2008 Woodie Awards
Magarity remains member of MAAC community
Alex Panagiotopoulos
Issue date: 10/7/04 Section: Sports
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When Dave Magarity stepped down, he didn't end up selling basketballs at Dick's Sporting Goods.
After ending his 18-year tenure as head coach of the Marist men's basketball team, Magarity applied for the position of conference director of men's basketball operations in the Mid-American Conference. When the MAC turned him down, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference commissioner Richard Ensor had the same position waiting for him, and on Sept. 22, it was announced that Magarity had the job. Magarity's duties will include organizing the MAAC basketball tournament, the regular season schedule, officiating, and coordinating special events.
Magarity says that he does not have much administrative experience, but that he is eager to learn.
"This year I'm going to be feeling my way around and learning about different aspects of the job," he said. "I just got back from Buffalo, where the MAAC tournament is going to be this year. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes ... this is really something."
Although he is excited about his new position with the MAAC, Magarity admits he would have liked to patrol the sidelines of McCann for a couple more seasons.
"My biggest regret was that we had a rough year last year," Magarity said. "I would've liked to have coached another year or two. We sat down and looked at the whole thing and it made sense for me to step down. You have to deal with people and the administration, and I have no hard feelings."
In an interview, Marist College president Dennis Murray told the Poughkeepsie Journal that the decision was based more on the big picture of the basketball program than one bad season.
"I think it would be really wrong to focus in on just this season," Murray said. "The discussion as I understand them, or at least what I was involved in, was where Dave is in his career and where the program is in its evolution. A lot of people didn't think that was a good idea going into a final year with all the pressures."
After ending his 18-year tenure as head coach of the Marist men's basketball team, Magarity applied for the position of conference director of men's basketball operations in the Mid-American Conference. When the MAC turned him down, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference commissioner Richard Ensor had the same position waiting for him, and on Sept. 22, it was announced that Magarity had the job. Magarity's duties will include organizing the MAAC basketball tournament, the regular season schedule, officiating, and coordinating special events.
Magarity says that he does not have much administrative experience, but that he is eager to learn.
"This year I'm going to be feeling my way around and learning about different aspects of the job," he said. "I just got back from Buffalo, where the MAAC tournament is going to be this year. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes ... this is really something."
Although he is excited about his new position with the MAAC, Magarity admits he would have liked to patrol the sidelines of McCann for a couple more seasons.
"My biggest regret was that we had a rough year last year," Magarity said. "I would've liked to have coached another year or two. We sat down and looked at the whole thing and it made sense for me to step down. You have to deal with people and the administration, and I have no hard feelings."
In an interview, Marist College president Dennis Murray told the Poughkeepsie Journal that the decision was based more on the big picture of the basketball program than one bad season.
"I think it would be really wrong to focus in on just this season," Murray said. "The discussion as I understand them, or at least what I was involved in, was where Dave is in his career and where the program is in its evolution. A lot of people didn't think that was a good idea going into a final year with all the pressures."