Today we continue our series highlighting the four NCAA Division I athletic departments in Western New York: the ‘Big Four Briefing’. Today we highlight the Niagara University Purple Eagles, of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. I spoke with Associate Vice President for Athletics Simon Gray to discuss the State of the Purple Eagles.
BIG FOUR BRIEFING: NIAGARA UNIVERSITY PURPLE EAGLES
2024-25 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champions
Men’s Swimming
Women’s Swimming
Jack Kreuzer: Let's talk about your tenure at the helm of the athletics department at Niagara, 11 years now in the books at NU. Let's start with the positives, what are you proudest of during your time at NU?
Simon Gray: Well, Jack, first of all, thank you for having me on and for bringing light. And you know, just focus on Division One athletics here in Western New York. I think it's an incredibly powerful and impactful venture, and has been for decades and decades in this area. You know the fact that Niagara and Canisius, that rivalry, UB st Bonaventure, and there, you know, several very high quality athletic programs in Division Two and division three and community colleges in the area. So anytime we get to speak about collegiate athletics locally, I think is incredibly important, and in the 11 years that I've been in Niagara, I've been very blessed to have father Marr as the president throughout the entire tenure, and the support of the board and the investment in the belief of what Division One athletics can do to lift the profile of an institution. So that's, you know, what I'm most proud of is the success that Niagara University has seen, but in a way, and how athletics has contributed to that success has been incredibly uplifting. And of course, you know, part of that is success that our student athletes have achieved, and then our coaches as well, thanks to a lot of the hard work from our administrative staff. So the Jack, thanks. I appreciate that, and I appreciate what you're doing here.
JK: Let's start with the spring baseball season. I have the pleasure of watching so many of the games under the previous head coach, boy and all the success that they had two seasons ago in the 2024 spring season, going to the NCAA tournament, putting on a show across the metro Atlanta conference season, what was the first year like under Matt spatafora, and even before that, when you decide to hire from within, what went into that process?
SG: You know, very good, and I appreciate you bringing up some of the success from two years ago, because it was an incredibly prolific year for Niagara athletics. And we had our best ever finish in the Mac Commissioner's Cup standings. And the highlight were the championship. Some of the individual performances that we had, record breaking performances as well. But certainly, as you mentioned, baseball's first Mac championship and trip to the NCAA tournament, where we were at Oklahoma State and played the Cowboys, and then also Nebraska. And you know, when you think about some of the most prominent programs in collegiate baseball to have Niagara going toe to toe with them on the field was was terrific, just a terrific spotlight. And Coach McCoy, who was here for a long time, didn't, did an excellent job. And a lot of the contributions that our coaches make at Niagara go beyond what what the public sees often, which is the wins and losses. But, you know, go into the academic success and servant leadership and serving on campus and and off campus. And Rob was, you know, certainly excellent at bringing great young men into his baseball program, and it was so rewarding to see that capped off last year with the championship season. But I think Rob would be the first one to tell you that Matt Spadafora was very integral in the success of the program. He was an assistant coach for a long time with Rob handled a lot of the recruiting aspect of bringing athletes into the program. And you know, while we didn't achieve the same amount of success in this past spring as we had previously, we grew throughout the year, and we did lose a number of players from the team before that to professional baseball, to transfers and then just to graduation, but Coach spadafore was rebuilding throughout the year, and I know that the future is very bright Under his leadership.
JK: Moving to the fall this past year... I'm curious to hear what you have to say about the women's soccer program. The season starts two and one, the team's looking pretty good with back to back wins against Mercyhurst and Lemoine and then a mid season coaching change that you rarely see at the collegiate level, an interim head coach, Eric Dade steps in. Finishes the season. The Purple Eagles finished just below 500 but now you've got your head coach for the coming year. Just take me inside that whole process and what the reasonings were behind them. Yeah.
