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Seth Greenberg recently completed his third season as the
head coach of the Hokies. During his first season, he guided Virginia
Tech to new heights in its quest to re-establish its place among
collegiate basketball's elite and then in his second season, the team
even surpassed the accomplishments of the first year.
Greenberg led a team that suffered numerous off-court tragedies and,
with his constant guidance, enabled the team to leave off-court problems
out of the game and focus on each contest. The Hokies finished the
season 14-16 and remained a competitive force in the best conference in
the nation, the ACC. Coleman Collins and Zabian Dowdell were named
honorable mention All-ACC and Jamon Gordon remained as an ACC
All-Defensive team selection and one of the top defensive players in
basketball.
As promising as the 2003-04 season was, no one could expect the
successes that the Hokies enjoyed during the 2004-05 season. Tech
finished the year 16-14 overall and 8-8 in league play. The Hokies
finished the regular season in fourth place in the league and earned a
first-round bye in the ACC tournament. The Hokies also earned their
first post-season bid since 1996, advancing to the second round of the
NIT.
Greenberg earned his first major honor at Virginia Tech in 2005, as he
was named the ACC Coach of theYear by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media
Association. He was the fourth Hokie honored by the group for the team's
play during Hokies' inaugural ACC season. Zabian Dowdell was honorable
mention All-ACC, Deron Washington was named to the ACC All-Freshman team
and Jamon Gordon was named to the ACC Defensive team. He was also named
the Coach of the Year in the Commonwealth of Virginia by the Richmond
Times-Dispatch.
A new era in Virginia Tech men's basketball began on April 3, 2003, as
the Hokies introduced Greenberg as their 27th head coach. A proven
program builder, an admired and innovative tactician and an experienced
recruiter, Greenberg guides a Tech program that made tremendous strides
in his first season and saw even more improvement this past season, its
first in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"Since coming to Virginia Tech, Coach Greenberg has been a tireless
worker on behalf of the men's basketball program," Virginia Tech
Director of Athletics Jim Weaver said. " His ability to communicate with
his players has seen them play very hard for forty minutes and produce
results which have excited the 'Hokie Nation'. I am proud that Seth is
our head coach and believe our program is in very capable hands and
headed in the right direction."
Optimism was high as Greenberg began his tenure at Tech, but his first
season in Blacksburg turned out, possibly, better than anyone could have
hoped for. The Hokies played well throughout the season, despite being
limited by injuries. And, most importantly, the team improved
consistently throughout the year.
The aggressive, up-tempo style that Greenberg installed in his first
season with the Hokies has seen immediate dividends and has brought a
renewed sense of excitement to Cassell Coliseum, as well as to the "Hokie
Nation". The Hokies led the BIG EAST Conference in steals, turnover
margin and assist/turnover ratio in 2003-04 and led the ACC in turnover
margin in 2004-05.
When the team needed to step up, it did. The Hokies finished the 2003-04
season strong and with a 15-14 overall record and a best-ever 7-9 BIG
EAST mark. The Hokies entered the BIG EAST Tournament as the eighth seed
and defeated Rutgers, 61-58, in the first round before falling in the
quarterfinals to nationally-ranked Pittsburgh. Tech finished the regular
season winning its last three games and last five home games. Picked to
finish last in the league in the coaches preseason poll, the Hokies
finished the regular season in eighth place.
The 2005-06 season saw the team deal with numerous personal issues, but,
not surprisingly, managed to remain a cohesive unit and helped each
other through the rough spots and continue to make the improvements on
the court that have led to the Hokies' reputation as a competitive force
in the ACC. Credit Greenberg for never allowing the team to quit or fell
sorry for themselves under the weight of adversity.
A proven recruiter, Greenberg has captured the excitement of the pending
ACC move and continues to sign top recruiting classes.
Perhaps the biggest influences seen in the program have been the work
ethic and attention to detail that Greenberg and his staff have
instilled. And when speaking of hard work, the principle begins at the
top, Greenberg himself. Long hours of watching film, instructing players
and program development, along with tireless work in promoting the
program and university and being involved in the community have made
Greenberg a popular face on the Blacksburg campus and in the "Hokie
Nation."
