Interviews

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends": Lipscomb Great John Pierce

Jon Teitel — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 10:57:29 -0700

In the lastest installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series, CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Lipscomb great John Pierce. During his four seasons in Nashville, Pierce lit up scoreboards to the tune of 4,230 points, a college record that stands to this day. After a five-year career in Australia and Japan, Pierce returned to Nashville where he's now a teach and coach at Franklin Road Academy.

Jon Teitel: In 1990 you came to Lipscomb and were roommates with Philip Hutcheson, who finished his career as college basketball's all-time leading scorer (4106 PTS). What was he like as a roommate, and did you feel pressure to fill his large shoes after he graduated?

John Pierce: Living with Philip was a great way for me to start my time at Lipscomb. Not only was he a great basketball player, but he was also a great friend. At that time coach Don Meyer tried to room seniors with incoming players, so I was able to learn not just about how the basketball team worked but also all about the school. I could not have asked for a better roommate. He never seemed upset to have a freshman rooming with him, but instead he included me throughout the campus in different activities.

It would have probably been good if he had washed his sheets at least once every semester, but that is a different story! I did not feel like I had to fill his shoes after he graduated because at that time we were playing different positions. As a redshirt I was learning behind our power forward Darren Henrie (a two-time All-American), so I was much more focused on Darren and how I could possibly try to play like him and fill his shoes.

JT: You had 22 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes in your Lipscomb debut. How were you able to come in and contribute from the start?

JP: Being able to have a redshirt year really helped me grow physically, as I went from 6-5, 185 pounds as a high school senior to 6-7, 235 pounds in my first year on the court for Lipscomb. I was also able to learn about the system that Coach Meyer used so I was ready mentally. I was also fortunate to get to play center in a system whose main focus was to get the ball inside, which meant that I was always going to get opportunities to score.

JT: In 1992 you scored 54 points to break Bruce Bowers' school record. Was it just one of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were "in the zone", and did Bowers (who was in the stands that night) say anything to you after the game?

JP: I never talked to Bowers (which is sort of ironic because he was in the stands that night), but it was not that strange for former players to be at games. It was a very tight community and we are all extremely proud to have played for the Bisons and Coach Meyer. There is a level of understanding that we all have for each other as far as what we went through in our time at Lipscomb.

That particular night was like most games as far as our focus as a team, to get the ball inside first and take perimeter openings from there. I guess the team we were playing was not as focused on stopping the post game that night! Usually teams would focus on doubling the post or slowing the post down if we got rolling in there, and then the perimeter would open up.

JT: On February 24, 1994 you made a bank shot against Cumberland to break Hutcheson's record and become college basketball's all-time leading scorer. What do you remember about that night, and how did it feel to break the record?

JP: I remember several things. I remember the excitement in McQuiddy Gym that night: it was sold out and there were news crews there to cover the story, as well as many of my family members from out of town and friends from all over. I felt a lot of pressure to get the record that night because of the amount of people that were there to see it. I remember that Cumberland really tried to stop the ball from coming inside to me so my teammate Andy McQueen (who had a college basketball record 515 career three-pointers) made a school-record 11 threes that night. I remember I shot a lot of free throws I think the referees wanted to see the record broken as well. I remember getting the game ball after breaking the record and throwing it to my father who was sitting in my parents' usual seats on the rail of the second level.

JT: Your 4,230 career points is still the most ever scored by a college basketball player. Do you think anyone will ever break your record, and how proud are you of that achievement?

JP: I really do not think much about it: it is really more of a testament to the program that I played for. I have great pride to have played for Lipscomb and Coach Meyer. I am sure the record will be broken one day: that is what records are for. It is obvious to me that it would only be broken by someone who played all four years for a small school. Anyone at a Division I school who was averaging 30 points per game as an underclassman would opt to play in the NBA before graduating.

JT: You also hold the school record with 1,497 career rebounds. How were you able to get so many rebounds while making so many shots?

JP: We got a lot of shots up because we had a lot of possessions. I was never a very good rebounder or defender. I liked scoring too much so I focused too much on that. However, because we had so many possessions there were a lot of rebounds to be had in our games.

JT: You were named All-American during each of your four seasons, and you were named NAIA National Player of the Year in both 1993 and 1994. Were you just better than everyone else on the court, and why did you decide to go to Lipscomb instead of to a Division I basketball power?

JP: I chose Lipscomb for a couple of reasons. I really wanted to go to Vanderbilt but they did not want me. As I was a 6-5, 185-pound post player coming out of high school I was sort of an in-between guy, so my choice of Division I colleges was pretty limited. I really wanted to go to a program where I had a chance to win a championship and the Division I schools that offered me a scholarship did not have championship-caliber teams at that time. I also had a lot of respect for Coach Meyer and felt that he would improve my game and improve me as a person more than most of the other coaches who recruited me.

My best friend from high school Mark Campbell (who has won four NAIA titles since 2005 as coach of the Union University Lady Bulldogs) had already signed with Lipscomb, which I knew would make the transition to a new place easier for me. The Lipscomb players also did a very good job of recruiting me when I was in high school. I remember Philip Hutcheson coming to many of my high school games during my senior year. He even came to some of my soccer games in the spring after basketball season was over!

JT: After graduating you played five years in Australia and Japan. What did you learn from the experience, and how did it compare to college basketball?

JP: My time in Australia and Japan was fantastic. I was able to take my wife with me for the last three years overseas, and it was a chance for us to almost have an extended honeymoon. We were able to see things we would never had a chance to see and spend so much time together getting to know each other. We moved back to Nashville when she got pregnant with our first child.

Basketball overseas was good but more of a business, and I missed the camaraderie of my college teams. I made some very good friends in my travels around the world (some who I still talk with regularly), and got to visit places that I never would have gone to otherwise. Overall, basketball has given me many opportunities that I am extremely thankful for.

JT: You currently are a teacher and coach at Franklin Road Academy in Nashville. Which job do you enjoy the most, and what do you hope to do in the future?

JP: I do not see a lot of difference in my roles as a teacher and coach, but I do enjoy the coaching more than the teaching. There are more opportunities for kids to learn some life lessons when you are on the court than when you are in the classroom. As a coach, the best part of being a coach is when you can get a kid to totally invest in the idea of "team" over the idea of "self", and that opportunity presents itself many more times on a basketball team than in a classroom. I think I will always be coaching in some form or fashion for the rest of my life.

Pierce is also on Jon's list of best fantasy player in Atlantic Sun history.

East Tennessee State: Keith Jennings (1991) 1,988 PTS (#4), 983 AST (#1), 334 STL (#1), 223 3PM (#2), 49.3 3P% (#1), 86.1 FT% (#2), All-American, 2-time conference POY
Florida Gulf Coast: Bryan Crislip (2005) 985 PTS (#3), 373 REB (#2), 606 AST (#1), 194 STL (#1)
Jacksonville: Ben Smith (2010) 1,971 PTS (#2), 515 AST (#1), 230 STL (#1), 220 3PM (#2)
Kennesaw State: Ronell Wooten (2008) 1,633 PTS (#2), 615 REB (#5), 262 3PM (#1)
Lipscomb: John Pierce (1994) 4,230 PTS (#1), 1,497 REB (#1), 4-time All-American, 2-time national POY
Mercer: James Florence (2010) 2,287 PTS (#1), 436 AST (#2), 222 STL (#1), 242 3PM (#1)
North Florida: Donny Lotz (2005) 1,412 PTS (#2), 660 REB (#2), 77 BLK (#2), 105 STL (#4)
Northern Kentucky: Craig Sanders (2002) 2,007 PTS (#1), 356 3PM (#1)
Stetson: Kerry Blackshear (1996) 1,826 PTS (#1), conference POY
USC Upstate: Ulysses Hackett (1992) 2,688 PTS (#1), 908 REB (#2), 227 STL (#3), 67.1 FG% (#1), 3-time All-American, 2-time conference POY

Jon Teitel's "Coaching Greats": UCSB's Bob Williams

Jon Teitel — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 11:54:09 -0700

In the latest installment in his "Coaching Greats" series CHN writer Jon Teitel caught up with current UCSB head coach Bob Williams, the lone coach in this series to represent two schools in the same conference. Williams led UC Davis as a Division II school, building the program up to the point where he won a national title in 1998. From there Williams moved on to UCSB, where he's led the Gauchos to three NCAA tournament appearances and five Big West titles.

Jon Teitel: You became coach at UC Davis in 1990 despite being in the only league in all of Division II at the time that did not give out scholarships. How were you able to be so competitive against other teams who did have scholarships?