SG: Yeah. So I think the biggest credit goes to the student athletes that were part of the program, despite the fact that, you know, we did have a coaching change in the middle of the year, they never lost focus on what was important to them. You know, when we were speaking with the athletes during that time, you know, the most important part was to protect the season and to continue on and represent Niagara in the way that we knew we can. And frankly, what happened in women's soccer was the same story that could be told across many of our sports. Last year, they were very, very close, and the margin between victory and defeat was with slight And that program was very competitive. You know, didn't finish the year exactly where they would have wanted to surely competitively, and I think our our athletes would have told you that as well. But to be able to bring Donnie George back from st Bonaventure, he was an assistant coach here, did an excellent job in that role, before leaving to be the head coach at St Bonaventure and then just coming back here, you know, we're very excited for his tenure and to see what his team can do this fall,
JK: Moving to the winter season, Men's hoops. Boy, this story, like you said, can be set both sports. So many close games for the Purple Eagles this past season, sure, a handful of wins in those close games, but so many heartbreaking and I'm sure, for you and the purple Eagle proud, gut wrenching losses throughout the game that season that were right there. Greg Paula centers year seven as head coach. What is the bar for success for GP? How much does that position boil down to postseason success?
SG: Yeah, thanks, Jack. And you said it, boy, seven, I think it was seven or eight, one possession losses last year, and that, you're exactly right. They were, they typified as well. What I was talking about of, you know, a few bounces a different way, and you make your own luck, right? I mean, you got to work hard. But that program, under Coach Paulus, and they were, they work extremely hard as do as all of our sports, frankly. And you know what, what is success in men's basketball nationally right now is different. You know, it's just evolving through the years with n, i L and the transfer portal, where we've been successful, though I believe in Niagara athletics has been through retention and continuity of our leadership and executing on the vision. And Greg is a great example of, you know, bringing in a staff that handles their program with integrity and intentionality and doing things the right way. And so, you know, last year we were very close and competitive. But, you know, no one would shy away from the fact that we did not make the Mac tournament, and we should be in the Mac tournament, and we will be, you know, moving forward, and his programs had gotten to the semifinals in the Mac tournament, so in no way, despite the fact that in college basketball across the board. Now, I think the stat is that 47% of all division one basketball players will be in the transfer portal. You know, the continuity is at risk and in jeopardy all the way throughout the country, but our expectation, on a year to year basis, because of the leadership that we have and because of what Niagara offers, you know, in the recruiting game is that we should be in contention. You know, we should be one of the teams that can compete for a Mac championship, but certainly getting back to Atlantic City and being in that mold is our goal for this year.
JK: Just announced a few days ago, from the time this is airing, the men's basketball program will take part in this Duke alumni family reunion, it seems, with Greg Paulus returning to Cameron Indoor and going to play the Blue Devils in North Carolina; Howard is also involved in that, as well. How big is that, from a positivity standpoint, for and you to be seen on a national scale, we saw in the last two years that men's basketball team play at Notre Dame at Michigan State, now going to play a number one team in the country for the good part of the last two, three decades. How big a deal is that for Men's hoops?
