C.W. Post hires Casey to replace Cluess

Former St. John's assistant Chris Casey has been named the new men's basketball coach at C.W. Post, the university confirmed Thursday.

Post hopes Casey, an East Meadow resident, will equal or exceed the success of former coach Tim Cluess, whose 98-23 record and two NCAA appearances in four years propelled him to a Division I job at Iona. Casey, 46, is ready. "He didn't do a good job, he did an outstanding job,'' Casey said of Cluess. "We want to go in there and maintain what he did and hopefully take it up another level if we can. I kind of like that challenge. Post is a place with great resources and a lot of history.''

Casey spent the last six seasons at St. John's. After two years as director of basketball operations, then-coach Norm Roberts elevated him to a full assistant in charge of recruiting, opponent scouting, player development, on-court instruction and practice and game preparation. Previously, he spent three seasons at Central Connecticut State. He was a head coach at Division III Rutgers University-Newark from 1998-2001. He also assisted at St. Peter's for eight years and had brief tenures as an assistant at Western Connecticut State, his alma mater, and St. Francis.