GETTING INSIDE

The news came as a surprise. Tom Green, who had 407 wins in Teaneck, N.J., was out and assistant Greg Vetrone was named the interim head coach.

Vetrone’s first task in his new job? Simple. Get the Knights back in the NEC Tournament for the first time in three years.

“Yes, it’s my first head coaching job at the college level, but whether I’m coaching my kid’s eighth-grade team or in college, I have the same intensity,” Vetrone told NJ.com. “I have a lot of energy. I don’t know if I’m the greatest coach. If there is one thing that I know, it’s that we’re going to work to get better.

“I’ve been around the game my whole life. I was fortunate that I was hired by my college coach and I’ve been in the game ever since.”

FDU was 7-23 last year, 6-12 in the conference.

Now, they need to get better.

One thing that won’t make it any easier is that the on-again/off-again academically challenged career of talented point guard Cameron Tyler is off again. He is in school but is not expected to play any more basketball.

Sean Baptiste, who averaged 16.3 points per game last year, will be playing, though, and he is the key to the FDU attack. But Tyler’s 13.3 points, league-high 188 trips to the foul line and 160 assists will be sorely missed.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Fairleigh Dickenson fired long-time coach Tom Green (407 wins, four conference titles) and replaced him on an interim basis with assistant Greg Vetrone.

• FDU closed last season with five straight losses sand missed the NEC Tournament for the second straight year. The Knights have lost more than 20 games each year.

• G Sean Baptiste enters this, his senior season, with 1,034 career points. He led the conference with five 30-plus scoring efforts last season.

Last Year:   7-23 overall, 6-12 in the NEC; did not qualify for the league tournament.

Interim Head Coach:   Greg Vetrone (career 0-0); first year at Fairleigh Dickenson.

Quote To Note:   “I can’t even think about being surprised. The thing I might be surprised about is how quickly they made the decision.”—Fairleigh Dickinson interim coach Greg Vetrone after being hired just four days after Tom Green was fired.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   The coaching change and a large returning group produced an incoming class of three, led by point guard Mike Scott, who played a year at TCU. With Cameron Tyler gone, Scott’s point skills are vital.

Key Early-season Games:   The Knights are busy early, including a Dec. 5 league opener against Quinnipiac. FDU will visit Wichita State and Iowa on Nov. 15-17 for the start of the EBA Classic, then go to Richmond, Ky., to resume the EBA with games against UC-Irvine, Texas-San Antonio and Eastern Kentucky from Nov. 23-25. The Knights also visit Missouri on Dec. 12.

Program Direction:   The backward spiral cost Tom Green his job after almost three decades and it’s not clear if a turnaround is near.

Probable Starting Lineup:   PG Mike Scott, SG Sean Baptiste, G Terrance Grier, SF, Kamil Svrdlik, PF Alvin Mofunanya.

Roster Report:  

• G Mike Scott averaged 3.3 points and 2.1 assists per game in 15 games at TCU two years ago before transferring to Eastern Utah. Now, he’s at FDU.

• F DeJuan Pursley, who sat out last year, is back for the Knights and needs to be a key contributor.

• F Alvin Mofunanya was the leading shot blocker in the conference, with 60 in 30 games. He also scored 9.0 points and grabbed 5.5 rebounds per game.