SG: I know I want to speak about Men's hoops specifically, but if you look across our 19 Division One programs, we get to compete against the biggest brands in the country. And that, that is the beauty and the essence of being in Division One, is to be able to, you know, to have an elite level of sport at an institution that can then compete against the best, and it's challenging, no doubt, but to have purple and white and to have Niagara University across the unit the uniform, you know, whether it's lacrosse and we're playing in the NCAA championship against Stony Brook at Syracuse University, or, you know, myriad of other sports where we play against the big brands. It's really, really important, you know, to help elevate the profile of Niagara University. And men's basketball has the opportunity to put us on that stage in several cases. And I will say Jack that it. Soon. You know, from the time Greg Paulus was with us here at Niagara, when are you going to play Duke? Has been a question, you know, that has been a refrain from fans. It's been a refrain on on campus of when, when can we play the Blue Devils? And so, you know, one of the things I've appreciated about Greg is his relationship with people, and you know, certainly his relationship with Coach K and now coach Sire. They were teammates. His communication has been always been there with Duke. But, you know, feel very fortunate that we have the ability to go to Durham this year and compete in a unique, first of its kind, any way that I know of brotherhood, as they're calling it, tournament against Cameron, and I can just tell you that the response that we've had since that announcement has been overwhelmingly positive. The biggest question I'm getting right now Jack is, how do we get tickets? How do we how do we go and make sure we can get as many purple in that hallowed Hall as possible. So that's one of the scenarios we're dealing with now. But to your question, though, it can't be underscored how important it is to have Niagara competing on that type of stage,
JK: to gear off in that direction. Branding overall on a national scene, we've seen the introduction and then bolstering of this new buff, purple Eagle logo across all sports. I'm curious if or when will that new insignia ever become the official logo of NU athletics?
SG: Well, that's a great question. And thank you for being so closely aligned to that. You know, all of our logos here at Niagara actually have a tradition and a history, and it's something I've sort of approached and evaluated and assessed in my 11 years here, and the more horizontal mu with the head of the eagle has been the primary logo. But I'll tell you where this has really spawned from is the desire of our student athletes, and that's something we're focused on, as any ad would tell you how important the student athlete experience is. But we try to, you know, evaluate what motivates and inspires our athletes, and it obviously cuts across several different spectrums. But when it comes to what logo Do you want to have on your uniforms, or what logo is going to be on your warm ups and your T shirts as you're walking around campus and all over this country or going home to your own country for our international athletes, that logo has emerged as you know what, what we want to be represented by, at least in this current time, in this era of that retro Monty and so, you know, I love it, and our athletes and our coaches have certainly embraced it as well.
JK: Women's Basketball saw tremendous success over the last three years. I'll say back to back WNIT appearances in 23 and 24 this year, a bit of a downturn, though, for Jada Pierce and her club, just three wins on the season. I know you said before you know, all the fancy or the wins and losses, and there's a lot more that goes into building a culture and maintaining a culture across years that Jada Pierce, I can say first hand after working just on broadcasts for her over the years, has been tremendous in behind the Scenes, in building those relationships, specifically with her relationship with the student athletes from Cardinal O'Hara High School just down the road in Tonawanda. So many hawks women's basketball players seem to have a pipeline directly up the Grand Island bridges to Niagara University. How does a relationship like that get spawned? And then you know, what are the restrictions behind recruiting so far in advance? Where will you know that Jada Pierce is going to be at a good handful of Cardinal O'Hara games over the course of a season? But what does that relationship look like in real time?
SG: Well, first of all, I appreciate you recognizing what an exceptional leader Jada Pierce has been, is and will continue to be at Niagara you know her her pedigree and her attention to relationships in her program on this campus and in our region has really elevated women's basketball, and sure it's the two WNIT bids and hosting and winning our First ever postseason game here in the Gallagher center in the division one era. You know, all of that was spectacular, but when we had a down year last year, which was for many reasons, including injury and just loss of, you know, the style she plays, she and her staff have implemented hurricane havoc. You know, be. Down to seven players at some parts of last year just made it a very, very difficult task. And you could see at the end of the year, when we had our full complement of players, you know, we did start to be more competitive and win a couple games. But, you know, I think Jada would be the first one to tell you that that is not at all acceptable for last year. And so, you know, having her program back to that championship caliber standard is where we are headed and what the expectations will be moving forward. And as you mentioned, you know, the relationship with local women's basketball has proved to be very beneficial for Niagara, and I think Jada will be the first one to tell you that her staff deserves a lot of the credit as well her assistant coaches that have been with her for several years, particularly Lester Harbin and Brianna chambers, who have developed, helped develop these local ties with the women's basketball program, have helped. But when you have as quality of program as Cardinal O'Hara is run, and you know Coach O'Neill and his daughter played for us here at Niagara as a transfer in and several of the high school players that have come to Niagara have have not only been exceptional basketball players, but terrific people, and that has benefited our program across the board. So it's a development over years, you know, relationship that's developed over years that is enabled, you know, we've enabled as an institution, as a women's basketball program, to build the trust with the stars of the local high school community, to have them feel that Niagara is their best option in coming forward. And it's just been a terrific, terrific, mutually beneficial relationship.
