Men's Basketball

Steve Howes

Head Men's Basketball Coach howes@cua.edu 202-319-6046

When Steve Howes became Catholic University's head basketball coach in 2004, one of his key goals was to keep the Cardinals among the nation's elite.

He has succeeded.

Howes guided CUA to its second straight Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) championship last year with an 85-75 come-from-behind victory on the road over Hood College. It was a fitting way for the most dominating team in CAC history to punctuate its league affiliation. Howes led the Cardinals to the past three CAC title games, compiled an 8-1 league tournament record and won six consecutive contests in the CAC playoffs. The Cards advanced to the league championship game seven straight years.

As he enters his fourth year at the helm, Howes has CUA poised to challenge for the catbird seat in the newly formed Landmark Conference. His past achievements suggest that the Cardinals will continue forging a tradition of success few NCAA Division III programs can match.

The win over top-seeded Hood put the Cards (23-6) into the NCAA tournament for the ninth time in the past 10 years. Howes' team got its first taste of tournament success following a 58-37 home victory over Messiah College. It was the third-lowest point total allowed in NCAA Division III tournament history.

Howes has guided his alma mater to three consecutive 20-win seasons, making it 10 straight years the Cardinals have achieved the distinction. His three-year record of 64-23 (.736) is tied with Jack Kvancz for sixth on the school's all-time victories list and ranks second in winning percentage. He has the most wins after three seasons of any CUA basketball coach and is only the fourth coach in school history to lead his team to the NCAA playoffs.

Helping Players Flourish

Howes' coaching and mentoring helped a bevy of Cardinals achieve high marks in the classroom and on the court in 2006-07. Senior Scott Fumai was named first-team All-CAC, and seniors Patrick Dwyer and Stephen Wheeler notched second-team honors. Dwyer and Fumai were named to the D3hoops.com Mid-Atlantic all-region third team.

Howes was beaming with pride at CUA's Senior Student-Athlete Banquet. Wheeler received the highest honor for male graduating student-athletes by winning the Harris Cup in recognition of outstanding achievement in athletics, academics, leadership and service. Dwyer was honored as Male Senior Student Athlete of the Year, and Sean Kelly was presented a Student Athlete Advisory Committee role model award.

Wheeler, Kelly and Dwyer were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches' (NABC) Honor Court after achieving a minimum 3.2 grade-point average.

Sophomore Nick Olivero, who also plays on the Cardinals' football team, was honored as CUA's Student-Athlete of the Year and received the first John J. Convey Award. The latter is given to a sophomore who has succeeded academically, been active in student life and has demonstrated leadership potential. 

Building Championship Teams

Howes earned his first CAC championship and accompanying NCAA tournament berth with a 79-70 victory over Salisbury University in 2006. The Cards finished 21-7 and were 10-4 in the league. Dwyer was named first-team All-CAC, and Shane Sowden garnered second-team Academic All-District 2 honors and received CUA's Harris Cup.

Cardinal fans caught a glimpse of Howes' coaching ability during his first year (2004-05). CUA (20-10) advanced to the CAC title game and Sowden was selected first-team All-CAC. The Cards accepted a bid to the ECAC Southern Region Tournament and won their first two contests to advance to the championship game.

While working under his predecessor, Mike Lonergan, Howes helped build one of the nation's top basketball programs.

Contributing and Learning

During Howes' two tenures (1998-2000, 2001-2004) as a CUA assistant, the Cardinals amassed a record of 121-26 (.823), won five CAC regular-season titles and two CAC tournament championships. The Cards advanced to the NCAA tournament each year, twice going to the Sweet Sixteen and once to the Elite Eight. The 2001-02 team went 26-3 to set the school's season winning percentage record (.897). Howes has coached 10 players who have scored more than 1,000 career points, including two (Dwyer, Fumai) last year.

Howes' recruiting ability and talent-evaluation skills helped CUA land many of the top recruits that formed the nucleus of the Cardinals' 2001 national championship team. Sophomore Matt Hilleary was named All-Tournament of the 2001 Final Four and a second-team All-American in each of his final two seasons. He is now playing professionally in Italy. William Morley, a freshman on the title-winning team, became CUA's first first-team All-American in 2003-04.

Grooming Professionals

Howes has conducted individual workouts for a myriad of top college and professional players. Among the athletes he helped develop are Washington Wizards guard Roger Mason; Earl Hunt (Brown University); Chris Monroe, (George Washington University); Eddie Lucas, a 1999 second-round draft pick of the Utah Jazz; and James Gist, a senior at the University of Maryland. Monroe plays professionally with Hilleary, and he and Hunt are their respective school's all-time leading scorers. Dwyer plays for the Manchester (England) Magic.

