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Vin Parise’s 30-second timeout: Five questions with Glenn Braica

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Vin Parise from CollegeBasketballTalk caught up with St. Francis Brooklyn head coach Glenn Braica. The Terriers are 2-2 with wins against Miami and Florida Atlantic.

CBT: Preseason you were picked 7th out of 10 in the NEC Coaches Poll. How big of a concern was your early non-conference slate?

Braica: I was definitely worried about our schedule early - I still am. 8 out of our first 9 are on the road and we’re obviously playing good competition. At this level, you have to teach through tough losses sometimes and still remain upbeat and positive. I’m happy with the way our kids have fought to be 2-2 overall.

CBT: You received a lot of attention early because you won at Miami 66-62 in OT and then took Syracuse down to the final minute at the Carrier Dome. What’s been going right?

Braica: Miami was without question a huge win for our team and a great night for our school. At Syracuse I actually feel we didn’t really get going until midway through the ballgame. We looked up at one point in the 2nd half and realized we had a shot at winning the game. I liked the way we made C.J. Fair work for everything and how we made some big shots. We have veterans that have been through it, and we have some talented guys who are learning on the fly.

CBT: What are the Terriers going to be known for this season?

Braica: We play extremely hard....really hard....and we really defend. We’re holding teams to 37% from the field - and 18% from 3 pointt land. Those are really good numbers and that’s what we’ll be all about. Our shooting and execution could be better; but we can be really good if your offense catches up to our defense.

CBT: Your thoughts on the Northeast Conference this year?

Braica: You have to show up every single night in this league. You can’t coast yourself to a win. The coaches in our league work extremely hard and they’re hungry which is great. Wagner is terrific, LIU is much better than people realize, Andy Toole is a great coach at Robert Morris and look at the talent at Bryant! I know I’m leaving teams out, but the point is that every league game this season is literally up for grabs.

CBT: You worked for Norm Roberts for six years. How often do you guys stay in touch?

Braica: I talk to Norm multiple times each week and we’ll always be close. He is a terrific coach and great man with integrity. I will never forget how he handled the adversity at St. John’s with such a great demeanor and positive attitude. While recruiting recently, I actually stopped by a Kansas practice and caught up with Norm, Bill Self and the rest of the staff. A lot of what we do here at St. Francis that has been successful, I learned from Norm Roberts.

Vin Parise is the College Basketball Insider for NBC Sports Network and SportsNet New York. He is also a contributor & analyst for ESPN3, MSG Network, Cox Sports New England, Fox Sports 1, The Providence Coaches Show, St. John’s Radio & Iona College Radio. He coached 8 seasons at FDU, Rutgers & Iona. Follow Vin on Twitter: @VinParise