Interim men’s basketball head coach Robert Jones completed his coaching staff with the recent hiring of Kevin DeVantier and Raru Archer. Both will serve as assistant coaches for the 2013-14 season after previously serving as head coaches at a pair of junior colleges.
“We had a lot of great candidates apply, and we are fortunate to bring both Kevin and Raru into the fold,” said Jones. “They have been successful head coaches at the junior college level, and their experience and great recruiting backgrounds will be a big asset for us moving forward.”
DeVantier spent the previous four seasons as the head coach at Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y. He was also the head coach at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y., for three years from 2006-09, including two of those years doubling as the athletics director.
“This is an excellent opportunity to help continue the success the program has had the last few years,” stated DeVantier. “I have known Coach Jones for 10 years, so it will be great to work with him on a day-to-day basis now. We want to coach these players into the NCAA tournament and make it a yearly thing. We don’t want this program to be known just for a two- or three-year run.
“My specialty in the past has been working with shooters, so I want to make sure that our shooters are at the top of their game each and every day.”
Archer was the head coach at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., the last two seasons after serving as an assistant coach there for three years from 2008-11. He was named the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 19 Coach of the Year in ’12 after leading Lackawanna to the regional championship.
“It is an honor to be a part of this program after the success they have had recently,” Archer said. “We want to build on the tradition that has been set and get back to winning the conference title. Players have the athletic ability, but I want to make sure they are prepared and on top of what they need to be doing before they even step onto the court. I want them to be dialed in and bringing 100 percent every single day.”
DeVantier went 113-13 during his four years at Sullivan County CC from 2009-13, leading them to four straight Mid-Hudson Conference championships and three NJCAA Region 15 championships from 2010-12. He coached six first-team all-region players, two regional players of the year and two All-Americans. DeVantier was the regional coach of the year in 2010 and ’12 and led Sullivan County to the NJCAA Division II national tournament in 2010 and ’11.
At Columbia-Greene CC, DeVantier coached two all-region players and earned three wins over top-10 programs. He inherited a program that had gone 0-30 prior to his arrival and led them to a 14-14 overall record his third year with the team. He also served as the athletics director at Columbia-Greene CC from 2007-09.
DeVantier was an assistant coach at SUNY New Paltz from 2003-06, serving with Jones, who was also an assistant coach, for one season in 2003-04. DeVantier earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from SUNY Cortland in 2003.
“Kevin had an unbelievable win percentage at Sullivan County, so you know that his game and strategic planning are top notch,” stated Jones. “He plays defense the way we play it, and he’s a great shooting coach, so he will be a good fit with our program. He has great connections in the junior college world, so he is capable of helping us attract a higher level of junior college players.”
As an assistant and head coach, Archer mentored five all-region players from 2009-12 at Lackawanna, including 2009 Regional Player of the Year Marcus Ashton, as well as two NJCAA All-Americans in Ashton and Shedrick Haynes. Lackawanna won the Region 19 regular season championship each of the three years from 2009-11.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in human performance from Texas Southern in Dec. 2004 and a master’s in human performance in Aug. 2007. He served as a graduate assistant at Texas Southern for a year and also as the video coordinator at Rice for one season before heading to Lackawanna.
“Raru brings plenty of accolades as well and will teach our student-athletes how to play the game with toughness,” said Jones. “He also knows how to help players with their mental approach to the game. He will also be able to open up our recruiting in areas such as Texas and Washington, D.C.”
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