Barnes Arico and Ferry make strides at new programs

In the latest “Where Are They Now” segment we’ll focus on a couple of former local area coaches who moved on after last season. Jim Ferry, who led LIU to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, is coaching at Duquesne, while Kim Barnes Arico, who built St. John’s into a perennial tournament team, is currently running the show at Michigan.

On Jim Ferry: Off the court, Jim Ferry loved what he saw of Duquesne and its facilities. He knew he could build something at the Pittsburgh school. On the court was a different story. Player defections and graduation took its toll. With few experienced players, Ferry figured it would be a tough season. But the Dukes (3-3) have been a highly competitive bunch so far.

Duquesne has won two straight and three of its last four. The Duke’s three losses have been by a total of 23 points. That includes a 61-55 loss at Georgetown and a 69-66 loss at Albany. This isn’t to say the Dukes will win the Atlantic 10 championship, but they may not be as bad as some people think.

On Kim Barnes Arico: Barnes Arico’s Lady Wolverines (5-2) are off to a strong start. Barnes Arico took over a Michigan program which had made one NCAA Tournament appearance in the previous 11 years. Michigan fell to No. 4 Duke, 71-54, on Wednesday night. But Barnes Arico, who has experience building programs, saw the positives in the loss.

Said Barnes Arico: "I think we showed signs of being a really good team. We just have to get that consistency. We did a bunch of great things. Their pressure really affected us. They are the No. 4 team in the country filled with a team of All-Americans. It was nice to see in the first half, when we did get down, we stayed together and rallied and fought back.”