June 7, 2006 - Dempsey Living Dream at Rider (by Scott Walsh) Scranton Times-Tribune
Dempsey living dream at Rider
BY SCOTT WALSH
STAFF WRITER 06/07/2006
It was during his junior year at Susquehanna University that Tommy Dempsey first entertained thoughts of becoming a basketball coach.
“At that point in my career, I was more tuned in to scouting reports and watching film,” Dempsey said. “I loved the game and sports and I wondered if I could make a career out of it.
“So I talked with my college coach, Frank Marcinek, about my aspirations and he encouraged me to pursue it.”
On year later, Marcinek made Dempsey an offer he couldn’t refuse — stay at Susquehanna as an assistant coach while pursuing a Master degree.
Thus, Dempsey’s career was born.
Now, 10 years later, he is the head coach at Rider University. Only 32, Dempsey is the third-youngest head basketball coach at the NCAA Division I level behind Indiana University-Purdue University-Fort Wayne’s Dane Fife (25) and Oklahoma’s Jeff Capel (30).
A 1992 graduate of Dunmore, Dempsey is the featured speaker at the 56th annual Athlete of the Week banquet today at 5:30 at the Regal Room in Olyphant.
Sponsored by the Times-Tribune and ESPN Radio 630 and 1240 AM, the event honors athletes selected Athlete of the Week during the 2005-06 scholastic sports year, as well as athletes named All-Region Player of the Year in a sport.
The evening will culminate with the announcement of the Male and Female Athletes of the Year. The Joseph M. Butler Award for dedication and contributions to scholastic athletics will also be presented.
Dempsey’s first head coaching job came in 1999 at Wyoming Seminary. He then moved to the junior college level, coaching at Keystone College in 2001 and 2002 and Lackawanna College in 2003. He compiled an 88-12 record and took the Giants to the NJCAA Division III Final Four in 2002 and the Falcons to the NJCAA Division II national championship game in 2003.
Still, Dempsey aspired for more. So he headed to Rider to become an assistant under Don Harnum prior to the 2003-04 season.
“I took a chance picking up my family and moving because I was trying to get to where I am today,” Dempsey said. “It almost blew up on me.”
When Harnum was named interim director of athletics at Rider last year, Dempsey was tabbed as the Broncs’ interim men’s basketball coach. With a young team that featured a sophomore and four freshmen — including Scranton’s Lamar Johnson — among its top eight players, Rider went 8-20.
“It was a tough year,” Dempsey said. “Late in the season, our freshmen hit the wall and our star player was injured. It was very difficult. The papers down here were tough on me, saying I wasn’t ready (to be a head coach). I became the scapegoat.”
School officials were undaunted by the losing season, and two months ago removed the interim tag from Dempsey’s name and made him the head coach.
Dempsey called the press conference to announce the decision emotional and overwhelming.
“As I got up to the podium and looked out into the crowd, there were so many people there who were important to me. My first couple of sentences I was swallowing lumps because I was so moved,” he said. “Everyone had opinions. Yes he should get it. No he shouldn’t get it, here’s who should get it. Luckily, the decision came down to the athletic director and the school president and they supported me.”
Contact the writer: swalsh@timesshamrock.com
©The Times-Tribune 2006
