JORDAN DEBOLT
Special to The Leader
On June 17 of this year, SUNY Fredonia announced that they had hired a new men’s basketball coach. Philip Seymore, who has fantastic coaching experience and roots in Buffalo, was introduced as the new leader of the Blue Devils for this year’s upcoming season. Coach
Seymore brings a tremendous coaching record to the program. He has coached as high as the Division I level and has served as a top assistant for major college basketball coach John Beilein of the University of Michigan.
Seymore’s most recent job came at the University of Providence where he served as the head women’s basketball coach. Although he has spent his last 12 years in Rhode Island, when asked what attracted him to the SUNY Fredonia opening, he made sure to mention his roots to this area.
“It was an opportunity to be a head coach again and to do it at a great institution like Fredonia State,” Seymore said. “Fredonia State also presented a challenge of getting the basketball program to the NCAA tournament, which has not happened in a long time with the understanding that there are steps that have to be taken to get to that position. It was also a chance to come back to my second home and my wife and daughter’s original home and birthplace.”
Coach Seymore played college basketball at Canisius College in Buffalo and returned to coach there soon after graduation. It was there that he met Coach Beilein and worked under him for 5 years at his alma mater. When Beilein moved to the University of
Richmond, Seymore followed Beilein to once again work under him.
After a disappointing 7-17 season and only a 3-15 record in the SUNYAC, the Blue Devils will look to have a big turnaround season. Coach Seymore is excited for the challenge but knows it may not happen right away.
“We’ll have some statistical areas we want to improve on like rebounding and turnovers,” Seymore said. “However, I just want them to be the best basketball team that they can be and we’ll see what that equates to.”
Seymore’s new players are excited to get going with a fresh start this season. The Blue Devils only return seven players from last season, so there will be holes to fill coming into the season. Players like junior guard Rasean Parris and sophomore guard
Kevin Federation are excited to get going and were
impressed by what they saw in their chance to meet
their new coach.
“I’ve gotten a chance to meet coach Seymore,” Federation said, “and my first impression was that he is all business, and he knows a lot about helping his players improve on their own individual games.”
Parris was impressed by what he saw as well. When asked about what the new season would bring as far as adjustments, Parris was a man of few words.
“Not sure as of yet,” he said. “Both (Seymore and former head coach Kevin Moore) have willful personas, but only the season will tell. We are undermanned; however, if we come together the sky’s the limit.”
Federation, like his teammate and coach, also has some optimism about what the Blue Devils can accomplish this year. Kevin believes the Blue Devils can be in contention under their new coach, come conference time.
“I think our team has the potential to win some games this year,” Federation said. “It will just be a matter of taking all of our individual talents and putting them together in our new system.”