From New York City to Newberry, a new coach hopes to bring a passion of basketball to the community.

Wednesday, Newberry College Athletic Director Brad Edwards announced that Steve DeMeo would be the new head basketball coach.

DeMeo has been recognized as one of the top assistant coaches in Division I and was an assistant coach at Central Florida before taking the Newberry position.

DeMeo has also performed as an assistant coach at Providence, R.I., as the head coach at Monroe Junior College in the Bronx, N.Y. and as an assistant coach at Iona for three years.

After receiving a degree in business management in 1987, DeMeo was working on Wall Street and pursuing working with college basketball magazines when he received the calling to be a college basketball coach.

DeMeo says he is really excited about coming to Newberry. Outside of the program itself, the 44-year-old single coach says he is eager to try out local restaurants and to eat some “home cooking.”

In describing himself, DeMeo says he works long, hard hours and does not have “time to spend on family matters.”

The new coach is definitely lining up plenty to keep himself busy with work. He hopes to involve the community in the Newberry College basketball program through free clinics and basketball camps.

DeMeo also hopes to pack the college’s gym with fans from the community, college and students.

“I want to get to know all the people downtown at the restaurants,” said DeMeo.

He also plans to put a “really, really good team on the floor,” to draw crowds.

DeMeo admits he only has two months “to build up a team” but plans to put the current players to work. To entice new players, the coach has three or four scholarships available.

The current players will “help build something special,” says DeMeo.

“I talk quick,” the New Yorker describes, “and that will go into the dynamics of how we play.”

The new coach says his phone and e-mail account are already busy with prospective assistant coaches inquiring about positions, and he hopes to start hiring next week.

A main focus for DeMeo is also off the court, as he wants his team members to do well in school and promises the players that he will “kick their butts if they don’t take care “ of their studies.

Edwards, who has been at the school for less than a month, said one of his first duties was to hire a basketball coach. While the process was done quickly, it was not rushed nor did he panic, the athletics director said, emphasizing that the search was a thorough and long process.

The athletics director said he looked for a number of qualifications, including success on the court, good character, a clean record, professionalism, competition at the highest level, experience, the ability to develop young talent, maturity, passion for the game, high energy and a good team player that fit with the program and staff.

“We are ecstatic to have attracted one of Division I’s top assistant coaches to Newberry College,” Edwards said. “Steve DeMeo brings a wealth of experience with him in recruiting and developing college basketball players and putting them in position to compete for championships. We are very excited about the future for men’s basketball at Newberry College with Steve DeMeo leading the way.”

THE BACKSTORY

DeMeo helped the University of Central Florida post several key victories in 2008-2009, including an impressive win at New Mexico.

He worked closely with 2008-2009 Conference USA Player of the Year Jermaine Taylor, helping the senior guard rank third nationally in scoring (26.2) and receive Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention honors. Taylor also received all-district recognition from the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the United States Basketball Writers Association.

DeMeo also mentored C-USA All-Freshman Team selection A.J. Rompza. UCF was one of the top free-throw shooting teams in the country during the year, connecting on 74.7 percent of its attempts from the free-throw line.

During DeMeo’s time in Rhode Island, the Friars participated in the postseason on five occasions, including a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament. DeMeo also helped Providence finish in the top three in the BIG EAST standings three times. He spent the last four years of his tenure as the Friars’ associate head coach.

After joining the Providence staff in 1998, DeMeo led the Friars’ recruiting efforts. He successfully recruited several future All-Big East performers, including Ryan Gomes.

Gomes garnered Associated Press First Team All-America honors in the 2003-2004 season after averaging 18.9 points and 9.4 boards. Gomes was the first Friar since 1974 to earn All-America first-team honors and finished his career as the school’s career leader with 2,138 points. Gomes was selected in the 2005 NBA Draft by Boston.

A New York City native, DeMeo was recognized as one of the top 25 assistant coaches in the country by Rivals.com in 2007. Providence posted a pair of 20-victory campaigns during DeMeo’s tenure. The Friars spent nine weeks in 2003-2004 in the national rankings and finished the year 20-9. During the season, Providence defeated several ranked teams, including No. 4 Connecticut and 14th-ranked Illinois. The squad was ranked as high as No. 12 nationally and appeared in the NCAA Tournament as a fifth seed.

Providence also participated in the 2001 NCAA Tournament as the Friars went 21-10 in 2000-2001. DeMeo helped the Friars defeat two nationally ranked foes — No. 12 Connecticut and No. 12 Georgetown. The Friars were selected to the postseason National Invitation Tournament three times during DeMeo’s tenure (1999, 2003, and 2007). At the 2003 event, Providence won a pair of games and advanced to the tournament quarterfinals.

In DeMeo’s first year on the staff, Providence upset No. 8 Purdue and 18th-ranked Syracuse in 1998-1999. Before moving to Providence, DeMeo served as an assistant at Iona for three years. With DeMeo on the staff, the Gaels won 70 contests and played in the postseason three times. Iona claimed Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference regular-season titles in 1995-1996, 1996-1997 and 1997-1998.

The 1997-1998 Gaels won a school-record 27 contests and played in the NCAA Tournament. Iona posted non-conference victories over BIG EAST squads Providence and Rutgers and won 15 MAAC games. In both 1996 and 1997, Iona participated in the postseason NIT. The 1995-1996 squad won 21 contests. Iona recorded 22 victories the following season.

DeMeo coached nine All-MAAC performers during his time at Iona, including a pair of conference player of the year honorees (Kashif Hameed and Mindaugas Timinskas).

DeMeo has five years of head coaching experience at the junior college level. From 1993-1995, he was the head coach at Monroe Junior College in the Bronx. In two seasons, he guided the Mustangs to a 53-8 record. DeMeo earned National Junior College Athletic Association Region XV Coach of the Year honors following both of his campaigns at Monroe. In 1994-95, DeMeo’s Monroe team led the nation in scoring, averaging 92.0 points per contest. The Mustangs finished the regular-season campaign as the top-ranked team in the country.

He also worked as the head coach at Bronx Community College (1990-93). In 1990-1991, the Broncos claimed the City University of New York Athletic Conference Tournament title.

DeMeo served as an assistant at LIU-C.W. Post (1989-1990) and Queensborough Community College (1988-1989). He also worked with the Westchester franchise in the United States Basketball League during the 1994 season.