Bob Williams: We struggled with some of the elite non-conference teams at the time, but we did okay and had a bunch of great kids with a good work ethic, so the cream rose to the top.

JT: In 1998 you went 31-2 as head coach en route to winning the Division II title and being named Division II Coach of the Year. What did it mean to you to win the title, and what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor?

BW: It was a great honor to be Coach of the Year, but it meant a hell of a lot more to win the title! To be the only non-scholarship team to ever win the title was a Hoosiers-like moment as well as the culmination of eight years of growth and hard work.

JT: After that season you left Davis to become coach at UCSB. Why did you make the move?

BW: I made the move in order to go to a Division I school, and as a California native I had long looked at the UCSB job as a great situation. I had followed the Big West Conference and recruited against it in the past. The scholarships were awful nice to have as well!

JT: What are your memories of the 2002 NCAA tournament (Jason Gardner scored 28 points to lead Arizona to the five-point victory)?

BW: That was definitely our closest game. We competed at a high level and had a free throw to cut it to two with 90 seconds left, but just could not get any closer than that.

JT: What are your memories of the 2010 NCAA tournament (Jon Diebler scored 23 points (7-12 3PT) in the Ohio State victory)?

BW: We were overmatched a little bit but happy to be back in the tournament. Our star Orlando Johnson played well, but Dallas Lauderdale (12 rebounds, eight blocked shots and two steals) was much better defensively than we anticipated.

JT: What are your memories of the 2011 NCAA tournament (Erving Walker scored 18 points to lead Florida past the Gauchos)?

BW: They came out red-hot and we were never in it, especially after losing our starting center Jaime Serna with a broken wrist two minutes into the game.

JT: You recently passed Jerry Pimm for the most wins in school history. What did it mean to you to break the record, and do you think that anyone will ever break your own record?

BW: I am sure someone will break it: records are made to be broken. To have followed Coach Pimm and then won more games than him has been great, but he built this program and it was a much tougher road for him.

JT: Last March you had a three-point loss to Idaho in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. How will you be able to build on that for next year knowing that your top three scorers are graduating (Serna, Johnson and James Nunnally)?

BW: We are losing a lot (including two of the best scorers in school history), but have put together back-to-back good recruiting classes. We feel we have a chance to be competitive but our preseason schedule will test us greatly.

JT: You currently have the best W/L% of all active Big West coaches. What makes you such a good coach, and how long do you plan on sticking around for?

BW: I do not know about either one to be honest. I think you can only be a good coach when you have good players so we try to recruit very well. I will coach as long as I am enjoying what I do.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

BW: I think I want to be remembered for the quality of people we had here.

Williams is also on Jon's list of best coaches in Big West history.

Cal Poly: Jeff Schneider (1995-2001) 70-84, 1 conference title
Cal State Fullerton: Bob Burton (2003-present) 155-122, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title
Cal State Northridge: Bobby Braswell (1996-present) 237-241, 2 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
UC Riverside: John Masi (1979-2005) 462-269, 6-time conference COY
UC Davis: Bob Williams (1990-1998) 158-76, 4 conference titles, 1 D-2 title, 1-time national COY
Long Beach State: Jerry Tarkanian (1968-1973) 122-20, 4 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles
Pacific: Bob Thomason (1988-present) 392-296, 4 NCAA tourneys, 5 conference titles, 5-time conference COY
UC Irvine: Pat Douglass (1997-2010) 197-191, 2 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
UCSB: Bob Williams (1998-present) 237-181, 3 NCAA tourneys, 5 conference titles, 3-time conference COY (ALSO UC DAVIS)

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends": Maine's Jeff Cross

Jon Teitel — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 11:46:14 -0700

In the latest installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series, CHN writer spent some time with Maine great Jeff Cross. Cross' story is a remarkable one, as in five years he went from a player who struggled to make his high school team to ECAC North Player of the Year. Cross is now the director of merchandising at Converse.

Jon Teitel: You did not start playing organized basketball until high school. Why did it take so long to get you on the court?

Jeff Cross: I always played basketball but was not very good at it. Being a big kid my favorite sport was football, and I was quite good at it from a young age. The other thing that played a huge role was that I started snow skiing with my family when I was age 5 and I loved the sport. This took up the majority of my winters; even today my wife and I ski 15-20 times a year. I still tried out for basketball each year in high school because that is just what you did as a football player/jock.

I was cut as a freshman and sophomore. My junior year the head coach (New England Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Danny Parr) said that I was getting better and that if I wanted to play he would keep me as the 13th man...on a 12-man roster! I eagerly accepted but only played in 4-5 games despite being 6-7. My senior year I grew another inch and was much better but was still riding the pine. We had a game at Nashua before Christmas and our starting center missed the bus after sliding into a snow bank on the way to school. I started that game and had a double-double in a very tight win over the best team in the state. To make a long story short, I started the rest of the season but only got my chance because Lenny Best missed the team bus!

JT: Why did you decide to go to Maine?

JC: Nobody recruited me out of high school so I did a prep year at Worcester Academy. I grew two more inches to a legit 6-10, and Coach Tom Blackburn turned me into a very good player. By the end of the year I was getting phone calls from the likes of Jim Boehiem and being offered full scholarships to some very good Division I schools. Maine Coach Peter Gavitt contacted me early in the year and said that I was on their radar screen, and he did a great job of keeping me a priority. He really was the sole reason I picked Maine. I had a very strong connection with him. So while it is hard to believe, I picked Maine over Syracuse!

JT: You had three teammates also named Jeff during your junior season. Was it hard for the coaches to call out different plays for different guys named Jeff?

JC: No. I was the go-to guy so if he said "Jeff" we all knew who was getting the ball. Just joking! Everyone liked to make a big deal about the 4 guys named Jeff but we all went by our nicknames anyway. I was "Crossy", Jeff Topliff was "Toppy", Jeff Wheeler was "Wheels", and Jeff Sturgeon was "Sturge". There really was never any confusion and they were a great group of guys.

JT: One of your more famous teammates was Rick Carlisle. Are you more surprised that he won an NBA title as a player or as a coach?

JC: I only played with Rick for one year at Maine because he transferred to Virginia after his sophomore year. Rick was an amazing ball-handler for a 6-5 guy; he had massive hands. I only saw Rick get picked once in his life. It was when he was at Virginia and he was being guarded by some little-known player from North Carolina by the name of...Michael Jordan! I am not surprised at any of his success to be honest. Rick played on one of the best teams in the history of the game. As for coaching, Rick had the best basketball mind of anyone I have ever met, period. I would have been surprised if he did NOT win a championship in his coaching career. He is that good and that talented.

JT: You were named all-conference during each of your final two seasons at Maine. How were you able to remain so consistent from year to year?

JC: A lot of hard work and very good coaching. Coach Gavitt did wonders for my career and really turned me into a player who loved defense and rebounding. I was a good offensive player but my game was fueled by the boards, blocked shots, and defense. Head coach Skip Chappelle constantly challenged me to take my game to a new level and I worked hard to do that. He always said that I should strive for (and see) improvement in part of my game every week. There were always ways to get better no matter how insignificant the improvement may seem. I took that to heart.

JT: In 1983 you were named ECAC North Player of the Year. What did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

JC: It was quite an honor and quite exciting. I had made my high school varsity team out of mercy because Coach Parr liked me, and only five years later I was POY in a Division I conference. It really was a team effort to win that award. I never could have accomplished that without some amazing coaches (Parr, Blackburn, Gavitt and Chappelle) and teammates. The "Jeffs" played a very large role as well, but the one person at Maine who had the biggest role in my success was Kevin Green.

I met Kevin at Worcester Academy during my prep year while he was recovering from a brutal injury he sustained during his junior year of high school. Kevin was the most dedicated and focused athlete/person I had ever met at that point in my life. Kevin ended up walking on to the basketball program at Maine and became a starter. He was also my roommate for four years and was always there for me through good times and bad, just an amazing guy!

JT: In the summer of 1984 you were drafted in the third round by Dallas. Did you see that as a validation of your college career, the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other?

JC: It is funny because I actually grew up dreaming of playing in the NFL, not the NBA. The Steelers and the Cowboys were my favorite teams. Basketball was still very new to me. It was very exciting and a huge honor to be seen in the same light as some of the best basketball players on the planet. It was almost surreal.

JT: In January 1986 you signed with the Clippers and played 21 games for them. What is your favorite memory from your time with the Clippers?