Greenberg came to Virginia Tech from the University of South Florida,
where he served as head coach for the previous seven seasons. At USF,
Greenberg had a record of 108-100. Prior to USF, Greenberg was the head
coach at Long Beach State University, where his overall record was
105-70. In his 15 years as a head coach, Greenberg has an overall record
of 244-198. An important side note is that, following his initial
seasons at LBSU, USF and Virginia Tech, Greenberg compiled a 210-148
record at the three schools.
During his time at Long Beach and USF, Greenberg's teams posted
impressive records against major conference opponents. Included during
his Long Beach State tenure were wins over four nationally ranked teams,
including a 64-49 victory against then-No. 1 Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse
in 1992-93. At South Florida, his teams were 2-0 against Ohio State, had
two wins over Texas, and won at Pittsburgh during the Panthers' run to
the Sweet 16 in the 2001-02 season. The Bulls defeated eventual Final
Four team Wisconsin in the 1999-2000 season.
At South Florida, Greenberg led the Bulls to two NIT appearances and
victories in Conference USA play against nationally-ranked opponents.
the Bulls defeated BIG EAST member Providence and NCAA Tournament
participants Memphis and East Tennessee State, plus NIT participants St.
Louis and DePaul in his final season at USF. The Bulls led C-USA in
field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents just 39.9 percent from
the floor. USF was among the conference leaders in three-point defense,
blocked shots and steals. The Bulls also had the C-USA individual leader
in assists.
In just three seasons at Virginia Tech, Greenberg has led the Hokies to
a 70-69 win at #12 Georgia Tech and a 67-65 victory against #7 Duke in
Cassell Coliseum.
A 1978 graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson, Greenberg was a four-year
letterwinner under head coach Al Lobalbo. His father, the late Ralph
Greenberg, played at Long Island University under coaching legend Clair
Bee, one of college basketball's all-time winningest coaches.
Greenberg began his coaching career as an assistant at Columbia in 1978.
He moved to Pittsburgh two years later where he made two trips to the
NCAA Tournament in three years with the Panthers. He then spent the
1983-84 season at Virginia, helping the Cavs reach the Final Four before
moving on to Miami as an assistant under future Virginia Tech head coach
Bill Foster. There, he helped revive a program that had been dormant for
a number of years.
Greenberg first went to Long Beach as associate head coach under Joe
Harrington and, three years later, replaced Harrington when he accepted
the head coaching position at Colorado. In his six seasons at LBSU,
Greenberg led the 49ers to two NCAA Tournament appearances and one NIT
appearance. He led LBSU to two Big West Conference championships and one
Big West regular season title. While at LBSU, the 49ers defeated four
nationally ranked teams. Greenberg also tutored two current NBA players
- Bryon Russell (Utah), and Lucious Harris (New Jersey) - and former NBA
player Juaquin Hawkins.
When confronted by the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, Greenberg knew
he had to get involved. Greenberg served as the chairman of the
organizing committee of AllCoachesCare.com, a major on-line sports
auction that is raising money for Habitat for Humanity and their efforts
in helping to rebuild the Gulf Coast area. Working tirelessly, Greenberg
helped the group acquire goods and services for the auction and also
spent countless hours speaking on television, radio and to media members
getting the word out about the auction.
In the summer of 2004, Greenberg received a lofty honor, when he was
inducted into the Five Star Basketball Camp's Hall of Fame. The honor,
shared by some of the greatest coaches like Rick Pitino and Hubie Brown,
was bestowed for the many years that Greenberg has been a part of the
nation's top summer basketball camp, as an instuctor and guest speaker.
Known as one of the more insightful and knowledgable coaches in the
college game, Greenberg served as an analyst for College Sports
Television's coverage of the NCAA Tournament each of the last three
seasons and has worked with Fox Sports Radio on their NCAA coverage. He
is often a guest on national, regional and local sports talk shows,
incuding ESPN Radio and the Jim Rome Show.
Greenberg and his wife, Karen, are the parents of three daughters,
Paige, 17, Ella, 14, and Jacqueline, 10. He is active in a number of
organizations and causes, including the Great American Teach-In, the
American Heart Association, Coaches vs. Cancer and the Boys and Girls
Club. |
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