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Jerry Hobbie enters his first season as an assistant coach at Houston, where he will be reunited with Houston head coach Tom Penders. Hobbie played for Penders at Fordham University, where he set school record for best free throw percentage in a single season, most assists in a game and a season, and most steals in a game, season and a career. He was inducted into Fordham's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005-06. Hobbie still holds current Ram records for best free throw percentage in a season (87.7, 64-73 in 1981-82), most assists in a game (15 against LaSalle on Dec. 28, 1984) and career steals (261). His 180 career assists and his 75 steals in the 1984-85 season rank second among the school's current leaders. His 81.5 career free throw percentage is third. During his collegiate career the Rams won the MAAC championship in 1983 and earned four NIT berths from 1982-85. He comes to Houston after serving as an assistant coach for Wilmington of the American Basketball League in 2006-07, and helped lead the Sea Dawgs to a 22-9 record and a first place finish in the Central Division of the Blue Conference. The Sea Dawgs advanced to the semifinals of the ABA Championship before falling at Vermont, the eventual champion. Hobbie went to Wilmington after serving eight seasons on the basketball staff at Fairfield University. He served three seasons as an associate head coach and was an assistant coach for five seasons before his promotion in 2003-04. The Stags posted back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1978 and won 78 MAAC games after the school had won just 88 games in the previous 17 years. Fairfield's best season during his tenure came in 2002-03, when Fairfield finished with a 19-12 record and earned a NIT berth. The Stags featured four MAAC Defensive Players of the Year, while Darren Phillip was the national rebounding leader in 2000 and Deng Gai led the nation in blocked shots before he played with the Philadelphia 76ers. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Fordham in 1986-87, and spent four years as an assistant coach at St. Patrick's High School in Elizabeth, N.J., where he helped the team earn a Top 25 by the USA Today and a New Jersey state championship in 1998. In addition to Gai, Hobbie has coached three other NBA players. They are Al Harrington and Samuel Dalembert at St. Patrick's High School and Danny O'Sullivan at Fordham. In addition to his high school coaching duties, Hobbie worked on Wall Street for 10 years after playing professionally with the USBL's West Chester Golden Apples in 1985, and two seasons in Europe with Nottingham of the English Basketball Association in 1985 and 1986. He was a member of Nottingham's 1986 EBL Division II Championship team. A native of Elizabeth, N.J., he and his wife, Paula, have two daughters, Joanna and Lea. |
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