BANGOR, Maine — There is a tradition, and an expectation, of excellence within the Husson University men’s basketball program.
In the modern era it began under Del Merrill, who coached from 1955-1968. It continued with Bruce MacGregor (1969-19940), who guided the team to prominence in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics ranks.
Through those 40 years, Husson posted a combined record of 739-271, a .732 winning percentage, and was a perennial league power and regional contender.
Warren Caruso became keenly aware of those achievements after his arrival at Husson as a student-athlete in 1984. As its coach, he has continued the success established by his predecessors.
“I’m the guy trying not to mess it up,” quipped Caruso.
Last week, the Bangor native joined an elite group of NCAA Division III coaches when he earned his 400th coaching victory in a North Atlantic Conference win over Maine Maritime Academy of Castine.
“Success attracts successful student-athletes. We’ve been really fortunate that way,” said Caruso, who played at Husson from 1984-1988. We’ve had tremendous support from the administration, alumni and all the people that understand how the basketball program fits into the larger puzzle of Husson University.”
Caruso enters the second half of his 21st season with a career record of 402-185. He has directed Husson to 10 conference titles and 20 straight winning seasons.
The Eagles (10-2) are trying to build on a record-setting 2013-2014 campaign during which they went 26-3 and advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament for the fourth time in six years.
Husson achieved another program first on Jan. 6 when it was ranked No. 23 in the D3hoops.com national poll.
“We have a greater understanding of what we need to do to move the program to that next stage of not only going to a national tournament but advancing in the national tournament,” Caruso said.
Turning over the whistle
Caruso had a productive playing career at Husson and averaged 14 points per game while captaining the squad during his senior season. Yet it was some of the intangibles he provided that caught MacGregor’s attention.
As Caruso worked on completing his accounting degree after four years, MacGregor hired him.
“I’m sure he would like to have had more playing time than he had, but his value was in his leadership and understanding of the game and knowing what was going on, not only in the games and practices, but in the recruiting process,” MacGregor said. “He was ahead of his years and you could tell that he was a terrific fit for Husson basketball.”
It didn’t take long for Caruso to learn an important lesson in humility from his mentor.
In 1988, Husson beat rival Saint Joseph’s College at Standish after having gone 0-8 against them during Caruso’s playing days. After the game, Caruso beamed as he made his way across the gym.
MacGregor stopped him in his tracks.
“He says, what are you smiling about?, and I said coach, we haven’t beaten St. Joe’s …” Caruso began. “He said, didn’t you expect to win?, and I said yeah.
“He said always expect to win, but remember that there’s another team that just lost and your celebration is insulting to them.”
It was one of many lessons imparted by MacGregor, who stepped down in 1994 after 26 seasons. By then Caruso had spent 10 years in the program, six as an assistant coach.
“He treated me like an associate head coach and anything that happened he said, ‘what would you do?’” Caruso said. “Little did I know where I was headed.”
MacGregor knew exactly where Caruso belonged.
“It really was exciting for me when the college allowed me to pick my successor and be able to turn the whistle over to Warren because I knew what had been so important to me for 26 years was just going to get even better.”
More than 30 years later, the men remain close. The two speak frequently and have a weekly lunch together when the MacGregors are in Maine.
“He’s my best friend, been a part of my life for 30 years, as I have his, and we’ve shared many great moments together,” Caruso said.
Fostering a family feeling
Their relationship exemplifies the kind of connectedness and caring that are fostered within the Husson basketball team.
Caruso said the key ingredient is the caliber of young men who join the program.
“Good people make good coaches,” he said. “We’ve worked hard at putting the right people in our program.”
Those with ties to the program describe it as a family, one where the personal and academic needs of the student-athletes supersede their shared desire for excellence on the court.
“I think more than anything he just wants everyone to have fun and be a good teammate and that will lead to success on the court,” said senior Jacob Moore of Hampden.
Even years after leaving the school, former players praise Caruso for the impact he had on them.
Guilford native Buddy Leavitt arrived at Husson in 2002 after spending a year at the University of Maine. He earned both a master’s degree (2008) and a doctorate (2011) in physical therapy from Husson.
“Coach is just an incredible, all-around guy,” said Leavitt, who now lives in Ohio. “I thought of him as more than a coach. He was almost like a friend sometimes, like a dad figure sometimes. He really cared.”
Even so, Caruso can be a taskmaster. He sets high expectations for the program and his players.
“He doesn’t want you to come up short of what your potential is,” Leavitt said.
“He definitely kicked our ass when we needed it.”
Hermon native Rick Sinclair played at Husson from 1993-1996. He was among those who played for both MacGregor and Caruso.
He witnessed the coaching transition and developed an appreciation for the position Caruso was in when he took over.
“He had some really big shoes to fill,” said Sinclair, who is the athletic director and boys basketball coach at John Bapst High School in Bangor.
“It’s just incredible how he’s maintained the level of the tradition,” he added. “He does a great job recruiting, he gets kids to buy into his system and he turns out good leaders.”
Leavitt commended Caruso’s commitment to staying connected with former players. He has been a frequent guest at their weddings.
“It’s like an extended part of your family,” Leavitt said. “It’s a college basketball team, but it’s really friends for life. Coach is a big part of that.”
Caruso also places an emphasis on making sure his players remain committed to their educational pursuits in addition to their basketball skills.
“He focuses on graduating more than anything. To him it’s bigger than basketball and that’s probably one of the biggest things I’ll take from him,” said Husson senior Aaron Willis.
Walking the walk
Caruso has always demonstrated intensity and emotion on the sidelines, but Husson players from 20 years ago might say their coach has mellowed a bit.
“I would argue that I’ve put things in better perspective,” Caruso said with a big smile.
“The competitive drive to move the program to higher levels is there and I think that shows in how hard we recruit and how we prepare and the goals we set for the program,” he explained.
He is thankful to his wife Nicole and sons Nathan and Luke for their support during the long winters when he was in the gym or on the road with the basketball team.
Caruso, who for many years owned and operated the former Dana’s Grill in Bangor and Hampden, can share his enthusiasm for Husson University every day. For the last five years, he has served as its executive director of development.
In more than 25 years, Caruso has watched as Husson transformed from a business school with 600 students to a multifaceted university of more than 3,000 students.
While Caruso’s day job is to solicit financial support for the Husson, his mission as a coach is to build on Husson’s tradition of excellence while trying to develop leaders on the court and in the community.
“I think what drives me as a coach is that we’re always working to improve students’ lives,” he said.
“It’s about growth in individuals and seeing them come in as a confused, young soul, so to speak, and leave with a good understanding of what they’d like to do with their life. It’s a labor of love.”