Howes for three seasons (1995-98) was head JV and assistant varsity coach at Good Counsel High School in Wheaton, Md., where helped the Falcons achieve a local Top 20 ranking each year. He coached a host of NCAA Division I players, including Mason (Virginia), Monroe, Hunt, Gist, Omari Isreal (Loyola, Md.) and Gini Chukura (Maryland).

In addition, Howes worked with two players (Zach Hilton and Chas Gessner) with NFL experience. Hilton caught 35 passes for the New Orleans Saints in 2005 and Gessner earned a Super Bowl ring with the 2003 New England Patriots.

In 1998, Howes served as an assistant in the prestigious Capital Classic high school all-star game, which featured the Indiana Pacers' Troy Murphy. Howes joined Lonergan's staff for the following two seasons, and then returned to Good Counsel the next year before rejoining the Cards in 2001.

Coaching Tree

When Howes became the 20^th head coach in the 97-year history of CUA basketball on July 19, 2004, he stepped into a role that has launched the careers of many successful coaches. His mentor, Lonergan, is in his third year as head coach at the University of Vermont. Tom Young was an assistant coach for the Washington Wizards last season and had a distinguished college coaching career. Jack Kvancz is the athletic director at George Washington University, and Bob Valvano is an ESPN broadcaster. Jack Bruen led Colgate University to two NCAA Division I tournaments.

Although he never coached the Cardinals, Jimmy Patsos followed his successful tenure as a University of Maryland assistant by becoming the head man at Loyola (Md.) College. Former CUA player and assistant Luke D'Alessio is the head coach at Bowie (Md.) State University.

Two of Howes' assistant coaches have ascended to higher competition levels. John Becker is Vermont's director of basketball operations, and Theo Gremminger is an assistant coach at Philadelphia University. Three of Howes' former Cardinal players and a manager are coaching in college. Aaron Kelly is an assistant coach at Williams College; his brother, Sean, is assisting at Hartwick College. Tom Femminella is a graduate assistant at Hofstra University, and former manager Andrew Gunderson is an assistant at Averett University.

Playing Days

After playing at Frostburg (Md.) State University from 1991 to 1993, Howes transferred to CUA for his final two seasons. He started 14 games as a junior under Lonergan, including a 12-point, 12-rebound performance at Gettysburg. He graduated from The Catholic University of America in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in history.

A team captain and Coach's Award winner at Good Counsel, Howes played on a team that set the Falcons' record for most wins up to that time. He received the school's Christian Conduct Award as a junior and graduated in 1991.

Personal

Howes taught religion and history at Good Counsel from 1997 to 2004. He's active in the NABC and has been a featured speaker at numerous basketball camps. He hosts a camp at CUA each summer.

Stephen Todd Howes, 34, is a native of Washington, D.C. His wife, Melanie, also graduated from Good Counsel and played varsity field hockey and soccer at Immaculata College. They live in Olney, Md., with their son Michael Patrick, 3.

 

Damon Pigrom

Assistant Coach

Damon Pigrom returns as Steve Howes' top assistant after playing a key role in CUA's success last season. Working with the Cardinals' post players, Pigrom helped Patrick Dwyer and Stephen Wheeler attain second-team All-Capital Athletic Conference honors. Dwyer is now playing professionally in Manchester, England, and Wheeler had never started until last year.

Pigrom came to CUA after building Blake High School into one of the finest boys' basketball teams in the Washington area. He took the reins in 1999 when the Silver Spring, Md., school fielded its first varsity squad, and by 2002-03, the Bengals were 20-5, advanced to the Maryland state semifinals and were ranked 15^th in the final Washington Post poll. Blake went 20-4 the following year, qualified for the regional semifinals and finished 14th. Pigrom's 2004-05 team was 23-4, advanced to the state championship game and earned a final Post ranking of seventh. Two of his players from that team earned Division I scholarships: Kelvin Bright (Robert Morris University) and Kevan Creppy (Bethune-Cookman College).

Pigrom played two seasons of varsity basketball at Cherokee High School in Marlton, N.J., before graduating in 1992. He was the team's starting power forward as a senior and was named honorable mention All-Conference. He began his college career at Hampton (Va.) University as a walk-on in 1992. He eventually earned a scholarship and was a senior captain when the team played its first Division I season (1995-96). While at the Division II level, the Pirates posted three 20-win seasons and were often ranked in the top 25. He received three Academic Achievement Awards for maintaining a minimum 3.0 grade-point average, and he scored a career-high 15 points against St. Augustine's College. He played summer ball with Cuttino Mobley (Los Angeles Clippers) in Philadelphia's Sonny Hill League.