JK: Is that a goal across most, if not all sports to get local talent to come up North?
SG: Absolutely, you know that that has to be where it starts. It does not end there. For sure, we recruit nationally. We recruit globally. When you think locally as well, at Niagara, we've had tremendous success in Canada, across many of our programs, the hockey program, women's soccer, baseball and across you know, I would venture to say all of our programs at this point have talent coming in from our neighbors to the north. So Canada has also been incredibly helpful to us, in addition to Western and Central New York for student athletes here in Niagara,
JK: You teed me up perfectly, Simon, appreciate you for that move to hockey and Jason Lammers club with the ruling recently, within the past calendar year where Canadian hockey league players now have NCAA eligibility, being, like you said, one of the closest institutions to Canada And the Ontario Hockey League, the CHL as a whole. How does this move help or hurt Niagara hockey?
SG: You know, I was mentioning earlier the credibility that's built over time in the women's basketball program, and Coach Lammers and his staff have done the exact same, and they've built it across the leagues, the junior leagues in the United States and across Canada through what had been, you know, the breadth and the depth of recruiting that was available to us, and I only expect that to expand now that more athletes are available to play college hockey, not only does it expand the pool and the numbers of athletes, but college hockey is one of the smaller sponsored Division one. College hockey is one of the smaller sponsored programs across the country. And so, you know, with there only being in the mid 60s of college programs, you've increased the pool and you still have a limited number of teams. So it should, you know, elevate Division One hockey overall, and does provide coach Lammers and his staff who have built a brand of respectability, credibility and success here, it should enable them to recruit even more talented and academically motivated student advocates in Niagara. You know, last year, we had a fourth round pick in our program who was a freshman and developed throughout the year, and, you know, decided at the end of the year, which is the modern era and the reality that we face, that a different school would be his next stop. But what can't be lost is the development that he had under the tutelage and the support services that were provided here at Niagara. So when you have successes like that, I do think that it leads to more recruiting wins in the future.
JK: With the house versus NCAA settlement allowing universities to directly pay their student athletes. What initiatives have been started or will be started to help keep Niagara competitive with the larger schools and even those within the Mac like Fairfield Quinnipiac that have a boatload of financial support. What can you do to take advantage of the new rules?
SG: Yeah, fairly, very good question, and something we are intimately focused on on the day to day basis. Here at Niagara, as are all of our peers. You know, for us, what we're focusing on is staying true to the model that has been successful at Niagara for years, and it's an educational model that is built on not only being successful competitively, but making sure we're bringing athletes here that want to be developed from a servant leadership perspective, meaning that, you know, they're on campus and they're in community that not only help to promote our brand, but also to lift up the entities that they're working with. And then, of course, you know, graduation is our number one priority, right? They've got to come in and earn their academic credentials and graduate and get a diploma from Niagara University. So those tenants, those pillars, the hallmarks of what it means to be a purple Eagle, will not change. We have to stay true to our core, but at the same time, we must evolve into this modern era, which does mean compensation for athletes and a different way to provide for the experience that student athletes will have. We've been very focused on, you know, staying, staying, you know, adept at what's happening, but then maneuvering the policies, the procedures, the mechanics of how we do it at Niagara within our structure, specifically around revenue generation. So we are looking at innovative, creative ways to alter the structure of the leadership within our department so that we can have more of a focus on raising revenue that can then be used to adapt to the modern era, so that could be guarantee games. It is certainly corporate partnerships and ticket sales ramping up community engagement to get more people involved in Niagara University Athletics. And it's also fundraising, and it's getting out to underscore the importance of individuals that now can give to Niagara University and then where we can prioritize their donations and making sure that we are adapting as well.
