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Skyhawks add two and elevate Karys ahead of inaugural Division I season
EASTON, Mass. (June 10, 2022) – Stonehill College men's basketball head coach Chris Kraus, '06 has announced changes to his coaching staff ahead of the College's transition to NCAA Division I status as a member of the Northeast Conference for the upcoming 2022-23 season.
Kraus has announced the addition of Jimmy Langhurst and Herschel Jenkins to the Stonehill coaching staff, while elevating Jason Karys to assistant coach after serving the program as a volunteer assistant during the 2021-22 season.
"I am thrilled to have Jimmy, Herschel and Jason with our program as we transition to Division I and the NEC," said Kraus. "They are all tremendous people and will be fantastic representatives of our program both on and off the court."
Langhurst joins the Stonehill coaching staff after four years as director of operations at NCAA Division I Robert Morris University, his alma mater, under head coach Andrew Toole. He keyed the Colonials defensive efforts on the court, working directly with the guards in film and workout sessions and preparing scouting reports and game plans. He assisted the coaching staff with recruiting, including arrangement of prospective student-athlete visits and documentation, while also coordinating team travel, game day operations and court set-up.
Langhurst was a member of the RMU coaching staff that oversaw a transition from the NEC to the Horizon League, capping the Colonials NEC era with the 2020 Conference championship and a 20-14 record overall, including 13-5 in the NEC, to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament that was cancelled due to the COVID-10 pandemic. The Colonials earned a berth in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) in 2018 as well. He also coordinated the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) "Stay In To Win" program designed to help middle school and high school students focus on making good academic, career, and personal choices, an endeavor he led in each of his collegiate coaching stops.
Langhurst bring experience in the NEC as a coach and student-athlete during his two stints at Robert Morris (PHOTO Courtesy Robert Morris) |
Prior to joining the coaching staff at Robert Morris, Langhurst served three years as assistant coach at Northeast-10 Conference member Le Moyne College with head coach Patrick Beilein. He was named an Under Armor 30 Under 30 award recipient from the NABC and tabbed as the No. 9-ranked Division II Men's Basketball Assistant Coach by CoachStat.net. Langhurst assisted in recruiting, game and practice planning, keying the Dolphins defensive efforts that helped in producing an improvement from a 10-17 mark in 2015-16 to a pair of 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament bids, capped by a 27-7 record in 2017-18, including 18-2 in the NE10 to win both the regular season and tournament championships on their way to an NCAA East Regional title and trip to the 2018 NCAA II Elite Eight.
Langhurst was an assistant coach under Joe Lombardi at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2014-15, helping the Crimson Hawks to a national runner-up finish and 31-7 overall record, including 17-5 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). He completed an internship with Hoop Group in Neptune, New Jersey, in 2014, coaching the NJ Shore Shots AAU team.
Langhurst is a 2010 graduate of Robert Morris, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in social science. He was a four-year member of the Colonials men's basketball program, serving as team captain for two years for head coach Mike Rice, Jr. Langhurst was a part of three 20-win seasons for the Colonials, with two NCAA Tournament appearances and one bid to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). He went on to play professionally in the British Basketball League with the Sheffield Sharks, leading the team and ranking sixth among league scoring leaders with 19.2 points per game, to earn honorable mention All-British Team accolades.
"I got to know Jimmy during his time in the NE10 with Le Moyne and observed how good of a job he did with their players and program," said Kraus. "He helped to build their group into one of the top teams in the league and has also been very involved in the success of the other programs along his coaching journey. He has very good experience in the NEC as both a player and coach and I know he will really help our staff and players."
Jenkins brings six years of NCAA Division I coaching experience to the Stonehill coaching staff, spending the last year as director of operations with head coach Joe Jones at Boston University. Jenkins aided the Terriers 22-13 record, including 11-7 in the Patriot League, to earn a spot in the College Basketball Invitational, leading the team's transition defense efforts. He coordinated all team travel, including hotel accommodations, meals and apparel, as well as that for Coach Jones. Jenkins served as a liaison with the athletic administration, career development, compliance and residential life. He was actively evaluating prospective student-athletes and prepared video edits for staff, players and recruits.
