the size of the budgets is different. Obviously, the levels are there. But, there are still competitive guys. Sometimes talent is much different because sometimes guys play Division II because of the grades and different reasons. The level of play can vary, but it’s all still the same for me. It’s a competitive brand of basketball and if you’re playing against some of the top Division II teams, then you’ll see good basketball. I’ve been at every level from the pro ranks and major college, but this is competitive basketball. I know the gym sizes and the stadiums are not as big, but it’s very competitive. And, like you said, there’s guys that make it to the NBA from Division II schools. So, I don’t see why that can’t happen.

CoBL: You’ve already said that you don’t know where you’re going to fit in the CIAA, but what expectations do you have for season No. 1?

DO: Obviously, I just want to establish how we’re going to play and what type of team we’re going to be. Like I said, the team finished at the bottom of the defensive categories so in order for us to be good, we’ve got to be a better defensive team and improve on that end of the ball. Can’t predict how many wins we’re going to get, but I figure if we improve that way it may be able to show a difference there. We definitely want to establish what kind of program we are and what kind of kids we want to recruit and what kind of kids we want to have interested in playing at Lincoln. So far it’s been great. We’re headed in the right direction.

CoBL: Any final thoughts as you sit here today just a few weeks away from really getting after it and really starting to make your impact?

DO: That’s it. We’re excited. We take it one day at a time trying to get these guys ready. We’re not looking ahead. We’ve just got to take care of it one day at a time. We’re excited. We’re prepared.


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