JK: When St Francis University of Pennsylvania announced just a few months ago, a fellow Catholic institution, that they were moving from Division Ito Division III athletics. In response to this new rule and trying to find a new lane to create financial stability, what was your reaction to seeing them decide to move down to Division III? And is that all in conversation in the short or long term with Niagara?
SG: One of the things that I think is important is to keep you know all of these changes in this evolution in context. Because as much as this new definition, these new criteria, these new terms, are being applied to division one, there is no way to understand the impact it will have on each individual campus, because every individual campus is different. The metrics are different, the student population is different, the percentage of population that are athletes, or the percentage of finances that are being dedicated toward athletes, or where people are from a scholarship perspective, all of that is different across the entire landscape of division one so in no way can one institution's decision be directly applied to another institution, because the variables are different. And so at Niagara, what we're focused on is similar to what I was saying earlier, is that we need to stay true to our model. We need to continue to elevate Niagara University through athletics, and that comes from investment, not only on campus, but then from those that value the importance that Niagara University Athletics can have, and that's our focus right now.
JK: Talking with Simon Gray, Associate Vice President for athletics at Niagara University, just a few minutes left with you again. Thanks for the time, Simon. Before you go, I just have a very blatant question to ask. Are four to five year players staying at one university? And for your case at Niagara, thing of the past in this new era?
SG: Yeah, that's such a good question, because it's something everyone is grappling with. What I like to point to first is that at Niagara University, we have an 86% retention rate for our student athletes. And so we see in the media, and fairly so right, that there are transient natures. The stat that I gave earlier about 47% of basketball players being in the transfer portal. And so that gets the headlines, because some of the numbers or some of the examples or some of the stories that we see are human interest, and they, you know, they are easy to gravitate toward. But what shouldn't be lost is the fact that collegiate athletics is still an opportunity to provide education to people who are coming through higher ed. And so that is still possible here, meaning we will have four and five year athletes at Niagara University. Will it happen in basketball? It will be much less than it has been in the past. There's no question. I mean, the metrics bear out on that. But you know to basketball, specifically, Coach Paulus and coach Pierce, their approach hasn't changed. They are relational coaches who try to build a relationship in recruiting and continue that developmental relationship while athletes are here, if, in the end, it's better for them to decide to continue their career, continue their academic pursuits at a different institution, that is reality. But what I like about our coaches is that it hasn't changed their approach when the athletes are here.
JK: Last thing for you, Simon. Selfishly, I'm a big video game guy, and I love playing the NCAA College Football video game. Unfortunately, the Purple Eagles don't have a football program, so I can't play as Niagara, but I'm curious… We saw it in the past, about 20 years ago now, Niagara and the rest of the Big Four basketball programs had a College Hoops video game. Is there any conversation about a college basketball video game coming to be?
SG: Not that I've heard, not that I've heard I too jack in my earlier years, have dabbled in video games, although not so much anymore. So I can't tell you that I'm on the cutting edge, you know, what's available in video games, but I would certainly understand the value and and that also speaks to what we were talking about, of Niagara being included in the conversations and lifting the brand, obviously, of division one athletics. That's where we're focused. We want to be, you know, Division one. We want to be successful in the role that we play here in Division One and on this campus. And if part of that can be, you know, an appropriate video game that does, you know, help in this n, i l era with student athletes, name, image and likeness that are part of that video game. Jack. And if it will make you happy, then I think it is certainly a worthwhile venture.
JK: If I could be a driving force in the basketball account I'm in. Sign me up. Thank you very good the time. Simon, great to talk to you. Good luck this coming athletic year, and I hope to talk soon.
SG: All right, I'm very excited about what's to come. Go Purple Eagles.
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