JC: Unfortunately my career was cut short by my third broken foot after my first year with the Clippers. I was a fringe NBA player, and with three different breaks over six years I was also a physical liability. My favorite person by far was Cedric Maxwell. Growing up in New Hampshire I was a huge Celtics fan, so being able to play, practice and hang with Cedric was a dream. He is one of the funniest people I have ever met and a terrific basketball player. It was also cool just to be playing on that team because it was a virtual who's who of All-Stars. Maxwell, Norm Nixon, Marques Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, etc.

The thing that I will never forget was the night that I played against the Rockets and their Twin Towers of Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon. I played a career-high 20 minutes that night and had seven rebounds and three blocked shots. There was one sequence when I blocked Olajuwon cleanly two or three times in one possession. I was leaving the locker room after the game and I saw him standing there. He went out of his way to come over to me, shake my hand, and say, "Big man, I have no idea who you are but you played a really good game tonight!!" Not only did that make my day, it made my career.

JT: You currently work as Director of Merchandising at Converse. How do you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future?

JC: I have been in the sneaker business since 1990 and have worked for Nike, Reebok, Puma, and Converse over the past eight years. I love the business and love my job at Converse: I hope to work here until I retire. As far as my future, I want to spend as much of it as possible with my beautiful wife of 26 years Carol and stay closely in touch with my two amazing sons. Carson is a RHP on the Connecticut baseball team and my youngest son Elliott will be attending New Hampshire this fall is and is the most amazing person I know. He inspires me daily. Oh yeah, I also want to ski a ton!

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

JC: I want to be remembered as a guy who worked hard, did the little things that it took to get better, and was a bear on defense and the boards. Most importantly, I want my teammates and other people to look back and say that I was a real nice guy.

Cross is also on Jon's list of best pro players in America East history.

Albany: NO ALUMNI IN ABA/NBA
Binghamton: NO ALUMNI IN ABA/NBA
Boston University: Gary Plummer (1985)
Hartford: Vin Baker (1994)
Maine: Jeff Cross (1986)
UMBC: NO ALUMNI IN ABA/NBA
New Hampshire: NO ALUMNI IN ABA/NBA
Stony Brook: NO ALUMNI IN ABA/NBA
Vermont: NO ALUMNI IN ABA/NBA

Jon Teitel's "Coaching Greats": Western Illinois' Jack Margenthaler

Jon Teitel — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:30:36 -0700

In the latest installment in his "Coaching Greats" interview series, CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with former Western Illinois head coach Jack Margenthaler. In fifteen seasons at the school, Margenthaler led the Leathernecks to 221 victories, three conference titles and two NCAA tournament appearances. Both of Margenthaler's sons are currently college assistants, and one-time pupil Scott Nagy led South Dakota State to their first-ever tournament appearance back in March.

Jon Teitel: You were a two-time All-State basketball player at Pinckneyville High School. How good a player were you back in the day?

Jack Margenthaler: We had five guys who had played together since grade school so we knew how to interact on the court. We all averaged double-digits but on any given night any of us could score 20 points.

JT: You played at Houston for Hall of Fame coach Guy Lewis. What made Lewis such a great coach, and what is the most important thing you ever learned from him?

JM: I was so impressed with what he wanted to do. He was a no-nonsense kind of guy who told us what he expected out of us.

1965 NCAA tournament

JT: You scored 13 points in a one-point win over Notre Dame. How were you able to hang on for the win?

JM: It was a close game all the way through but they just had more turnovers toward the end. Lewis was a defensive coach so that was our priority.

JT: You scored seven points in a loss to Oklahoma State. What was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards?

JM: It was a real downer because it was my last collegiate game: it took me a while to accept that it was over. It was dead silence in the locker room when Lewis came in after his radio interview.

JT: You scored 17 points and made a jumper with six seconds left to tie the game, but Charley Beasley made two free throws with no time left on the clock to give SMU a two-point victory third place game. Did you think your shot had won the game, and where does that game rank among the most devastating losses of your career?

JM: When you make a shot like that you feel that you have the game wrapped up, just like you dream about as a kid.

JT: In the summer of 1965 you were drafted by Philadelphia but turned them down to get a master's degree in physical education/science. What did it mean to you to get drafted, and how difficult a decision was it to go back to school?

JM: I was excited to be drafted. I talked to Coach Lewis about it a couple of times and prayed a lot about it. At that particular time I just felt that I should get my master's because I wanted to get into coaching, so I have no regrets.

JT: In 1968 you became head coach at LaSalle-Peru HS, where you went 138-27 and won five conference titles in six seasons. How were you able to be so dominant, and why did you decide to leave?

JM: To be honest you do not recruit players when you are a HS coach. We just had a bunch of great kids and a great staff. The student body/administration was behind us and we sold out every game.

JT: In 1981 and 1982 your team led all of Division I in free throw shooting. What is the secret to free throw shooting, and do you think coaches need to spend more time teaching their players how to shoot free throws?

JM: I was talking to 1 of my son's players who is a great shooter. I told him that nobody should miss a free throw and I asked him why he ever missed one. He said that sometimes his mind wandered but I told him he should never miss. It is a turnover in my book. You just have to believe in yourself. Joe Dykstra made 64 free throws in a row for us back in 1982 and we ended up leading the nation in free throw shooting because all of his teammates tried to make all of their free throws as well.

JT: In 1983 you were named conference Coach of the Year. What did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

JM: It was exciting for me because it was my first college Coach of the Year award. We had a great league with a lot of great coaches so it was a real honor.

JT: One of your assistants at SIU-Edwardsville was current South Dakota State head coach Scott Nagy. Could you tell at the time how great a head coach he would become?

JM: There was no question in my mind. He came from a basketball family. His dad Dick spent many years working for Coach Lou Henson at Illinois. I wish Scott would have stayed with my longer but he had an offer to become coach at South Dakota State. He has helped turn around that program and has a bright future.

JT: Your sons Matt and Ty both became basketball coaches. How proud are you of their success, and which of them is a better coach?

JM: They are both good young coaches. Matt has had phenomenal success here with some good players. Ty is an assistant with the women's team at Wisconsin and will have an opportunity to be a college head coach someday. They both support each other.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

JM: I know it is trite to say this but I just hope that my players go on to become successful. When one of my players calls me back to check in with me it makes my day. Not many people remember the wins but those relationships last forever. I hope people say that I cared about my players and helped make them successful.

Margenthaler is also on Jon's list of best coaches in Summit League history.

IPFW: Andy Piazza (1987-1996) 142-108
IUPUI: Ron Hunter (1994-2011) 254-219, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title, 2-time conference COY
Nebraska-Omaha: Bob Hanson (1969-1994) 382-313
North Dakota State: Erv Inniger (1978-1992) 244-150, 1 conference title
Oakland: Greg Kampe (1999-present) 226-187, 3 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 4-time conference COY
South Dakota: Dave Boots (1988-present) 493-215, 6-time conference COY
South Dakota State: Scott Nagy (1995-present) 316-197, 1 NCAA tourney, 4 conference titles, 5-time conference COY
UMKC: Lee Hunt (1989-1996) 95-99
Western Illinois: Jack Margenthaler (1977-1992) 221-202, 3 conference titles, 1-time conference COY

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends": Clemson guard Terrell McIntyre

Jon Teitel — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:24:30 -0700

In the most recent installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series, CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with former Clemson point guard Terrell McIntyre. McIntyre, who had to retire professionally due to arthritis in his hip, ranks as one of the best players in school history. McIntyre is still the school's all-time leader in made three-pointers, and he ranks in the top three in scoring (2nd), assists (3rd) and steals (2nd) as well.

Jon Teitel: You played for Rick Barnes at Clemson. What made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing you learned from him?

Terrell McIntyre: He understood his players and demanded a lot from us. He treated everyone the same, which is rare. I learned the definition of hard work from him because that is what he preached.

JT: What are your memories of the 1996 NCAA tournament (McIntyre scored ten points in a seven-point loss to Georgia)?

TM: It was a long time ago but I remember that we were just happy to be there. We kind of lost our focus that we actually had a game to play.

1997 NCAA tournament

JT: You scored ten points in a ten-point win over Miami (OH). What did you learn from the loss in 1996 that helped you succeed in 1997?

TM: We learned to go in focused and ready to play and we felt confident that we could go far that year.

JT: You scored 17 points in a six-point, double-overtime loss to Minnesota (Tony Christie made a finger roll at the end of regulation, but Bobby Jackson had a career-high 36 points in 49 minutes). How devastating was that loss, and where does Jackson's performance rank among the best you have ever seen?

