Photo by: SMC Athletics / Piper Westrom
Kroner's Corner Season 2: Coach EJ, Settling in Nicely
1/1/2026 10:36:00 AM | Men's Basketball
EJ Rowland spent 19 seasons playing for professional basketball teams almost all over the world. Prior to last season, he returned to Saint Mary's to become an assistant coach for Randy Bennett.
Rowland was a part of Bennett's first NCAA Tournament team in 2005. With associate head coaches Mickey McConnell and Joe Rahon, Rowland gives Bennett three former Saint Mary's starting point guards on his staff.
What follows are excerpts from a phone interview with Rowland on Wednesday. Some of the questions and answers were edited for brevity and/or clarity:
Q: Second season as an assistant coach compared to the first: How much more comfortable are you now or were you just as comfortable at this time last season?
A: I would say a little bit of both. I'm more comfortable just because I'm less on my heels, just constantly reacting to things. Like last year, I didn't even know what to expect in regard to even the smallest of things, like schedules, the trips, how our days go, what I should be saying, not be saying – all of that.
But also comfortable in the way of the relationships with Coach Bennett and the guys, knowing that we're going after the same thing. … It's not as ingrained in me as it is in everybody else because the machine has been running for years. These guys have had four, five, six, seven, eight years doing the same thing, so it's just like the back of their hand. It's not to that point to me yet, but I have a little more understanding of what's coming and how I fit into it.
Q: I'm sure when you play for a man, the dynamic is one thing and then when you're coaching with that man, the dynamic is another. I'm guessing Randy's personality and the way he treats people really hasn't changed over 20 years, but is there any perspective you have now on Coach that you didn't have when you were playing for him two decades ago?
A: I didn't understand all the things that were going on behind the scenes. … So, for Coach, now with me being in it, from this perspective, he's really the CEO of a company, if you simplify it to that. You have to win games. You still have to try to have a culture that's sustainable. Put out a product that represents what you've been building. … Think about it: He's a general manager. He's a coach. He's a fundraiser. He's a politician. There are all these different dynamics to what he does on the day to day. … That's one of the things that I've noticed the most is just all the hats that he constantly wears and still the motor he has for the foundation of it all, which is the basketball: the practices and the smallest minute things that other people would take for granted after 25 years of success.
Q: What do you miss most about playing?
A: I think just the heat of the battle. People ask me all the time, do I miss it? And I say I haven't really thought about it, maybe because one, I'm in the heat of the battle, just from a different perspective, and two, I played long enough to where I felt like I got it out. I played 19 years. I was close to retiring three or four years before I did. … I had my run and because we're in this and I feel like part of something that we're still trying to go after, I don't have that yearning – like some people probably would have expected or maybe even I would have expected.
Q: And at what point in those 19 seasons was there a time when you thought – not necessarily at Saint Mary's – I think I'd like to be a coach when my playing days do end?
A: I think the last 2-4 years of it. I used to think I didn't have the patience for coaching. Maybe that was the point guard in me. I felt like I was always kind of the bridge between the staff and the players, trying to be a coach on the court. (Rowland then related how in the final few years of his playing career, he became something of a mentor to teammates much younger than he was) … Like, breaking down guys' goals, thoughts on how to achieve them, how they should be approaching their days, carrying themselves, their routines. Just things I've seen on the court, and so I think because of that, it's slowed me down a little bit and I started thinking, "You know what? Maybe I can do this."
Q: What specifically have you enjoyed about coaching the most or maybe more than you thought you would now that you've been it for a year-plus?
A: I guess I would have suspected I'd appreciate the relationships. Or just seeing players' development over time and seeing them either not be able to do things or not be able to do things well and then see their weaknesses become strengths. Or see individual battles that they've been going through, see them overcome them. Or see their personalities come out as they get more comfortable or start growing into the young men that they are. Maybe those are the things that I appreciate the most.
We're watching film, we're preparing as a staff, doing all these things, and seeing how that translates to the game in pursuit of a W, that's pretty cool as well.
Q: Considering the absolutely deserved pride that you and Joe and Mickey take in the point-guard legacy at Saint Mary's, I would imagine the growth you've seen from Josh Dent has to be pretty satisfying – certainly for Josh – but for you and Mickey and Joe as well. Fair?
