Assistant coaches can make or break a program. Assistant coaches working in harmony with a head coach can lead to a strong program, but discord within a coaching staff can lead to the demise of a team.
Assistant coaches are also responsible for balancing a plethora of roles on a team. They must know the ins and outs of a head coach’s system. They must also know the head coach and be able to know what he wants. They must be similar enough to a head coach to buy into his philosophy, but must also be different enough from the head coach to give diverse opinions and keep a team from becoming one-dimensional. And lastly, assistant coaches must also be able to relate to players.
It is this dynamic that the assistant coaches at Saint Louis University, through their dedication and knowledge of the game, hope to use to take the team to new heights.
Heading up the assistant coaching staff is Associate Head Coach Porter Moser, who is in his fourth season with the Billikens. Prior to coming to SLU, Moser spent time as an assistant at Creighton – his alma mater, Texas A&M, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, University of Arkansas-Little Rock (UALR), and as the head coach at UALR and Illinois State. Moser was brought to SLU as an assistant coach and was promoted to associate head coach prior to the season of 2008-09. Moser is the first associate head coach that head coach Rick Majerus has ever had, and thus has a very unique role on the team.
“Coach Moser is not so much an associate head coach as he is a co-coach. Coach [Majerus] respects Coach Moser’s authority more than any other assistant coach he’s ever had,” team captain Paul Eckerle said.
Not only is Moser deeply respected and valued by Majerus, but he is also greatly praised by players for all that he does for the Billiken squad.
“He has to go between being an assistant coach and a head coach, which is really hard to do because he has the power position of being the head coach, which is really enforcing rules, get on us when we’re doing bad,” Christian Salecich said.
“But he also has the role of the Assistant Coach, which is to keep us positive and keep us moving in the right direction, so he really does an amazing job.”
Moser is also praised for the opportunities that he gives the team during practice.
“When Coach Majerus really wants to focus on the defense or rebounding, Coach Moser’s always there on offense; he’s always got the offensive scheme going. He’s always excited, bringing the energy; he’s ready to go all the time,” junior Brian Conklin said.
This energy that Moser brings to the team is one that is recognized as being vital to the success of the team.
“He’s just so passionate,” Eckerle said, who also spoke of the respect that the players have for Moser because of his commitment to the team and the players. “He’s so dedicated to making us better as players and also making us better as people off the court. Everyone respects what he has to say because he’s a really knowledgeable coach, and he really has earned everyone’s respect through integrity and his dedication to the team.”
Moser is quick to send praise right back to the Billiken program.
“I had an opportunity to be a head coach this past year, but I’m just so invested right here in St. Louis with the guys we’re recruiting and where we’re going and the fans and the students; I mean I love walking out of that tunnel to see the student sections packed. This is what you want out of a program,” Moser said.
Another assistant coach who has had a unique impact in recent years is Chris Harriman. This will be Harriman’s third season at SLU. Before coming to SLU, Harriman spent four years as an assistant coach at Nova Southeastern University.
Harriman, who hails from Sydney, Australia, has impacted the team in many ways, especially through his recruiting ties. His connections in Australia have drawn top Australian players Cody Ellis and Christian Salecich, along with New Zealand’s Rob Loe, to SLU.
“I grew up watching [Harriman] play in the pro league in Australia … I knew him from watching him, never really as a coach, but the year before I got over here, he started recruiting me. We started talking, and he was a really down to earth guy,” Salecich said.
Salecich also paid tribute to Harriman for his help in easing the transition to America. “From Australia, where it’s a completely different style of game, to over here… [Coach Harriman] did a lot of work with me, telling me things I needed to work on, so when I came in I was ready to go.”
The final assistant coach on the Billiken squad is Alex Jensen. This is Jensen’s fourth year at SLU and his third as an assistant coach. Jensen played under Majerus at Utah in 1994-95 and then from 1997-2000. He also played seven seasons of professional ball in Turkey. Jensen, through his experience playing for Coach Majerus, brings special insight to the team and is a major resource for players.
“[Jensen] is a former player; he’s like a son to [Majerus]. He knows Majerus’ system inside and out. He’s a great teacher of the game,” Moser said.
The value of Jensen’s insight into the mind of Majerus was echoed by nearly all of the players.
“Al’s been a great mentor. He’s always someone you can go to. He knows the game almost as well as Coach [Majerus]; he also knows Coach [Majerus], which is also very helpful,” Eckerle said.
“He played under Coach Majerus earlier in his years. He knows what Coach wants out of his players; he knows what to listen to, when Coach yells at you, and what to kind of filter out,” Conklin said, who, in addition to Eckerle, also identifies Jensen as a mentor both on and off the court. “Al’s just been a great sounding board. He gives you the little nuances of the game that he’s picked up through his many years.”
No matter their role, all of the assistant coaches are, without a doubt, critical parts of the Billiken men’s basketball program. Whether they are running practice, mentoring players or doing the simple things that need to be done on the team, they dedicate themselves to the Billiken program and have been central to its success.