TM: In college Jackson was one of the best I ever played against. He just willed his team to a win even after we took the lead in the second overtime. Even with Jackson's performance we still could have won if we had just held his teammate Sam Jacobson under 20, but he also had a big game and scored 29 points.

JT: In January 1998 you missed a shot at the end of a one-point loss at Duke, lost to them by four at home that February and then William Avery scored in the final second of a two-point Duke win in the ACC semifinals in March. Did Duke just have your number that winter, and do you think that you should have won some or all of those games?

TM: We felt that we should have won the ACC tournamet game and also had a good chance at home but they just had our number.

JT: What are your memories of the 1998 NCAA tournament (McIntyre finished with ten points and four steals in a three-point loss to Western Michigan)?

TM: I was injured for most of that year and never got in a good rhythm, so I barely got to practice. It did not get a lot of attention but we also had a lot of off-the-court problems that affected our play.

JT: In 1999 you led the ACC with 17.9 points per game. What is your secret for being a great scorer?

TM: I could always score the ball from the point guard position. My high school coach said that I would have to put up big numbers to get noticed due to my small size.

1999 Postseason NIT

JT: You scored 20 points in a three-point win over Xavier after Lenny Brown's three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim. Did you think that Brown's shot was going in, and what was the mood of the team like going into the title game?

TM: The shot had a chance to go in, but we were up by 20 during that game and we should have never let them back into it. We were confident going into the championship game.

JT: You scored 17 points in a one-point loss to California (Geno Carlisle's three-point play with five seconds left won the game). What was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus?

TM: Carlisle made a tough "and-1" to win it. Our fans were always great and greeted us and treated us well even though we did not make the NCAA tournament.

JT: You won the Italian Championship with Montepaschi Siena for four straight seasons and were named Italian League Finals MVP in three straight title series. Did you consider yourself to be the best point guard in Europe, and do they treat you like a rock star over there?

TM: During that stretch I felt that way. I do not like talking about myself but to have the impact we did in Europe made me feel like the best American point guard over there.

JT: You were named first team All-Euroleague in both 2008 and 2009. What is the biggest difference between college basketball and European basketball?

TM: European ball is similar but more physical. The bigger guys are better shooters and everyone in a ten-man rotation can play. The crowds are unbelievable. They treat every game like Game 7 of the Finals and if you lose it is also a big deal.

McIntyre is also on Jon's list of best fantasy players in ACC history.

Boston College: Troy Bell (2003) 2632 PTS (#1), 272 STL (#2), 300 3PM (#1), 86.8 FT% (#1), 2-time All-American, 2-time conference POY
Clemson: Terrell McIntyre (1999) 1839 PTS (#2), 577 AST (#3), 194 STL (#2), 259 3PM (#1)
Duke: Christian Laettner (1992) 2460 PTS (#2), 1149 REB (#2), 243 STL (#5), 145 BLK (#5), 48.5 3P% (#1), 3-time All-American, conference POY, national POY, NCAA MOP
Florida State: Bob Sura (1995) 2130 PTS (#1), 435 AST (#5), 209 STL (#3), 214 3PM (#2), 2-time All-American
Georgia Tech: Mark Price (1986) 2193 PTS (#3), 240 STL (#1), 44 3P% (#1), 85 FT% (#1), 3-time All-American
Maryland: Juan Dixon (2002) 2269 PTS (#1), 333 STL (#2), 239 3PM (#1), 85 FT% (#3), 2-time All-American, conference POY, NCAA MOP
Miami (FL): Rick Barry (1965) 2298 PTS (#1), 1274 REB (#1), All-American
North Carolina: Tyler Hansbrough (2009) 2872 PTS (#1), 1219 REB (#1), 4-time All-American, conference POY, national POY
NC State: David Thompson (1975) 2309 PTS (#2), 3-time All-American, 3-time conference POY, 2-time national POY, NCAA MOP
Virginia: Ralph Sampson (1983) 2228 PTS (#4), 1511 REB (#1), 462 BLK (#1), 4-time All-American, 3-time conference POY, 3-time national POY, NIT MVP, HOF
Virginia Tech: Dell Curry (1986) 2389 PTS (#2), 407 AST (#5), 295 STL (#1), All-American, conference POY
Wake Forest: Dickie Hemric (1955) 2587 PTS (#1), 1802 REB (#1), 2-time All-American, 2-time conference POY

Jon Teitel's "Coaching Greats": Prairie View A&M's Elwood Plummer

Jon Teitel — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 15:34:44 -0700

As part of his "Coaching Greats" interview series, CHN writer Jon Teitel recently caught up with former Prairie View A&M head coach Elwood Plummer. Plummer's teams went through some rough times but did manage to earn the school's first-ever NCAA appearance in 1998.

Jon Teitel: In the early 1960s you were a two-time all-conference player at San Antonio College. Why did you decide to attend San Antonio, and how good a player were you back then?

Elwood Plummer: San Antonio is my hometown and Coach Tom Smith encouraged me to stay at home. I averaged about 20 points/game during each of my two years there.

JT: What are your memories of the 1965 Division II tournament after transferring to Jackson State (four-point loss to Central Michigan)?

EP: I came off the bench and scored 14 points. It was an outstanding game and we probably should have won, but we just made some mistakes at the wrong time. We were bigger than anyone else in the tournament. We had Danny Manning's father Ed (who was 6-8), and our two other starters in the frontcourt were even taller than Ed.

JT: What are your memories of the 1966 Division II tournament?

EP: We played against Souther Illinois and their star Walt Frazier. Our coach (Dr. Harrison Wilson) gave us a scouting report that Frazier was a roaming guard, and he indeed was all over the court. We had four players assigned to him (two at a time)... but he still ended up with 48 points! I could tell from the opening jump ball that he was an outstanding player.

JT: After your playing days were over you decided to become a coach. Why did you decide to go into coaching?

EP: I had always wanted to be a coach ever since junior high when my coach taught me all about fundamentals. When I got out of college I went back to my old high school as an assistant under Coach Leon Price, and we went 30-2 that year. The following year I became head coach at St. Phillips JC in San Antonio, which was the first of several stops during my coaching career.

JT: After spending several years at Prairie View, you left in 1979 to become coach at Huston-Tillotson. Why did you take the job at Prairie View, and why did you end up changing jobs?

EP: My mom and dad had both gotten sick, which is why I left Prairie View to take the job at Huston-Tillotson. Both of my parents eventually passed away, at which time I went back to Prairie View.

JT: After you returned to Prairie View in 1990 the school announced that it was discontinuing basketball, but changed its mind two months later and decided to make it a non-scholarship sport. What did you do during those two months, and how hard was it to coach without any scholarships?

EP: It was pretty rough because we played a Division I schedule with non-scholarship players. We got bombed out of quite a few games! The following year we got three scholarships, and eventually got things back on track.

JT: In 1992 your team went 0-28. How frustrating was it to go winless, and what did you say to your team after the season was over?

EP: I brought in some new kids the following year and we won about six games, and it picked up after that.

JT: After winning the 1998 SWAC tournament title your team did a postgame step dance called "Hoop Phi Hoop." What did it mean to you to win the title?

EP: I was in another zone when we won. It was a great honor for me and for the school.

JT: What are your memories of the 1998 NCAA tournament, the first in school history despite having a record of 13-16 (Paul Pierce scored 25 points (10-12 FG) in a 58-point win by 1-seed Kansas)?

EP: Kansas was #1 in the nation at the time, and in addition to Pierce they had future lottery pick Raef LaFrentz. It was a big deal around town and in the SWAC.

JT: You currently coach at Huston-Tillotson. How do you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future?

EP: I hope to build a winning program here. I am like a kid in a candy store! I retired from Prairie View in 2005 and was not doing very much besides attending coaching clinics with some of my old friends. I would get chills from watching games on TV, so when Alvin Moore became AD he asked me if I would consider becoming head coach. My wife was already teaching and coaching in Austin, which was also a factor. Huston-Tillotson is a nice school but I told them that I would only take the job as long as I did not have to teach.

Plummer is also on Jon's list of best coaches in SWAC history.

