Vincent’s making his way up the coaching ladder
NFA graduate enjoying his stay at Miami Dade
Chris Vincent has found his comfort zone.
A 2009 Norwich Free Academy graduate, Vincent traded the unpredictable New England weather for consistently sunny and warm Miami.
When reached on Sunday, Vincent was playing golf on a comfortable 72-degree afternoon.
He's also enjoying his job as assistant men's basketball coach at Miami Dade College, a respected junior college program.
"Every day feels like summer back home," Vincent said. "I always have good positive vibes. You get up in the morning and you know it's going to be 75 and then during the day it's going to be 85, no matter if it's January or July.
"To me, to be able to coach and advance my career where I am, in a place that people would consider a vacation (spot), I feel like I'm on vacation every day. Right now, it's the best of both worlds."
Vincent resides in Coconut Grove with his fiancee, Susan Wojtcuk, who's also from Norwich. They've set a wedding date for next May in Miami.
But it certainly hasn't been all play and no work for Vincent.
Vincent, who just completed his second season with Miami Dade, is having a productive recruiting season, helping to build a strong roster for next season. He signed four players over the last few weeks.
There's always a need to restock the roster in junior college. He's learned to thrive in the virtual recruiting world.
"There's no visiting schools right now, so it's really based on the connection on the phone and the pedigree of the program and the staff," Vincent said. "You can sell a kid, depending on which angle you take. I've
been successful. I got a transfer from Holy Cross and then a couple of other Division I guys . ... It's been fun."
Vincent is right where he always thought he'd be, and that's in the coaching profession.
He followed in the footsteps of his father and all-around good guy Pete Vincent, who dedicated his life to coaching and teaching, mostly at Ledyard High School. He served as athletic director and coached boys' basketball coach, girls' basketball and baseball. He's retired now and lives in Kissimmee, Fla., about three hours north of Miami.
"It's all I knew growing up, being on the court with my father, going to practices every single day with his team and my team," Vincent said. "That was my comfort zone. So it feels like I didn't have a choice. Not that I had pressure on me. That's just what I loved and what I knew and what was my passion. The teaching and coaching, I get a lot out of that."
He's in the process of building a strong resume.
Prior to Miami Dade, he spent three years at Yale, serving as the director of basketball operations in his last position there. He was with Yale when it upset Baylor in the first round of the 2016 NCAA tournament.
His resume also includes a stint as video coordinator at Delaware and before that as an assistant coach at Coast Guard Academy. While attending Springfield College, where he earned a degree in sports management in 2013, he was an undergraduate assistant at American International College.
The Miami Dade job was too good of an opportunity for Vincent to pass up. It could eventually provide a stepping stone for him to advance in the coaching profession.
Miami Dade is a launching point for players looking to eventually move on to four-year college programs. The level of competition is high, with each team having five to eight Division I level players.
He's established strong connections with college coaches that frequently flock to Miami Dade to watch practices and games.
He's also getting an opportunity to recruit Division I level players to the junior college ranks.
"Right now, in our business, JUCO is huge for a lot of Division I programs," Vincent said. "For me, I needed to prove that I could recruit kids of a high caliber. Whether they're Division I high school kids that just haven't had the exposure or Division I transfers, it was important to connect that way and also place the kids.
"So it's a two-way street. My network has increased enormously. People up north don't understand how huge junior college is. We go to a jamboree up in Orlando in the beginning of the year and there's 175 Division I coaches there. Then about 50 to 75 Division I schools come to our practices during the year."
Eventually, Vincent hopes to join a Division I coaching staff as an assistant. His ultimate goal is to be a head coach.
He feels fortunate to have Susan's support while he pursues his dream.
"Luckily, I have a fiancee that's willing to sacrifice her career and her life, because it's not easy to marry a college basketball coach," Vincent said.
Vincent will be back in Connecticut this summer.
A former NFA golfer, he looks forward to playing in the Norwich Invitational this July. He lost in a flight championship in 2019.
"That is what I miss," Vincent said. "You get all your buddies there for a weekend. We all support each other. That's a really, really fun weekend. So I'm planning to go back during that time." g.keefe@theday.com