It has been more than a decade since the Columbia men's basketball team has finished with a winning record, and the campus is starving for a winner.
In March of last year, head coach Armond Hill's eight-year tenure came to a close. The former Princeton assistant was fired after his squad suffered a 2-25 record -- including a winless Ivy campaign -- the worst season in the 103 years the Lions have fielded a basketball team.
Change was needed as a stigma of losing had become synonymous with Columbia basketball. The Athletic Department was searching for a figure that could change the culture surrounding the team and build a winning program, and who did they turn to? A man who had not won a single game as a collegiate head coach.
On April 18, 2003, Columbia hired Joseph Jones, a Long Island native who had built a reputation for being able to successfully recruit in the New York area as a Villanova and Hofstra assistant.
So far this season, Jones has been able to guide Columbia(4-11, 0-2 Ivy) to twice as many wins as last season, but the real change is evident in the feeling toward the team on the campus.
In the Lions' Ivy League home opener, a 66-53 loss to Cornell, the Columbia faithful at Levien Gymnasium were as boisterous as senior guard Maurice Murphy had ever seen them.
"It was crazy, I've been here for going on four years now, and I've never seen it as pumped up as it was that night," he said.
On the court, the change is no more apparent than in junior forward Matt Preston.
The Wantagh, N.Y., native went from averaging two points per game in minimal playing time last year to becoming the team's leading scorer and number one option on offense, putting up 15 points per game.
"Coming from last year, it motivated me a lot, the kind of season that we had as a team and I had in particular," Preston said. "I knew when the coach got fired, I didn't want to give up on my basketball career, so it just motivated me to work harder."
Preston gives a lot of credit to Jones and the energy that he brings to the team.
"I think the biggest thing coach brings is his ability to get his players to respond," he said. "As a coach, he's going to hug you in practice, he's going to chest-bump you and at the same time he's going to challenge you and get the most out of your ability."
Murphy, the Lions' point guard, has also picked up his play this year. The Seattle native stayed in New York and worked out all summer to improve his game. He has more than doubled his assist average from last year -- dishing out 4.5 per game this season -- and the hard worker is third on the team in rebounds with 53.
Another top performer for Columbia has been Serbian-born sophomore Dragutin Kravic.
The 6-foot-8 forward is second in scoring on the team behind Preston with a 10.5 points per game average. Kravic has shown a sweet touch from three-point territory, leading the team in three-pointers made, while also shooting 50 percent from the field.
Columbia is still adjusting to the change from the Princeton backdoor system that Hill employed to Jones' motion offense. But the coach is happy with the progress that his team has made to this point in the season.
"I think our guys have started to really catch on to what we're doing," he said. "It hasn't paid off in as many wins as I'd like, but I think they've given great effort from the first game on and I think we've gotten a lot better from the first night."
It is unlikely that Columbia will make a significant impact in the Ivy standings this season, but Jones' presence has gone a long way to change the outlook of the program.
On the recruiting front, Jones has already received commitments from two guards and two forwards -- including 6-8 Benedict Nwachukwu, who was also heavily recruited by Penn.
"We've been able to target some excellent players," Jones said. "We've got some kids that are coming in next year that I think are really going to help us."
With only nine months on the job, the Lions' head man has put his print on the program and is driven to bring a winner to the Columbia campus.
"For all the home games that we've had that the students have been here, they've come out and really supported our team," Jones said. "I know our guys feel it, they talk about it, and that's what we're trying to build here. We want everyone to try to feel a part of it as we try to win basketball games here."
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.