Alabama A&M: L. Vann Pettaway (1986-2011) 453-279, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY
Alabama State: James Oliver (1978-1995) 291-191
Alcorn State: Davey Whitney (1977-1989, 1996-2003) 332-230, 6 NCAA tourneys, 10 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Arkansas-Pine Bluff: Van Holt (2002-2008) 50-124
Grambling State: Fred Hobdy (1977-1986) 123-126
Jackson State: Harrison B. Wilson (1950-1967) 371-93, 1 conference title
Mississippi Valley State: Lafayette Stribling (1983-2005) 305-318, 3 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Prairie View A&M: Elwood Plummer (1977-2002) 150-341, 1 NCAA tourney
Southern: Ben Jobe (1986-1996, 2001-2003) 208-142, 4 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles
Texas Southern: Robert Moreland (1977-2001, 2007-2008) 352-354, 3 NCAA tourneys, 6 conference titles, 3-time conference COY

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends": Hawaii's Tom Henderson

Jon Teitel — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 15:12:41 -0700

CHN writer Jon Teitel was able to spend some time with Hawai'i great Tom Henderson, who also played in three NBA Finals and won a title with the Bullets in 1978. Henderson was also a member of the 1972 U.S. National Team that was famously robbed of the gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Jon Teitel: You grew up in the Bronx and played for high school power DeWitt Clinton (alma mater of such NBA legends as Dolph Schayes and Nate Archibald). How big a deal was basketball at your high school?

Tom Henderson: It was a big deal. Ricky Sobers was also good but he did not go to school.

JT: You lost the 1968 PSAL title game to Boys High on a Dale Davis shot in the final seconds and the 1970 PSAL title game to Wingate by one. How frustrating was it to get so close and keep coming up short?

TH: Boys High was the largest school in the city and we were the second-largest. They had a great team but we were up by seven with under four minutes to play. Their baseball team showed up to our game with bats. The refs made a call and someone jumped out of the stands with a knife! We were up by 20 at halftime to Wingate...and then the bottom fell out in the second half. My high school coach was the best coach I ever had. He taught me all the fundamentals and made me appreciate defense.

JT: You started your college career at San Jacinto JC (where you averaged almost 30 points/game and were a two-time All-American) before transferring to Hawai'i. How were you able to be so dominant on the JC level, and why did you decide to go to Hawai'i?

TH: San Jacinto had some great players and I did not want to go to prep school for a year. I gained 25 pounds after three months of three good meals a day! We had great teams but could not get out of the regional in Texas. I looked at Long Beach State but Jerry Tarkanian was too open with the things he did. Hawai'i was great.

JT: In the 1972 Olympics you were the leading scorer for Team USA before the controversial one-point loss to the Soviet Union in the gold medal game. How devastating was that loss, and is that something that haunts you even today?

TH: When you are young you do not understand how politics are involved in basketball. As you get older you realize how these things come into play. I am at peace with it but we did not accept the silver medal because we felt that we were cheated. We had a 50-page protest after they took the ball out three times against us. It was devastating at the time but now I just roll with it. Our average age was 20 but our coach was 70, so we did not even understand a lot of his jokes. We had a hell of a team that mostly ended up being first round picks. We should have ran their asses back to Russia instead of passing the ball back and forth.

JT: In the 1974 NIT you scored a career-high 33 points in a loss to eventual champion Purdue. How were you able to play your best when it mattered the most?

TH: We beat them earlier that season in the Rainbow Classic, but they were a big team. I just took it upon myself to generate some offense but we could not stop them on defense.

JT: In the summer of 1974 you were drafted seventh overall by Atlanta (seven spots ahead of Maurice Lucas). Did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other?

TH: It was a dream come true. You never know how far you can go. I was the first guard picked in the draft.

JT: In 1977 you lead the league with 87 games played (second-most ever by an NBA player) and finished with 598 assista (fourth-most in the NBA, ahead of great guards like Kevin Porter and John Lucas). How exhausted were you by the end of that season, and what is the secret to being a great point guard?

TH: It took me two and a half years to get adjusted to the pace of the NBA after playing only 30 games a year in college, but after that I was very durable and consistent. I was fortunate to not have any serious injuries or operations. The key to playing point guard is to just make the players around you better. I would work with Mitch Kupchak before games and once he got into the game he was ready. I tried to be like a coach on the court, move the ball around to whoever was hot, and keep everyone happy. When you watch an NBA game keep an eye on who wants the ball in the final minute. I wish more coaches would just let their players run.

1978 NBA Finals (with the Washington Bullets)

JT: In Game 3 you stole an inbounds pass from Dennis Johnson with 10 seconds left and scored to cut the Sonics' lead to one before Bob Dandridge missed a shot at the buzzer. How were you able to steal the ball from a Hall of Famer, and did you think Dandridge's shot was going in?

TH: I thought the shot was going in. We knew we were in a dogfight, so we were just hoping it would go seven games.

JT: DJ went 0-for-14 from the field in Game 7 as you won the title with the Bullets. What did it mean to you to win the title, and what was the reaction like when you got back to D.C.?

TH: The Kingdome had a record crowd of about 39,000...but since it holds 80,000 it was not as loud as you would think. We did not have a single bottle of champagne waiting in the locker room because nobody had faith that we would win the game. DJ was talking a lot of noise in the newspaper the day before. We scored in the final five seconds of each quarter and I knew that we were ready. It was great in D.C. because they had never won a title before. I had finally reached the top of my field and gotten over the hump, and to be the starting point guard was very important to me. We went to Sonics guard Freddie Brown's house at 2 AM and made him celebrate because we were friends and had made a pact.

1979 NBA Playoffs (with the Washington Bullets)

JT: In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals Dandridge made the game-winning 16-foot jumper with eight seconds left and then Elvin Hayes got his seventh block of the night on a James Silas shot to clinch the series. Where does that rank among the most exciting finishes to a series that you have ever seen?

TH: We were down 3-1 in the series and came all the way back to win the final three games. George Gervin was tough but Silas was a monster. We would just keep hitting Gervin as he ran through picks: by the third quarter he stayed outside and took jump shots. I was a physical player but not a dirty player.

JT: In a rematch of the 1978 Finals the Sonics beat you in five games as DJ redeemed himself by being named Finals MVP. How hard is it to win back-to-back titles, and how frustrating was it to be injured during this series?

TH: I twisted my knee earlier that year so I was just dragging my leg by the time we got to the Finals. The Sonics changed things up when they got Lonnie Shelton, and it was just their turn.

1981 NBA Playoffs (with the Houston Rockets)

JT: Calvin Murphy (the shortest player in the league) scored 42 points in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals to upset the Spurs. How big a deal was it to beat your in-state rival, and was it just one of those scenarios where every shot Murphy put up seemed to go in because he was "in the zone"?

TH: Calvin was in the zone and they could not figure out how to stop him. He was one of the greatest scorers I have ever seen along with Pete Maravich and Rick Mount.

JT: In the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the Finals Larry Bird made his famous follow-up shot of his missed jumper by catching the ball in mid-air with his right hand, switching the ball to his left hand and flipping it into the basket. Was that the most unbelievable individual move you have ever seen?

TH: He made a good shot but in the NBA you see people make good shots every year. We should have left Boston up 2-0 instead of tied 1-1. They were worn down from playing Philly in the previous series and I think we might have been able to beat them, but they had a good team with a lot of talent.

JT: This was your third NBA Finals in a four-year span. What is the secret to winning games in the playoffs?

TH: The key is to get a game plan and then stick with it. There might be ten good point guards in the NBA right now. They are a dying breed. Deron Williams is a good point guard but he was a shooting guard in college. You have to control the tempo and dictate the pace of the game.

Henderson is also on Jon's list of the best pro players in WAC history. (editor's note: Hawai'i is now a member of the Big West, and Fresno State and Nevada are now in the Mountain West.)

Fresno State: Ron Anderson (1985)
Hawai'i: Tom Henderson (1975)
Idaho: Gus Johnson (1964)
Louisiana Tech: Karl Malone (1986)
Nevada: Ramon Sessions (2008)
New Mexico State: Sam Lacey (1971)
San Jose State: Darnell Hillman (1972)
Utah State: Nate Williams (1972)

Jon Teitel's "Coaching Greats": Lamar and Houston's Pat Foster

Jon Teitel — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 14:54:24 -0700

In the latest installment in his "Coaching Greats" series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Pat Foster, who went 134-39 in six seasons at Lamar. From there Foster went on to Houston, where he led the Cougars to multiple NCAA tournament appearances. Before becoming a head coach Foster was an assistant at his alma mater (Arkansas) under Eddie Sutton, and the Razorbacks reached the Final Four in 1978.

Jon Teitel: You were an All-SWC basketball player at Arkansas and played first base on the baseball team. Which sport did you like more, and which one were you better at?

