By Kim Dunbar

Worcester’s eclectic college basketball landscape is one of the city’s finest assets. With storied programs rich in history like Holy Cross and Assumption as well as Division III workhorses Clark and WPI, Worcester is certainly a hot spot for college hoops.

Last year, no place was hotter than Assumption College, as all eyes were on the men’s basketball team. The Greyhounds transformed their dismal 11-17 record from the previous year into a spot at the top of their Northeast-10 conference. By the end of the 2007-08 season, Assumption boasted a 24-11 record, made it to both the NE-10 and NCAA Division II regional tournaments, and ultimately earned the title of the Most Improved Team in New England.

“That’s the kind of title you only want to get once,” said coach Serge DeBari, a former Assumption baller who returned to coach his alma mater in 1995. DeBari added that he likes to keep the program at a higher standard but insists the accolade is a positive indication that the team is moving in the right direction.

“We were close to bottoming out a couple years ago,” said DeBari, who had been through the rebuilding process twice in the last ten years with the team. So what can account for the turnaround? DeBari said the Greyhounds brought in ten new players and the kids who were already on the team improved. “We were a very young team and that was one of the reasons we did poorly. We were a team without experience and the NE-10 conference is a difficult place to be without experience.”

But this season is different. DeBari said the players have grown up and improved and the newcomers are learning from the returning players. And despite missing a few key ingredients from last year’s team, DeBari is confident that the upperclassmen will be able to lead the way. “A good program has to be able to replace pivotal players every year. We have to incorporate the young people into the program. We are in good shape because the kids returning are great leaders,” he said.

According to DeBari, talent isn’t necessarily the most important piece of the puzzle. “It isn’t always the players with the most talent who win the games. A team who can compete every night, that is the key to success,” he said. “Our game plan is simple every year. We are not focused on the level of talent, but the level of commitment. Our players have to have the desire to practice, compete, work hard and push themselves to get better. That is the kind of thing every coach wants.”

DeBari said his team ~ which he describes as having passion, vision and discipline ~ anticipates being competitive this year. “The goal is to challenge ourselves and to compete every day, not just one night,” said DeBari, who expects his team to play with passion, a characteristic he believes is the most important one to have in life. “Our players understand that. How good we’ll be this year I don’t know. But if we can compete every night, I will be happy with that,” he said.

Photo: 2008-09 ASSUMPTION COLLEGE MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON ROSTER