Most people know Rob Long as the afternoon sports talk show host for 1570 WNST-AM, where he asks listeners who wish to call “to get in where you can fit in.”
Now, Long will have to get something else into his resume. He was recently named the new head basketball coach for the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.
Long?s qualifications for the job go far deeper than just talking hoops on the air four hours a day. He has truly paid his dues in the coaching ranks after getting his start coaching churchleagues in South Carolina. Most recently, he completed a two-year stint at the Community College of Baltimore County-Dundalk, where he went 36-18, including a 20-5 record in the Maryland JUCO Conference. The 2005-06 Lions also advanced to the NJCAA Region XX Tournament last year.
He now takes over a Notre Dame team that finished 13-12 last year and was fourth in the Atlantic Women?s Colleges Conference (NCAA Division III).
Though it wasn?t easy for him to leave the players he recruited at CCBC-Dundalk, Long said the opportunity to coach at the NCAA level was an opportunity he had to take.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Long said. “At the same time, leaving [CCBC-Dundalk] was the most emotional decision I?ve ever made. Those kids are like family to me.”
Notre Dame interim athletic director Ryan Eigenbrode said the school chose Long because of his local recruiting connections in the community, along with his emphasis that academics come before athletics.
“Rob?s connections in the community complements his coaching ability and his desire to stress that academics come first,” Eigenbrode said.
That combination should be seen right away, as two of Long?s former CCBC-Dundalk players decided to join him at Notre Dame. Gloria and Latoya Broady, who played high school basketball locally at St. Frances, spent the last two years at Dundalk.
“Those two girls were an academic risk when they first came to me,” Long said. “But they worked hard, spent to years with me at the community college before applying and getting into the College of Notre Dame.”
Long notes
» Prior to working at CCBC-Dundalk, Long was the assistant men?s basketball coach at CCBC-Catonsville during the 2003-04 season. During the second half of the season, Long also took over as the interim head coach of the women?s basketball team.
» Long has been the host of “The Rob Long Show” on WNST-AM Sportstalk 1570 since 2003. He is also the play-by-play voice of the Morgan State University football team.
