Cormier Gives Dartmouth Look of a Winner

Few Big East basketball assistant coaches would actively campaign for an Ivy League head coaching position. But Dartmouth Coach Paul Cormier doesn't spell success M-O-N-E-Y or W-I-N-S.

Ever since he had been an assistant coach at Villanova under his former high school coach, Rollie Massimino, Cormier had dreamed of coaching at Dartmouth.

"Everyone in New England knows the prestige and reputation of the Ivy League," Cormier says. "Coaching at Concord [High School], I enjoyed living in New Hampshire and Dartmouth offered me the opportunity to do that and also coach in the Ivy League."

Cormier's dream finally came to life in 1984 after Mike Steele, who built Depauw into a Division III power, turned down an offer to coach at Dartmouth. Big Green Athletic Director Ted Leland's next call was to Cormier. Five years later, Dartmouth (10-5 overall, 3-0 Ivy) is making a run for its first Ivy League championship in 30 years.

Cormier was heavily influenced by his experiences under Massimino--Cormier was Massimino's assistant coach from 1980-1984 and was also one of his star players at Lexington (Mass.) High School.

"I brought with me from Villanova the development of a work ethic that Rollie demands from his coaching staff and I've put forth the same at Dartmouth," says Cormier, who helped recruit most of the players on Villanova's 1985 national championship team. "Also, up-tempo basketball and tenacious man-to-man defense was always part of my playing background."

Cormier's first season was his most difficult. The Big Green finished with a 5-21 record.

But he improved the team's fortunes by signing the likes of Co-Captain Jim Barton, a Tennessee sharpshooter who was heavily recruited by Memphis State. First Team All-Ivy last year, Barton is currently the nation's 25th-leading scorer, averaging 23.8 points per game.

"I've enjoyed coaching in the Ivy League because of the quality-type kids here," Cormier says. "I enjoy teaching them about basketball, but I especially enjoy socializing with them because they have a lot of different interests."

Cormier stresses the long weekend road trips to Penn, Princeton, Cornell and Columbia as the hardest part of playing in the Ivy League. He is also disappointed that the NCAA is considering stripping the Ivy league of its automatic bid.

"It's going to hurt the league and it would be a shame because there is no other league that has the pure student-athlete like us," Cormier says. "But you're never going to get any complaints from me about coaching in the Ivy League."