A: Yeah, for sure. You can't really fault people for not seeing it coming because they didn't see him in however many practices we had last year and the spring and summer workouts and all those types of things. So, I guess it was a little bit of a risk and people were like, "Man, they're not going to the portal or going to pick up an upperclassman" or these types of things, with our level of expectation. But, it's cool to see him even as a leader growing and also feeling like he's just scratching the surface because with success and the confidence that comes with that and just the experiences that he's having as a young guard, we all expect him to keep getting better.
Q: You guys are 13-2. It's hard to argue with that. What are one or two things about which you and the team feel most satisfied as you turn from 2025 to '26?
A: I would say one is that for the most part, we've handled our business in regard to taking care of the games that "we're supposed to" with a young team and having a lot of guys who are just getting game experience on the fly. And kind of building out our roster and how the minutes are being allocated, I think we've still found a way to handle our business. … And it also showed that we still have so much room for growth. For us to be 13-2 with all those different things going on, I don't think anybody is mad at that.
Q: Now, it's the end of December. By the end of February, what are one or two areas in which you want the team to be better?
A: I think taking care of the ball is definitely a key piece for us. I mean, you fight so hard to get it, you don't want to just give it back to the other team and give them opportunities to score that they normally wouldn't get because we have a pretty good defense. So, I would say that's key. We've been good on the boards for the most part, but we should really just smash people with our personnel. Some of it is just us being young and guys getting game experience on the fly and understanding this is an everyday thing. This is the identity of the program.
And let's get back to knocking down some 3s. We have a really good shooting team. We have guys that can really drill it. It's really an asset for us. Teams are doubling our bigs. We're getting great shots. Now that we're coming back home, let's start seeing some of those fall again.
Q: And the last one … Now that you've been a coach for a season-plus, is it in your blood? Do you think five, 10, 20, 25 years from now, you'll still be doing it?
A: I'll say that I'm happy. I feel like I'm fully in pursuit of something as a unit. That's one of the things that you appreciate transitioning from being a player to coaching is that camaraderie, that brotherhood in pursuit of something. I'll just say I'm taking it day to day, season to season, which I feel like you have to, but I'm happy. My family is here with me now, and I'm looking to just continue to build.
Steve Kroner has covered Bay Area sports for more than four decades, mainly at KPIX-TV (Channel 5) and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is in his second season working as an analyst alongside Brian Brownfield on SMC men's basketball telecasts on ESPN+.
Rowland was a part of Bennett's first NCAA Tournament team in 2005. With associate head coaches Mickey McConnell and Joe Rahon, Rowland gives Bennett three former Saint Mary's starting point guards on his staff.
What follows are excerpts from a phone interview with Rowland on Wednesday. Some of the questions and answers were edited for brevity and/or clarity:
Q: Second season as an assistant coach compared to the first: How much more comfortable are you now or were you just as comfortable at this time last season?
A: I would say a little bit of both. I'm more comfortable just because I'm less on my heels, just constantly reacting to things. Like last year, I didn't even know what to expect in regard to even the smallest of things, like schedules, the trips, how our days go, what I should be saying, not be saying – all of that.
But also comfortable in the way of the relationships with Coach Bennett and the guys, knowing that we're going after the same thing. … It's not as ingrained in me as it is in everybody else because the machine has been running for years. These guys have had four, five, six, seven, eight years doing the same thing, so it's just like the back of their hand. It's not to that point to me yet, but I have a little more understanding of what's coming and how I fit into it.
Q: I'm sure when you play for a man, the dynamic is one thing and then when you're coaching with that man, the dynamic is another. I'm guessing Randy's personality and the way he treats people really hasn't changed over 20 years, but is there any perspective you have now on Coach that you didn't have when you were playing for him two decades ago?
A: I didn't understand all the things that were going on behind the scenes. … So, for Coach, now with me being in it, from this perspective, he's really the CEO of a company, if you simplify it to that. You have to win games. You still have to try to have a culture that's sustainable. Put out a product that represents what you've been building. … Think about it: He's a general manager. He's a coach. He's a fundraiser. He's a politician. There are all these different dynamics to what he does on the day to day. … That's one of the things that I've noticed the most is just all the hats that he constantly wears and still the motor he has for the foundation of it all, which is the basketball: the practices and the smallest minute things that other people would take for granted after 25 years of success.
Q: What do you miss most about playing?
