(June 12, 2003) ?C Fordham University head men??s basketball coach Dereck Whittenburg is starting to form his staff, naming Ross Burns as an assistant coach and Alex Groothuis as the Director of Basketball Operations. Burns, who worked as an assistant at Youngstown State last year, rejoins Whittenburg after serving on his staff for two years at Wagner. At Youngstown State last year, Burns teamed up with head coach John Robic, who had served as an assistant coach at Massachusetts during Burns?? playing days. At Wagner from 2000-02, Burns was responsible for running practices, film exchange, scouting, player development, team travel, compliance and academic supervision. In addition, he was the camp director for the Dereck Whittenburg Basketball School. Prior to his stay at Wagner, Burns held a position at Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc., in Boston, Mass., working with the top producing team in private client services for the company. He also gained experience as a basketball product manager for Pinnacle Sport Systems, where he developed training and promotional tapes, gained experience in scouting and recruiting and served as a management team liaison. He also spent several summers as a coach and camp counselor at the Five-Star Basketball Camp, doing the same at the John Calipari/Bruiser Flint Basketball School. A 1999 graduate of the University of Massachusetts and Greenfield, Massachusetts native, Burns received a Bachelors in Psychology and Education with a minor in economics. He was a four-year letterwinner on the basketball team as well as being an athletic honor roll student and a member of the 1996 Final Four Team. ??Ross brings a vast amount of college basketball experience to Fordham, including playing for a Final Four team?? said Whittenburg. ??He has a great personality and is very good with players in individual workouts. Ross is a rising star in the college coaching business.?? Groothuis joins the Fordham staff after serving for two years as an assistant coach under Whittenburg at Wagner. He was promoted to the second assistant prior to last year after serving as a loyal volunteer his first year with the Seahawks. Last year, he helped the Seahawks win the Northeast Conference championship and earn their first ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. In his first year at Grymes Hill, Groothuis assisted Whittenburg as Wagner finished with a 19-10 record and received a bid to the NIT. Groothuis, a Brooklyn native, brings a wealth of basketball knowledge with him to Rose Hill, being involved with coaching basketball to players of all ages since 1989. He started his career by coaching youths from ages 12-16 at local community and summer camps, being responsible for intramural games and organizing tryouts and practices. A 1995 graduate of Syracuse University, Groothuis got his start in the college coaching ranks by serving at several basketball camps including the Eastern Invitational, Fordham Basketball Camp and the Hofstra Basketball Camp. In 1999, he was named an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Brooklyn College under head coach Steve Podias where he served for two years, including a 16-10 season in which Brooklyn reached the final four of the CUNY Conference Tournament. In 2001, Groothuis brought his talents overseas, working for former Detroit Pistons and Portland Trailblazers coach Herb Brown in Israel during the summer. He served as a member of the staff that directed the Maccabiah team, which was made up of both NCAA Division I and professional players, to a gold-medal win over Israel in Tel Aviv. ??Alex did a great job for me at Wagner,?? said Whittenburg. ??He is an excellent New York City guy who is one of the hardest workers I know. He will be a valuable asset to our staff.?? Whittenburg is expected to announce the rest of the staff next week.