Pat Foster: I liked basketball better because I was more successful at it, but I like baseball as well and have been a baseball fan ever since.

JT: You spent eight years as an assistant to coach Eddie Sutton with fellow assistant Gene Keady at your alma mater, where you helped recruit guys like Sidney Moncrief. How were you able to convince Moncrief to come to Arkansas?

PF: Moncrief, Marvin Delph and Ron Brewer came here because every time one of the assistants went into a meeting that is what we focused on. A lot of times the person who gets credit for recruiting a player is not the person who actually makes it happen. I introduced Sidney and Ron to the program, and Marvin's high school coach and I were friends. I used some contacts that I had in Little Rock who helped convince Moncrief to come here. There are many factors that go into recruiting so I cannot take all the credit.

JT: One of your former players at Arkansas was Houston Nutt, who later became a successful Division I football coach. What was he like as a basketball player, and did you ever imagine that he could become an SEC football coach?

PF: I could see it. I really liked him and I knew his dad. He was a really quick basketball player and could handle the ball. He was fancy before fancy was popular: no-look passes, behind-the-back dribbles, etc. He was not a great shooter and got caught behind a perimeter that was well-stacked. He did not play a lot but was easy to coach, as his dad was a coach as well.

JT: What are your memories of the 1977 NCAA tournament (after finishing the regular season at 26-1, Arkansas suffered a six-point loss to Wake Forest thanks to 26 points [10-17 FG] from Rod Griffin, and Sutton was so upset by that loss that he allegedly refused to speak to any of the players over the following summer)?

PF: That story about Sutton is not true. I had a lot of tough losses but that one is still in the Top 5 for me, even though I was just an assistant. It was a sad time for us because we led by 14 in the second half. It was a brutal situation but Eddie did not take it out on his players.

1978 NCAA tournament

JT: Delph had 23 points and ten rebounds while playing all 40 minutes in a four-point win over UCLA. What was the mood of the team before facing the legendary Bruins, and what did you learn from the 1977 tournament that helped you in 1978?

PF: Experience calms a player down and also gives them confidence. I feel that the 1977 loss helped us win in 1978. We were not cocky at all but were supremely confident...and damn good! The five starters fit together very well even though none of them were alike as basketball players. Jimmy Counce and Moncrief were the two best leaders I was ever around as players. Moncrief made himself a great player: he was only a 6-4 post player in high school. Sutton coached the game based on tough defense. If they drove to the basket then we would pop them.

JT: Regional MVP Brewer hit a 25-foot shot with just over one minute left to clinch a three-point win over Fullerton, during which NBC broadcaster Al McGuire labeled Brewer, Delph and Moncrief the "Triplets". How good a shooter was Brewer, and how did the guys like the nickname?

PF: They liked the nickname just fine. They had supreme respect for authority. Brewer's shot was more like a 17-20 footer. Fullerton came back down the floor and Brewer made a great defensive play to knock the ball loose.

JT: Tourney MOP Jack Givens had 23 points and nine rebounds in a five-point win by eventual champion Kentucky. How devastating was that loss, and where does that Kentucky team rank among the best you have ever seen?

PF: Any loss is a bad loss but it was not a devastating, hang-your-head loss because they were better than we were. Eddie instilled in his players that they had to play to the best of their ability for as long as they could. We really did all that we could do against Kentucky.

JT: Coach Sutton called for a "Brewer Special", so Brewer backed down Bill Hanzlik and made a turnaround jumper at the buzzer in a two-point win over Notre Dame in the third-place game to finish the season 32-4 and tie the then-NCAA record for most wins in a season. Where does Brewer's shot rank among the most clutch you have ever seen, and what was the reaction like when it went in?

PF: At that point in our development as a program it was a real big shot. I do not say this a lot but Brewer might be the most talented player I was ever around. He was a great jump shooter but could also take it to the rim over a bigger player.

1979 NCAA tournament

JT: Steve Schall had 18 points (9-9 FG) and eight rebounds in a win over Weber State after you had beaten them in the first round of the 1978 tournament. Was Schall just "in the zone" that night, and do you think Weber was getting sick of playing you every year in the tourney?

PF: Probably. Current UCLA coach Ben Howland played for Weber State that year. That was probably Schall's best game.

JT: Moncrief had 27 points and 12 rebounds while playing all 40 minutes in a win over a Louisville team that won the NCAA title the following year. What made Moncrief such a great player, and could you tell at the time that Denny Crum had the pieces in place to make a long run in the tournament the following season?

PF: After Louisville won the title in 1980 Crum told me that he used Moncrief as an example of a guy who could score against anybody. "Possessed" is the best word I could use to describe Moncrief in big games. He just refused to let us lose. He was not the kind of guy who would talk in the huddle, he just led by doing it. Our lanky freshman Scott Hastings dunked a ball in the Louisville game that goes down in my memory as one of the biggest plays I have ever seen.

JT: Larry Bird had 31 points and ten rebounds while playing all 40 minutes in a two-point win by eventual runner-up Indiana State. Was Bird as unstoppable as he seemed, and was he the best opponent you ever faced?

PF: He was the best I ever faced and the most outstanding college basketball player I have ever seen in person. He was like Pistol Pete but under control. God he was great!

JT: What are your memories of the 1981 NCAA tournament in your first year as head coach at Lamar (Lamar beat Missouri by four, but Rudy Macklin scored 31 points in a win by 1-seed LSU)?

PF: We did as well as we could. LSU ended up making it all the way to the Final Four. Missouri had some great players like Jon Sundvold and Steve Stipanovich, but they had a bad game while we shot the lights out. We were the closest thing toGonzaga at that time in terms of a mid-major who could win games in the tournament.

JT: What are your memories of the 1983 NCAA tournament (Lamar beat Alabama then fell to Villanova by two)?

PF: The Alabama game was one of the best games that we ever played. Alabama had won the SEC title but before they knew it we had beat them. The conference tournaments have given the mid-majors a better shot of pulling an upset.

JT: The following season you had a three-point loss to Karl Malone's Louisiana Tech team which snapped Lamar's 80-game home court winning streak at the Beaumont Civic Center (which was the longest in the nation). How close did you come to winning that game, and what was the reaction like after the streak ended?

PF: It was a last-second deal. We had a 6-9 guy named James Gulley who could take it inside and score on Malone, but one great player will beat three good ones every time. Several years later Malone saw me in the airport, walked up to me and said, "Have you talked to Gulley lately?!"

JT: After previously withdrawing your name from consideration as a replacement for the retiring legendary head coach Guy Lewis at Houston, you changed your mind and accepted their offer. Why did you withdraw your name at first, and what made you later change your mind?

PF: I withdrew because they would not make a decision as to whether they wanted me or not. They later came back to me with an offer that I could not refuse. Guy Lewis is one of the nicest coaches I have ever met and was nothing but professional.

JT: What are your memories of the 1990 NCAA tournament (Carl Herrera scored 19 points in a four-point loss to UCSB)?

PF: That is one of my Top 5 worst and is probably equal to the Wake Forest loss. It hurt me really bad. A lot of the Houston fans switched their allegiance from the Cougars to the Rockets once Hakeem Olajuwon left the former for the latter.

JT: In 1992 you were named Southwest Conference Coach of the Year. What did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

PF: I did not remember that. I guess it is better than not getting it! I took every game as an Arkansas assistant coach as personally as if I was the head coach because all of my friends were there. When you win a game or an award you just worry about what you will do next to keep it going, and that pressure is what eventually breaks coaches down.

JT: What are your memories of the 1992 NCAA tournament (Jon Barry scored 17 points in a five-point Georgia Tech victory)?

PF: Bobby Cremins beat me. We had them beat even though they had a few future pros on that team (including Travis Best and Matt Geiger), but could not hang on for the win. They hit an amazing three-pointer towards the end. If you coach long enough you will win games you are not supposed to win...but then it will turn on you!

JT: You had three players who were in the 1992 Olympics: Carl Herrera (Venezuela), Rolando Ferreira (Brazil), and David Diaz (Venezuela). How were you able to recruit so many foreign players, and what impact do you think foreign players will continue to have on college basketball in the 21st century?

