Coach Hammel's 400 wins marked with memories on and off
the court
When Bert Hammel earned his 400th coaching win on January 22, 2008,
reflections about his tenure at Merrimack College were not so much
centered around the coaches' 29 years of victory but rather his
impact that goes beyond the basketball court.
Now in his 29th season, Bert Hammel has been the center of
Merrimack's men's basketball existence. His Warriors continue to be
competitive in the Northeast-10 and the Northeast region as well as
a positive presence in the community.
Along with assuring that Merrimack's winning tradition is
maintained, Hammel assures that his players develop as individuals.
80 of his 83 players have graduated on time and each has offered
their time to community service while they are under Hammel's
watch.
“I take what I learned from coach Hammel with me
everyday,” said former guard Shawn Brown, who works with
Boston's intercity youth to give them a better quality of life.
“He taught me the importance of commitment and being the best
at whatever you do. I have adopted his work ethic into my everyday
life,” said Brown.
Hammel's legacy
The longest active tenured coach in school history, Hammel brings a
407-390 career record into this season along with a resume that
includes five NCAA Tournament appearances.
In 2008, the Warriors returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first
time since 2000 led by Northeast-10 Conference First Team selection
and All-Region Honoree Darren Duncan and the Northeast-10 Freshman
of the Year Darin Mency. The Warriors (17-12) started the season
6-0 for the first time in school history, earning a national
ranking of 25th.
In 2000, the Warriors captured both the Northeast-10 regular season
and tournament crowns before falling in the regional semifinals.
The Hammel-led Warriors also went to the NCAA tourney in 1991 and
1992.
Fifteen Merrimack players have garnered Northeast-10 All-Conference
honors under Hammel, including First Team selections Paul Neal
(1989, 1999, 1991), Steve Curran (1992), Reggie Carter (2000) and
Darren Duncan (2008). Neil was also named Northeast-10 Player of
the Year in 1991 and was inducted into the Merrimack Hall of Fame
in 2004. Carter earned Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Year
honors in 2000 and Kenny Jones (2007) accomplished the same feat as
a senior.
At the conclusion of the 1982-83 seasons, Joe Dickson was named
both All-America and Academic All-America and is No. 2 in scoring
in school history with 2,130 points.
In 1986-87, Steve Scott was named Northeast-8 Rookie of the Year
and, more recently, Darren Duncan and Dee Mency took home Rookie of
the Year honors in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
Hammel has also brought Merrimack two Eastern College Athletic
Conference (ECAC) Championships. In 1997-98, the No. 4 seed
Warriors downed Saint Michael’s College in the finals. The
following year, Merrimack earned the top seed in the tournament and
knocked off New Jersey Tech, 96-82.
Hammel has developed many outstanding guards during his time in
North Andover. He coached Gary Duda (1989-92), who earned Academic
All-American honors and still ranks among the top three-point
shooters in Division II history, as well as Daren Alix, who was
recognized as one of the premier three-point shooters in Division
II in 1996. In 1999-00, Shawn Brown led the nation in assists
amongst Division II players while Bobby Murgo finished his career
with over 600 dimes.
Hammel has developed and helped 13 of his former players move into
coaching careers of their own including; Bill Herrion ('81, head
coach University of New Hampshire), Chris Mohr (’97,
assistant at University of New Hampshire), Greg Herenda (83, head
coach at U Mass Lowell), Steve Curran ('92, assistant coach at
Central Connecticut State) Tom Herrion ('89, assistant coach at
University of Pittsburgh and .Joe Gallo ('04), who returned to
Merrimack as an assistant coach under Hammel.
Others have taken on coaching roles at the high school level,
including Paul Neal (91), Dave Keefe (84), Rob Pavinelli (85), Rich
Barden (01), Jeff Caron (99), John McVeigh (98), and Larry Merritt
(96). Former manager Peter Paladino (86) is the Director of
Athletics at Central Catholic High School.
Community Service
During Hammel’s time at Merrimack, he has also helped make
Warrior basketball a fixture in the community. In addition to
serving as the camp director for Merrimack’s basketball
camps, he also developed and maintains the Academic Basketball
Awareness (ABA) Camp in conjunction with the Lawrence Boys Club.
Each summer, campers are invited to play basketball and study for
one week.
Hammel has twice been honored by the City of Lawrence for his work
with the Boys Club, and in 2000 received the UMass Amherst Sports
Management Program Service Beyond Recognition Award for founding
and coordinating the ABA Camp. Hammel also instituted the
‘Read with the Warriors’ program in which Merrimack
players travel to elementary schools in the Merrimack Valley to
help youngsters strengthen their reading skills.