After graduating from Hampton in 1997 with a degree in health and physical education, Pigrom was head coach at Poolesville (Md.) High School from 1997 to 1999 and led the Falcons to the regional finals his first season.

Pigrom teaches physical education at Blake High and coaches the girls' tennis team. He led the squad to the Montgomery County Division III Championship in 2005 and a Division II title in 2007. A native of Highland Park, Ill., he lives in Laurel, Md., with his wife, Selena, daughter Skylar and son D.J.

 

Justin Kamm

Assistant Coach

Justin Kamm, a former two-sport athlete at Johns Hopkins University, joins the Cardinals after working as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Miami (Fla.). He will coach CUA's point guards and have film exchange and recruiting duties.

Kamm served on Coach Frank Haith's staff at Miami for the past three seasons (2004-07). The Hurricanes were chosen to play in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in Kamm's first two years. The 2005-06 squad advanced to the NIT quarterfinals and was victorious at North Carolina. Miami won two games in the ACC Tournament last season and defeated Maryland on the road. Two Hurricanes are now playing in the NBA: Guillermo Diaz is a rookie with the Los Angeles Clippers and Robert Hite is in his second year with the New Jersey Nets.

Kamm was co-director of Haith's basketball camp for three years and served as Miami's recruiting coordinator. He also participated in scouting and film breakdown. He began CoachHaith.com and was the site's content director. He earned a master of science in education (MSEd) in sport administration from the Coral Gables, Fla., school in 2007.

At Immaculata High School in Somerville, N.J., Kamm excelled in football and basketball. He played varsity football for three years and was a two-year starting wide receiver, defensive back, kicker and punter. He finished in the school's all-time top 10 in scoring. The Spartans won the Mountain Valley Conference all three years (1993-95) and the Parochial Group 3 state championship in 1994. He was named first-team All-Conference his junior and senior seasons, second-team All-State in 1994 and first-team in 1995.

In basketball, Kamm was a three-year starting point guard. He earned first-team All-Conference and All-Somerset County honors his senior year and second-team recognition as a junior. The team won two conference championships (1994-96) and one county title (1994-95). His name appeared on the Dean's List all four years and he was a member of the National Honor Society. He graduated in 1996.

Continuing his playing career at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Md., Kamm was a point guard for the Blue Jays and also played football. A three-year starter at defensive back, he was recognized as a second-team All-Centennial Conference performer as a junior in 1998. He earned a degree in economics in 2000.

Kamm, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., owns a private equity firm and is a personal basketball instructor. His brother, Brendan, played basketball at Hopkins before graduating in 2003, and his brother, Collin, is a junior guard for the Blue Jays. Kamm resides in Washington, D.C.

 

Harvey Powell

Assistant Coach

Harvey Powell joins Steve Howes' staff after coaching some of the Washington area's top players in the high school and AAU ranks. He will participate in video exchange and recruiting, and assist Howes in coaching the Cardinals' wing players.

Powell was the associate head coach at Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda, Md., for the past three seasons (2004-07). The Little Hoyas won the Interstate Athletic Conference championship in 2005-06 and were tournament champions this past year. Powell coached Garvey Young, who will play at Vermont next year under former CUA Coach Mike Lonergan.

Powell was an assistant coach with the Maryland Madness AAU team for three years (2004-06) under 17-year NBA veteran Buck Williams. The squad placed 10^th in the AAU 15-and-under national tournament in 2004; sixth (16-and-under) the following year; and fifth (17-and-under) in 2006. Powell coached Young, Jerai Grant (Clemson), Evann Baker (Quinnipiac) and Jeremiah Bowman (Marist). Chris McGrew, a Cardinal freshman, played for the Madness in 2006.

Powell began his basketball coaching career in 1998 as an assistant with the 13-and-under Maryland Blazers. He helped guide the AAU team to the Division II Final Four in Cocoa Beach, Fla. Players included Stanley Hodge of Niagara; Erik Smith, who played at Lehigh; and Doug Dutch, who plays football for Michigan. From 2001 to 2004, Powell was the head coach of 9-and-under to 12-and-under Madness teams. His 10-and-under club won the AAU Classic Championship in Orlando, Fla., in 2002.

Powell played offensive guard in football for two years at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., and started as a senior. He helped the Stags win two Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championships (1993-94) and graduated in 1995. His coach was the highly regarded Bill McGregor.

A native of Washington, D.C., Powell worked at the past two CUA summer basketball camps. He teaches reading skills to third through sixth graders at Robert Frost Elementary School in New Carrollton, Md. Powell resides in Lanham, Md.