A: I think just the heat of the battle. People ask me all the time, do I miss it? And I say I haven't really thought about it, maybe because one, I'm in the heat of the battle, just from a different perspective, and two, I played long enough to where I felt like I got it out. I played 19 years. I was close to retiring three or four years before I did. … I had my run and because we're in this and I feel like part of something that we're still trying to go after, I don't have that yearning – like some people probably would have expected or maybe even I would have expected.
Q: And at what point in those 19 seasons was there a time when you thought – not necessarily at Saint Mary's – I think I'd like to be a coach when my playing days do end?
A: I think the last 2-4 years of it. I used to think I didn't have the patience for coaching. Maybe that was the point guard in me. I felt like I was always kind of the bridge between the staff and the players, trying to be a coach on the court. (Rowland then related how in the final few years of his playing career, he became something of a mentor to teammates much younger than he was) … Like, breaking down guys' goals, thoughts on how to achieve them, how they should be approaching their days, carrying themselves, their routines. Just things I've seen on the court, and so I think because of that, it's slowed me down a little bit and I started thinking, "You know what? Maybe I can do this."
Q: What specifically have you enjoyed about coaching the most or maybe more than you thought you would now that you've been it for a year-plus?
A: I guess I would have suspected I'd appreciate the relationships. Or just seeing players' development over time and seeing them either not be able to do things or not be able to do things well and then see their weaknesses become strengths. Or see individual battles that they've been going through, see them overcome them. Or see their personalities come out as they get more comfortable or start growing into the young men that they are. Maybe those are the things that I appreciate the most.
We're watching film, we're preparing as a staff, doing all these things, and seeing how that translates to the game in pursuit of a W, that's pretty cool as well.
Q: Considering the absolutely deserved pride that you and Joe and Mickey take in the point-guard legacy at Saint Mary's, I would imagine the growth you've seen from Josh Dent has to be pretty satisfying – certainly for Josh – but for you and Mickey and Joe as well. Fair?
A: Yeah, for sure. You can't really fault people for not seeing it coming because they didn't see him in however many practices we had last year and the spring and summer workouts and all those types of things. So, I guess it was a little bit of a risk and people were like, "Man, they're not going to the portal or going to pick up an upperclassman" or these types of things, with our level of expectation. But, it's cool to see him even as a leader growing and also feeling like he's just scratching the surface because with success and the confidence that comes with that and just the experiences that he's having as a young guard, we all expect him to keep getting better.
Q: You guys are 13-2. It's hard to argue with that. What are one or two things about which you and the team feel most satisfied as you turn from 2025 to '26?
A: I would say one is that for the most part, we've handled our business in regard to taking care of the games that "we're supposed to" with a young team and having a lot of guys who are just getting game experience on the fly. And kind of building out our roster and how the minutes are being allocated, I think we've still found a way to handle our business. … And it also showed that we still have so much room for growth. For us to be 13-2 with all those different things going on, I don't think anybody is mad at that.
Q: Now, it's the end of December. By the end of February, what are one or two areas in which you want the team to be better?
A: I think taking care of the ball is definitely a key piece for us. I mean, you fight so hard to get it, you don't want to just give it back to the other team and give them opportunities to score that they normally wouldn't get because we have a pretty good defense. So, I would say that's key. We've been good on the boards for the most part, but we should really just smash people with our personnel. Some of it is just us being young and guys getting game experience on the fly and understanding this is an everyday thing. This is the identity of the program.
And let's get back to knocking down some 3s. We have a really good shooting team. We have guys that can really drill it. It's really an asset for us. Teams are doubling our bigs. We're getting great shots. Now that we're coming back home, let's start seeing some of those fall again.
Q: And the last one … Now that you've been a coach for a season-plus, is it in your blood? Do you think five, 10, 20, 25 years from now, you'll still be doing it?
A: I'll say that I'm happy. I feel like I'm fully in pursuit of something as a unit. That's one of the things that you appreciate transitioning from being a player to coaching is that camaraderie, that brotherhood in pursuit of something. I'll just say I'm taking it day to day, season to season, which I feel like you have to, but I'm happy. My family is here with me now, and I'm looking to just continue to build.
Steve Kroner has covered Bay Area sports for more than four decades, mainly at KPIX-TV (Channel 5) and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is in his second season working as an analyst alongside Brian Brownfield on SMC men's basketball telecasts on ESPN+.
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