UMKC honeymoon over: New hoops coach Marvin Menzies says it’s time to roll up sleeves
Marvin Menzies’ introductory celebration as the new UMKC men’s basketball coach was full of thank-yous, encouraging words and good feelings.
But the sense was Menzies couldn’t get all of that behind him quickly enough. It was time for him and athletic director Dr. Brandon Martin to get to work.
“The press conference was more about the big picture, about me, and introducing all of you to me,” Menzies said. “But we’ve already had discussions on what it’s going to take to win, specifically. It’s about packing that gym with winning teams that we need to get to work on.”
Menzies gets to build on winning seasons. The man he replaced — Billy Donlon, who left to become an assistant coach at Clemson — posted a 19-victory season and left after three years as the only coach in the program’s Division I history with a career winning record.
But challenges remain. Like putting together a roster in the transfer portal era. According to verbalcommits.com, seven players who hail from the Kansas City area have entered the portal. One, guard Boogie Anderson of South Dakota, has announced he’s transferring to UMKC.
Also, Menzies, who compiled a 246-179 record in 12 years as the head coach at New Mexico State and UNLV, hasn’t been on the sideline since 2019-20, when he was an associate head coach at Grand Canyon State. He has spent much of the time since that stint creating an athletic and academic academy in Lagos, Nigeria.
Will Menzies need some time to adjust as he re-enters the realm of college basketball?
“Maybe I’m too cocky,” he said. “I don’t think so. I’ve been connected to the game through the young men I’ve mentored. And there are so many high school kids that are getting overlooked right now because the COVID year, so people stayed (in school).
“The transfer portal ... You look at all those things. So, how do we take advantage of that? You add an international component. You have to be able to tap into global recruiting, which we will do, quickly. Also, you have to look at young men who want to contribute right away who come through the portal.”
Menzies, 60, is the eighth coach in UMKC’s 36-year history. None of his predecessors arrived with more experience. Besides enjoying successful runs at New Mexico State — five WAC championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in nine years — and at UNLV, Menzies served as an assistant on the coaching staffs at Sacramento State, San Diego State, Southern California and Louisville.
He’s a branch on the coaching tree of such notables as Rick Pitino, Lon Kruger and Steve Fisher.
“I can call any school in the United States and I’m going to know somebody who at least knows somebody, and I’m going to get a conversation in,” Menzies said.
Menzies’ charge is to take UMKC to a place it’s never been: the NCAA Tournament. The program has played beyond a conference tournament just once, making a 2017 appearance in the College Basketball Invitational. The Roos have yet to reach a league-tournament title game.
That doesn’t tamp down the expectations now, though. Not as Martin sees it.
“For us not to be successful is not at option at this time,” he said. “Every single day, we have to get better, we have to recruit, bring in more resources, infrastructure and support for our program.
“If we don’t win Summit League championships, if we don’t advance to the NCAAs, that’s not a success.”