EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is a repost of an article written by Ray Glier that appeared in the Boston Globe Sunday, December 13.
 
Boston Globe Article

KENNESAW, Ga. — It was vintage Al Skinner. On Kennesaw State's first possession of a game Dec. 2 against Florida A&M, there was an assembly line of offense: screens, cuts, and passes — compact and precise — and it produced a layup attempt.
 
"The Flex," Skinner's trademark offense, carved up the Rattlers on a few more possessions until the visitors switched to a zone.
 
Skinner, 63, who is in his first year as head coach at Kennesaw State, saw his team cruise to a 61-41 win.
 
It wasn't Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Madison Square Garden in New York, Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, or the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. It was a smaller, sparkling, suburban arena called the KSU Convocation Center, but the coach with the most wins in the history of Boston College basketball looked content on the sideline nonetheless.
 
"No question about it, only because I have been pretty good at it," Skinner said when asked if he was happy to be back in the "top chair" again. "I have something to offer young men, whether it is as a coach, or a player, my lifestyle. I can help those who come within my reach and share some of my experiences."
 
Skinner was abruptly — and unfairly, he said — fired by BC in 2010 after compiling a 247-165 record with seven NCAA appearances in 13 seasons. He was an assistant coach at Bryant University before he was hired last April by Kennesaw State, whose athletic director, Vaughn Williams, was assistant AD at BC from 1997-2004.
 
Kennesaw State is 3-8. Its 11-year-old basketball program has been reeling with records of 10-22, 6-25, 3-27,and 3-28 the last four seasons. To say the Owls outmarched expectations in getting a former Division 1 National Coach of the Year to run the program is an understatement.
 
"We're honored and blessed," said Williams. Skinner received a guaranteed three-year deal worth $565,000. He gets a car (or monthly $650 allowance) and a country club membership. There are two mutual option years, so it is a bargain for a school with a young program considering Skinner has won 388 games as a head coach.
Skinner has pride galore. You can sense it when he is asked to talk about his career and array of achievements — University of Massachusetts Hall of Fame, University of Rhode Island Hall of Fame, All-Yankee Conference and honorable mention All-American as a player, Big East Coach of the Year.
 
Yet there is not an undercurrent that he is on a crusade on behalf of his reputation. He does not act like a coach in exile from the lush basketball land of the Northeast. He's overjoyed to be coaching, he said, especially at a campus of new buildings in a major metropolitan area.
 
"I don't know that I have anything to prove," Skinner said. "I definitely wanted to get back to work and lead a program again that had an opportunity to win.
 
"My record speaks for itself. If people think I can't coach then they are not really paying attention. I don't look at it like I have something to prove; I just look at it that I wanted to continue in my profession."
 
Skinner's brand still walks, even in the middle of football country, 25 miles north of Atlanta.

"I definitely knew the name," said senior point guard Yonel Brown. "It was a big name coming in. I was very excited. I looked up the players who played under him, NBA guys, good point guards."

Skinner is tall and looks the part of a basketball statesman, but junior forward Aubrey Williams said the coach impressed him even before they met. Williams already had decided to transfer from Toledo when a coaching change was announced, so Williams wondered what was in store for him with a coach who played in another era.

"Once I got that first phone call from him, all my worries went away, instantly," Williams said. "We talked once or twice a week. I'm a graduate transfer. I was nervous where I was going. One of the first things he said was we're going to be a lot better in January than we are in December. He has a plan for us. That calmed my nerves."

Skinner's aplomb on the bench is there, just as it was at BC. He is not the demonstrative coach who lords over every dribble, every shot, and tries to coach with theatrics. The Flex demands some accountability, but there is not a leash from an old coach. Brown took some quick shots against Florida A&M, some chancy shots, but Skinner held his fire from the bench when some coaches would have erupted.

"His style allows you to play more freely," Brown said. "He does a lot of teaching, but he pretty much lets us play and lets us read the game ourselves. He gives suggestions and he actually asks, 'What do you think? What do you see? You're out there.'"

Skinner sees more than a lot of players and coaches. After all, this is his 23d year as a head coach.

"He is the first coach I've had to make mid-game adjustments so quickly," Williams said. "Even in the Flex, which you think would be such a strict offense, we make adjustments to it mid-game at the drop of a dime. There are things we don't even notice. He'll make an adjustment and the next play somebody will be open."

Kennesaw State plays in the Atlantic Sun, a mid-major Division 1 conference. It is not the ACC. It is not the Big East. It is, however, basketball.

"I enjoy what I do," Skinner said. "I want my players to enjoy the game. I just want to offer that to young people, it doesn't matter what level. The most important factor is that I go someplace where I'm happy. I'm happy here. I like the place. I like the players. I know we're not the most talented group, but at the end of the day the one thing I want is that for the opponent to know they were in a basketball game, and that Kennesaw State is going to be represented well."

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State men's basketball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsMBB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
 
This season, fans should purchase their tickets in advance of games, as they are only $10 ahead of time and $12 at the door.
 
Season tickets are currently available for all the home court action for the Owls and can be purchased by following the link here.