Prior to joining the coaching staff at BU, Jenkins served five seasons at Fordham University in the Atlantic 10 with head coaches Jeff Neubauer and Michael DePaoli, being elevated each year from assistant video coordinator to director of operations over his last two years, including a stint as interim assistant coach during the 2020-21 season. He coordinated all team scheduling and travel, while serving as offensive analyst, reporting directly to the head coach for each opponent scouting report. Jenkins actively evaluated prospective student-athletes and gained invaluable experience by managing all video operations for the Rams and serving as a liaison with athletic administration, academic advising, compliance and residential life.
Jenkins served two years as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for head coach Pat Scanlon at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York. He led the Valiants offensive efforts, was lead skill development coach and academic coordinator as the program improved its on court play over his two years. Jenkins heavily recruited in the New York City Metro area, prepared practice plans, opponent scouts and film exchange and coordinated the team's volunteer efforts. Prior to his time at Manhattanville, he coached at the Hoop Group Skills/Elite Camp in Reading, Pennsylvania, for four summers.
Jenkins is a 2014 graduate of College of Staten Island, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics. He was a four-year member of the Dolphins men's basketball team, helping the program to back-to-back conference championships in 2012 and 2013 and an appearance in the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 in 2012. Jenkins completed his Master of Science degree in sports business management from Manhattanville in 2016.
"Herschel is an up-and-coming star in the business and will be a tremendous addition to our Stonehill family," said Kraus. "A relentless worker, a great communicator and a coach who came highly recommended from his time at Boston University and Fordham, he has a passion for the game and will make our program better. We are fortunate to have such a high-quality person here to help our institution and players."
Karys has been elevated to assistant coach on the Stonehill staff after one year as a volunteer assistant for Coach Kraus (PHOTO BY Bob Blanchard) |
Karys will elevate his involvement on Coach Kraus' coaching staff after serving as a volunteer assistant for Stonehill during the 2021-22 season. He assisted the Skyhawks coaching staff in evaluating and recruiting multiple high school, prep and transfer prospects, ran skill development workouts and prepared opponent scouting reports.
Prior to joining Stonehill, Karys spent four years on the coaching staff at Division I Valparaiso University in Indiana, his alma mater, with head coach Matt Lottich. Karys got his start as a graduate assistant for two years, before being elevated to director of basketball operations from 2019-2021. In his latter role, Karys managed the team's travel, recruiting and equipment budget, created multimedia recruiting content and directed Valpo Basketball Summer Camps. Karys also gained valuable experience breaking down game film for scouting reports, recruiting and team improvement. He led individual skill workouts and organized and contributed to the coaching staff's recruiting database.
During his first seasons as a full-time member of the Valpo basketball staff in 2019-20, the team finished with the program's highest conference win total, highest overall win total and highest finish in the league standings since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. The season culminated with a run to the MVC title game that saw Valpo become the first team in the 30-year history of Arch Madness to reach the final after playing in the opening round.
Karys, a native of Newton, Massachusetts, earned dual degrees from Valparaiso, receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in sports management in 2017 and then a Master of Science degree in sports administration in 2019. He was a walk-on member of the men's basketball team for Coach Lottich for the 2016-17 season as Valpo posted a 24-9 record, including 14-4 in the Horizon League, before earning a spot in the NIT. He served the first three seasons as team manager for the men's basketball program.
"Jason spent the past season with us as a volunteer and showed me how valuable he was to our program and staff," said Kraus. "When the decision came for an open position, it was a no brainer for me. He has an incredible work ethic, is extremely loyal and really impressed me with his basketball thoughts both on and off the floor. He will continue to make our program better and I am thrilled that he will be part of this Division I transition."
Stonehill capped its NCAA Division II era with a 15-12 overall record during the 2021-22 season, including a 10-9 mark in its final Northeast-10 Conference season. The Skyhawks won four of their final six games, including an NE10 Tournament victory over Le Moyne in the first round while making their 34th tournament appearance. Seniors Andrew Sims and Owen Chose were both named to the All-NE10 third team.
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