His players are also regulars at the Boys Club, volunteering their
time to help with the development of area youth. Hammel and the
Warriors also make special days more meaningful for the boys club
children by offering their time at the Boys Club Halloween and
Christmas Parties as well as other special club events.
“What Bert does comes right from his heart,” said Steve
Kelly, associate director of the Lawrence Boys Club. “Most
importantly, he believes that each of our kids is a diamond in the
rough who wants to be a polished gem. Bert teaches us that
greatness is not something inherent, but something to be cultivated
and encouraged. He teaches us that our goals – no matter what
they may be – are determined by our desire, not our
background – and that in turn determines our success. Bert
makes us believe that nothing is impossible if we are willing to
pay the price. He is a real life hero to so many of the kids of the
LBGC.”
Hammel was the recipient of the 2007 Literacy Champion Award
presented by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
The award is given to someone who has used the game of basketball,
his program, and his players to promote the importance of reading,
writing, and technological skills to children. The award recognizes
the ongoing selfless efforts in bringing the importance of enhanced
literacy skills through visits to schools, inviting students to
their campuses, and acquiring funding to support their projects of
promoting reading and literature.
Hammel is a two-time Paul Schoenfeld Sportsmanship Award, receiving
the honor in 1996-97 and 2000-01. The award is given annually to
one of over 200 schools in the New England Region which best
epitomizes character, ethics and integrity in the game of
basketball.
Pre head coaching days
In 1974, Hammel joined the men’s basketball program as an
assistant coach following a his college playing days at Bentley
College. Hammel learned his coaching skills from then head coach
Frank Monahan for five seasons, which included NCAA tourney bids in
1977 and 1978.
Hammel attended Bentley College ('73) where he became a three-year
starter for the Falcons and scored 1,209 career points (15.3 per
game). As a senior, Hammel served as co-captain and was named the
Falcons Most Valuable Player. For his efforts, Hammel was selected
to the Division II All-New England squad and still ranks among the
leaders in scoring and rebounding at Bentley. In 1973, he graduated
with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
In 1979, Hammel left Merrimack to become the chief scout for the
Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. One year
later the Merrimack head coaching position became available and
Hammel was named the seventh coach in Merrimack men’s
basketball history.
Personal
Bert and his wife, Jill, reside in Methuen, Mass. with their three
children – Alexandria (16), Lucas (14) and Cooper (12).
Burtnyk returns to Merrimack for his first year on the men's
basketball coaching staff following an illustrious career under
Coach Hammel (2004-08) in which he guided the Warriors to 54 total
wins and an NCAA Tournament berth in his final year. Over the
course of three seasons at Merrimack, Burtnyk tallied 830
points.
Coaching Merrimack to over 400 wins, Hammel introduced Burtnyk as
the ninth assistant coach in the Bert Hammel era on Thursday,
September 10. Following former assistant Joe Gallo as the
second consecutive former Warrior point guard, Burtnyk feels
fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the 29th year
coach.
“It’s great to be back at Merrimack and be part of
such a rich basketball tradition,” Burtnyk said. “I
feel lucky to have the opportunity to work with Coach Hammel and
some of the guys I played with as a senior.”
With the departure of Gallo, Hammel is a believer that Burtnyk
will follow in his footsteps as a great asset to the program.
“Micky is what Merrimack basketball is all about,”
Hammel said. “His strong work ethic and commitment to getting
our program to the next level is what will make him so valuable. I
think it will be a smooth transition because [the players he played
alongside] respected him on the court, and that will translate into
respect for him as a coach.”
John Miller enters his fifth season as an assistant coach on
head coach Bert Hammel’s staff.
Miller served as the head basketball coach at Chelsea High School
from 1987-89 before accepting a position with Autodesk. From
1991-2001, he served as Vice President of Worldwide Sales.
Currently, Miller is Vice President of sales for Maximum
Thoughput.
A 1985 graduate of Assumption College, Miller was a four-year
member of the Greyhounds basketball team. He finished his career
with 903 points and 600 rebounds. As a freshman, Miller scored 235
points and grabbed 143 rebounds. He pulled down a career-high 193
rebounds as a sophomore, an average of six rebounds per game. He
was a high school All-America selection at Boston College High
School.
Miller resides in North Andover with his wife, Debbie, and
children Brendan, Christopher, John and Melissa.
