‘One of the most joyful teams to coach’: KC’s Menzies talks latest coaching challenge
When Marvin Menzies took over as head coach of the KC Roos, one word stood out to him:
Challenge.
And that’s certainly what he was getting, even taking over as a coach with more than 30 years of experience, including multiple trips to the NCAA tournament with New Mexico State.
The Roos hadn’t won a conference tournament game since 2017. They’d never made an NCAA Tournament in nearly 40 seasons since jumping to the Division I level in 1986.
After one season at the helm of the Roos, an 11-21 (7-11 Summit) finish to the 2022-23 season posed enough of a challenge for Menzies moving forward, one that became even more daunting after a 4-6 Summit record to start 2023-24.
But a six-game winning streak to close out the regular season locked down one of the best finishes in program history — and a No. 2-seed for the Summit League tournament, KC’s highest conference tournament seed since the 2014-15 season in the Western Athletic Conference.
“I think our locker room ... and our character and our culture, from the staff all the way through the support staff to the players to the administration, is what the difference was because we responded to adversity the right way,” Menzies said. “We didn’t splinter when we lost in the double overtime or another overtime (both meetings against North Dakota State).
“But we stayed together and actually learned and grew from those experiences. So when you have the right people on the bus, it’s pretty easy to get out and push it and get it to the next gas station.”
Before KC, Menzies had spent nine seasons as head coach at New Mexico State after a two-year stop in Louisville as an assistant under Hall of Famer Rick Pitino. His most recent head coaching stop was a three-year stint at UNLV.
Originally from Los Angeles and an alumnus of UCLA and Cal State Sacramento, the Midwest hasn’t been a familiar place for Menzies. But amid a decades-long coaching career, something drew him to KC.
“At this stage of my career, I wanted something challenging, somewhere I could be impactful,” Menzies said. “That’s kind of the combination of things that said, ‘You know what, this will be a good one.’”
Of course, as the Roos gear up for their Summit League tournament run, it’s hard to ignore the fact that they haven’t ever made an NCAA Tournament appearance. Surprisingly enough, though, it’s not something on the mind of a coach who has been there.
“Of course that would be historical,” Menzies said. “There’s nothing like being the first. It’s a special opportunity, and if it’s achieved, it’s really, really fun ... But my daily grind is giving back to these young men, putting them in a position to move from young men to men and arming them with the tools, the knowledge and the resources to go out and lead a great life. And not just for them, but the generation behind them.
“Those lessons are what drive me. That’s where I feel like my daily effort and work is being rewarded.”
With the No. 2-seed locked in, Menzies is hopeful that the Roos aren’t feeling the pressure ahead of Saturday’s tipoff.
“I hope by my leadership style and my life lessons and the knowledge that I’m dropping on these guys, I hope that they’re staying the course and staying cerebral about what’s at hand,” Menzies said, “which is Denver and that’s it.”
As the Roos closed out the regular season hot, there were several Summit accolades that came with it, including Menzies being named the Summit League Coach of the Year. On his squad, four players received various league honors: Jamar Brown (Newcomer of the Year, first-team All-Summit), Jayson Petty (Freshman of the Year), Khristion Courseault (Sixth Man of the Year) and Babacar Diallo (All-Defensive Team).
“As of today, I would just say it’s one of the most joyful teams to coach,” Menzies said. “Which has been very rewarding. No off-the-court drama; they’re taking care of business in the classroom where they just come to practice every day locked in. I just got to coach basketball, which is what I was hired to do.”
The Roos are set to play the No. 7-seed Denver on Saturday, with tipoff slated for 8:30 p.m. in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