PF: A lot, I hope. Many of those guys are throwbacks to the 1970s in terms of fundamentals because the foreign coaches have learned a lot after decades of clinics run by American coaches. Recruiting is the dark side of sports and has ruined a lot of good players, but foreign players were not scarred by that at all. I have always had a great feeling for foreign players and like to see them get the opportunity to come here and play. It is impossible to judge eligibility because some of them get money for playing on club teams. The system is different.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

PF: I have thought about this more than you think. I have some regrets that I did not really do as much for my players as I should have. Winning becomes everything and the pressure to keep winning and supporting the program caused me to worry. Instead of chewing a kid's rear end out I should have had more compassion for the pressure that they were under. After he went to the NBA, Moncrief said that it would be great if coaches could remember how hard it is to play and if players could remember how hard it is to coach.

Foster is also on Jon's list of best coaches in Southland history.

Central Arkansas: Don Dyer (1979-1993) 285-145, 3 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Lamar: Pat Foster (1980-1986) 134-49, 2 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles
McNeese State: Ralph Ward (1952-1971) 282-194, 6 conference titles, 1 NAIA title
Nicholls State: Rickey Broussard (1990-2002) 150-183, 2 NCAA tourneys, 2 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Northwestern State: Mike McConathy (1999-present) 200-204, 2 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 2-time conference COY
SE Louisiana: Billy Kennedy (1999-2005) 80-92, 1 NCAA tourney, 2 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
Sam Houston State: Bob Marlin (1998-2010) 225-131, 2 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Stephen F. Austin: Danny Kaspar (2000-present) 219-136, 1 NCAA tourney, 2 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
Texas A&M CC: Ronnie Arrow (1999-2007) 134-91, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY
Texas State: Mike Miller (1994-2000) 87-79, 1 NCAA tourney, 2 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
UT Arlington: Eddie McCarter (1992-2006) 179-211, 1 conference title
UTSA: Tim Carter (1995-2006) 160-152, 2 NCAA tourneys, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends": FAU's Earnest Crumbley

Jon Teitel — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 14:48:25 -0700

In the most recent installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series, CHN writer Jon Teitel caught up with Florida Atlantic great Earnest Crumbley. Crumbley, who helped lead the Owls to their first-ever NCAA appearance in 2002, is still the school's all-time leader in points, assists, steals and made three-pointers.

Jon Teitel: Your coach at Florida Atlantic was Sidney Green, who was an All-American at UNLV before becoming a 10-year NBA veteran. What made him such a great coach, and what was the most important lesson you learned from him?

Earnest Crumbley: I liked his basketball background so I figured that I could learn a lot from him.

JT: During your sophomore season you went 14 straight games without missing a free throw. Did it reach a point where you expected to make every single free throw, and what is your secret for foul shooting?

EC: I just practiced a lot. I was always a gym rat. Repetition makes you feel comfortable and confidence is also important.

JT: What are your memories of the 2002 Atlantic Sun tournament title game (Robert Williams made a free throw with six seconds left to clinch a one-point win over Georgia State and the first conference title in school history)?

EC: It was one of the best times of my life, as we accomplished our goal of putting the school on the map by getting to the tourney.

JT: What are your memories of the 2002 NCAA tournament, the first in school history (Crumbley had 18 points and nine assists in an eight-point loss to 2-seed Alabama, who was led by Mo Williams' career-high 33 points)?

EC: The atmosphere was amazing. We did not play in a lot of packed houses coming from a small school, and most of the crowd was cheering for us as the underdog. We showed that we could compete with teams at the high-major level.

JT: In 2004 you scored a school-record 39 points against Campbell while making a school-record 11 three-pointers. Was it just one of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were "in the zone"?

EC: Once I started making a couple of shots and my teammates started to look for me, I just tried to keep being aggressive and get our team a win so we could get a conference tourney berth.

JT: You also hold the school record for career steals. How were you able to balance your offense and your defense?

EC: I was taught that defense always came first so you would not get in the game unless you played both ends of the court.

JT: You are still the leading scorer in school history. Did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were?

EC: I was never big on statistics. I just wanted to win games, play hard, and be respected as a player and student. I wish everyone chasing my records the best of luck.

JT: After graduating you played professionally in Mexico. What did you learn from the experience, and how did it compare to college basketball?

EC: Once you get out of college it is a different world, and playing in Mexico was a great experience. However college was one of the best times of my life, so being a pro cannot compare.

JT: Your dad Earnest Sr. is the coach at St. Petersburg College, and your brother Kory played at Bethune-Cookman and St. Petersburg. How big of an influence was your dad on your decision to play basketball, and who is the best player in the family?

EC: My dad always pushed us to do whatever we wanted to do but I gravitated to basketball because I was always in the gym with him. I consider myself the best player in the family but my dad was the best athlete because he played several different sports.

JT: You are currently an assistant coach at Redlands CC. How do you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future?

EC: So far Redlands has been a blessing to me. We have been able to influence the lives of our players and I have been able to make contacts in a different area (as I am from FL). We have a lot of second-chance kids who we help to turn around in a positive direction. We even sent one of our guards to St. John's. I eventually hope to be a head coach at the Division I level.

Crumbley is also on Jon's list of best fantasy players in Sun Belt history.

Arkansas State: John Dickson (1967) 1891 PTS (#2), 1139 REB (#2), 62.5 FG% (#2), 2-time All-American, conference POY
AR Little Rock: Derek Fisher (1996) 1393 PTS (#3), 472 AST (#2), 184 STL (#2), All-American, conference POY
Denver: Harry Hollines (1968) 1879 PTS (#1), 2-time All-American
Florida Atlantic: Earnest Crumbley (2004) 1559 PTS (#1), 505 AST (#1), 181 STL (#1), 286 3PM (#1), 79.2 FT% (#3)
FIU: Dwight Stewart (1993) 2101 PTS (#1), 806 REB (#2), 264 AST (#2), 128 BLK (#1), 172 STL (#3)
Lafayette: Dwight "Bo" Lamar (1973) 3493 PTS (#1), 520 AST (#4), 3-time All-American, conference POY
UL Monroe: Calvin Natt (1979) 2581 PTS (#1), 1285 REB (#1), 57.4 FG% (#4), 3-time All-American, conference POY
Middle Tennessee State: Kerry Hammonds (1989) 1616 PTS (#3), 955 REB (#2)
North Texas: Kenneth Lyons (1983) 2291 PTS (#1), 1095 REB (#1), 2-time All-American
South Alabama: Jeff Hodge (1989) 2221 PTS (#1), 461 AST (#2), 223 STL (#2), All-American, conference POY
Troy: Anthony Reed (1990) 1875 PTS (#1), 913 REB (#3), 149 STL (#5), 57.9 FG% (#2), All-American
Western Kentucky: Jim McDaniels (1971) 2238 PTS (#1), 1118 REB (#4), 3-time All-American, 2-time conference POY

Jon Teitel's "Coaching Greats": Chattanooga and VCU's Mack McCarthy

Jon Teitel — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 21:40:55 -0700

In the most recent installment in his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with former Chattanooga, VCU and East Carolina head coach Mack McCarthy. During his time at Chattanooga McCarthy led the Mocs to their lone Sweet 16 appearance in 1997, knocking off Georgia and Illinois before falling to Providence in Birmingham. McCarthy won 243 games at Chattanooga and led the Mocs to five NCAA appearances and eight conference titles.

Jon Teitel: You were an assistant coach for Sonny Smith at Auburn, where you helped recruit future Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. What made Smith such a great coach, and did you ever think that Barkley would become a Hall of Famer?

Mack McCarthy: Sonny is the smartest coach I have ever been around. His feel for the flow of the game was uncanny. He was glib and funny and most times did not get credit for his cerebral understanding of the game. He could recruit as well as anyone because he could read people in an instant. That was how we overcame the existing pecking order in recruiting to get players who had never considered Auburn as a destination. It would have been tough for anyone to project Charles' performance from one level to the next. Coaches (and fans for that matter) like to compare a player to someone who has been successful, but there really was no one like Charles to compare him to from high school to college and then from college to the NBA.

Once he got on campus we knew that he was special, but it was still hard to figure out just how productive he was going to be. Clearly he was a special talent and person who had a great deal to do with Auburn basketball by starting the most successful run in their history. His presence and then the following recruiting classes (with guys like Chuck Person, Gerald White, Frank Ford, Chris Morris, and all the others) led Auburn to a string of NCAA tournaments that has never been repeated there.

JT: What are your memories of the 1984 NCAA tournament (Johnny Newman scored 26 points in a one-point Richmond win)?

