Plymouth State has hired a head men’s basketball coach. The
announcement was made Wednesday afternoon on the PSU Athletics
Facebook page and its website.
Andrew Novick, a former five-year assistant coach at Tulane, has been named the 13th head coach in the 65-year history of the Panther men’s basketball program. A native of Portland, Maine, Novick was a graduate assistant at Maryland before joining the staff at Tulane in 2005 just before Hurricane Katrina hit. Novick, who also has served two stints on the staff at Cheverus High School in Portland, takes over from Damien Strahorn, who resigned to become the head coach at Colby.
“It is a tremendous honor to beselected as the nexthead men's basketball coach at Plymouth State University,” said Novick. “I would like to thank John Clark and his committee for allowing me to lead aprogram with such a long tradition of excellence. I look forward to working with our student-athletes and being part of the Plymouth State community."
Novick served five seasons at Tulane under head coach Dave Dickerson, helping the Green Wave to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 11 years. He was part of the staff that helped the team rebuild the school and the city following the devastation by Katrina. Novick also served two years under head coach Gary Williams at Maryland, and has worked with head coach Bob Brown at Cheverus High School in Maine.
The search committee that selected Novick included PSU athletic John Clarkand three men who have combined to serve 23 of the past 26 years as Plymouth State’s men’s basketball coach – Phil Rowe (1985-90), Paul Hogan (1990-98) and John Scheinman (1999-07, 2008-10).
“We are so pleased to name Andrew Novick as our men’s basketball coach,” said Clark. “We had several outstanding candidates, but Andrew was the clear choice of the committee. He has a strong background and a passion for the game, and we are confident that our men’s basketball program is in good hands. We look forward to working with Coach Novick.”
“I would like to thank the other three gentlemen on the committee,” added Clark. “They all took the time away from their own jobs to assist us with this search. They all care very deeply about Plymouth State and our athletic program, and they were gracious enough to help us out. We were all on the same page throughout the process, and we’re all confident that we’ve hired the right candidate.”
After earning a varsity letter and captaining Deering High's basketball team, Novick earned a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Chicago in 1999. During his college years he managed and coached in the Yes! To Youth program in Portland, Maine, a basketball clinic that serves approximately 400 middle and high schoolers annually.