MM: Making the tournament was such a special achievement since Auburn had never been before. We lost to a good Richmond team for three reasons. First, Richmond was good. Secondly, Charles was very focused on playing against Coach Bobby Knight (who had cut him from the Olympic team) and his Indiana team in the next round. Lastly, we were really happy just to have made the tournament and did not understand the whole process of how to win games in the Big Dance.

1985 NCAA tournament (as an assistant at Auburn)

JT: Chuck Person scored 20 points in a one-point win over Purdue after a short turnaround jumper by Purdue's James Bullock rolled off the rim at the buzzer. Did you think Bullock's shot was going in, and how big a deal was it to get the first tournament win in school history?

MM: 1985 was a crazy season. Barkley had gone pro so we had a very young but talented team. Our regular season was really disappointing but we knew that we were good. We caught fire and won the SEC tournament, becoming the first team to win four games in four days and beating our archrival Alabama on national TV in the title game. We carried this momentum into the NCAA. Playing in a very difficult SEC prepared us well for the challenges of playing in the NCAA for the second straight year. This time we had more of an idea of what to expect.

Playing a Gene Keady-coached Purdue team in South Bend was tough. We had been involved in so many close games during the season, and then winning each of our four conference tournament games by single digits gave us a lot of confidence that we could (and should) win. At this point we felt like we could beat anyone. Being part of the first NCAA win in the history of the school certainly was a bonding experience that led to Auburn advancing to the Elite 8 the following season.

JT: Frank Ford scored 23 points (9-9 FG) and freshman Danny Manning missed a jumper at the buzzer for a two-point win over three-seed Kansas. Did you think Manning's shot was going in, and where does that weekend rank among the most exciting of your coaching career?

MM: Kansas was a difficult matchup due to Manning and a whole team of highly recruited players. However for the second year in a row we had a team whose entire starting five was later drafted by the NBA. Beating Manning and Coach Larry Brown was really special because it meant that we were headed back to Birmingham, where we had just won the only SEC tournament title in school history.

JT: Person had 16 points and 12 rebounds, but Kenny Smith scored 22 in a six-points North Carolina victory. What was the crowd like at the Birmingham-Jefferson County Civic Center, and could you tell at the time how good a player Smith would become?

MM: Each team we played was better than the one before it. North Carolina had Smith and a slew of other future NBA guys (including Brad Daugherty). The Civic Center was rocking with Auburn fans and it was a great game. We played really well after a rocky start and had a chance to win it at the end. While I left for the head coaching position at Chattanooga, this run definitely set the tone for the next season when Auburn came within one possession of making the Final Four.

JT: In 1985 you became head coach at Chattanooga, where you never had a losing season and your 243 wins equaled the most ever for a SoCon coach. Why did you decide to take the job, and how were you able to remain such a consistent winner during your 12 years there?

MM: I never put a lot of thought into becoming a head coach. If you are in the profession it is usually a goal but it was not something I was obsessed about. The Chattanooga job opened late in the summer. Ironically, we had played in their tournament the year before. It seemed like the next natural step: while working for Sonny I had been allowed to be responsible for every phase of the basketball program. This really prepared me more than I knew for the challenges and opportunities of being a head coach.

While I took over a program that had lost some great players from the previous season, it was also a program that had had great success under Murray Arnold. This momentum really helped us continue to win and even grow upon the success that Murray had. I was fortunate to inherit a good staff and players who were winners. That, along with my experience at Auburn, led to us winning and winning consistently at Chattanooga. The staff evolved and our recruiting continued to improve, which led to our run of several NCAA appearances and eventually to our unprecedented Sweet 16 performance.

JT: One of your basketball players was future All-Pro WR Terrell Owens, who played in the 1995 NCAA tournament loss to Connecticut. How good a basketball player was he, and did you ever think he would become such a great player in the NFL?

MM: There was never any question about what kind of football player T.O. was going to be. Head coach Buddy Nix came back from Alabama after signing him and immediately said that this young man was going to be playing on Sundays. He was an okay basketball player but never really had a chance to work on his game since he was playing football for nine months a year and basketball for only three months a year. He was a super team guy because of his work ethic, his weight room regimen, and his competitive nature in practice.

JT: What are your memories of the 1997 SoCon tournament title game (Chris Mims scored 16 points and made a put-back layup with four seconds left in a one-point win over Marshall)?

MM: We had a great game against a big rival in Marshall. Future NBA star Jason Williams led Marshall, and we had a lottery pick in Johnny Taylor. We also had several veteran guys like Mims, Marquis Collier, Willie Young, and others. Marshall had a possession late in the game where the 6-9 Taylor guarded the 6-1 Williams and caused him to travel. Taylor then missed a shot that Mims tipped in, which allowed us to win the game and go on to the NCAA tournament.

1997 NCAA tournament (at Chattanooga)

JT: Young scored 24 points and Collier blocked GG Smith's shot at the buzzer in a three-point upset win over three-seed Georgia. How were you able to dominate them from the start (scoring the first 15 points of the game), and where does Collier's block rank among the best defensive plays you have ever seen?

MM: We had been to four NCAA tournaments prior to the 1997 appearance, and those experiences helped us as we approached this challenge. We had run into some top seeds during our previous trips (such as Kansas, Connecticut, and Oklahoma). Advancing in the tournament as a lower seed is based to some extent on how good you are, but it is based even more on the matchups (particularly from a size perspective). We got off to a great start against Tubby Smith's Georgia team.

We were ahead 15-0 to start and later 22-2 before they settled in and started to make a comeback. We had a three-point lead late in the game and Georgia had to go the length of the floor to try and tie it. We pressed and were going to foul at midcourt, but they called timeout before we could give the foul. They got the ball to Tubby's son GG in the corner and the 6-9 Collier got a piece of the shot to give us the upset as a #14-seed.

JT: You had a 30-11 run at the end of the second half to clinch an upset six-seed Illinois and become the second 14-seed (and the first SoCon team) to ever advance to the Sweet 16. How were you able to dominate them down the stretch, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus?

MM: We had a good matchup for the second straight game because neither Georgia nor Illinois had a dominant center. Illinois also played a lot like Georgia on both sides of the ball so our preparation did not change a lot in regard to the game plan. It was a very even and physical game until we went to a matchup zone late which confused them a little. I think they only made one field goal in the final seven minutes.

The reaction to the first win was unbelievable but we still had to get ready for the Illinois game. However, after the second win the joy in Chattanooga and the national media coverage was unprecedented. It was so much fun to see our loyal fans enjoy the chance for the nation to know what we already knew about Moc basketball.

JT: Austin Croshere scored 19 points in a six-point win by ten-seed Providence in Birmingham. What was the crowd like at the Civic Center this time around, and how were the Friars able to recover after Croshere picked up his fourth foul?

MM: Ironically, Providence in the Sweet 16 was the lowest seed we faced that March! Despite the intense scrutiny and coverage from the national and local media we had a good week of preparation and played well against Pete Gillen's team. Croshere and Taylor neutralized each other, while Providence's size and God Shammgod beat us down. We could not keep Shammgod out of the lane and their size bothered us near the rim. That being said, we overcame missing a bunch of free throws and made it a game at the end. [Two nights later] Providence lost in overtime to eventual national champion Arizona (who had six guys score in double figures).

JT: UTC Arena (aka "The Roundhouse") was rated the "Third Toughest Place to Play in the NCAA" by Sports Illustrated back in 1995, and you were 83-10 (.892) at home against SoCon opponents. What made it such a tough place for opponents, and did it reach a point where your fans expected you to win every single home game?

MM: Roundhouse is a great venue. It is a steep, loud building that has the tradition of many championship banners hanging in the rafters. Our fans saw many miraculous finishes that added to the mystique and lore of the building. In reality, it probably had a whole lot to do with lots of good players and great support from our passionate fans!

JT: In 1997 you joined your longtime friend Smith at VCU as associate head coach, and later took over for him after he retired. Why did you decide to take the job, and how did the two of you become such great friends?

MM: Don DeVoe game me my first chance as a graduate assistant. Coach DeVoe was a brilliant defensive coach, and I never would have gotten into college coaching without that opportunity. I worked with Sonny as an assistant at Virginia Tech, then followed him to ETSU, and then Auburn. We are still very close and I owe a lot of my success to Sonny and his mentoring. He was Coach of the Year in four different conferences in four very different circumstances. He is still a brilliant offensive strategist and an unappreciated defensive coach too, and he is even a better person than a coach.

JT: In 1999 Bo Jones scored 19 second half points (after going scoreless in the first half) to open the Alltel Pavilion with a five-point win over Louisville. Do you agree with the VCU fans and alumni that voted this as the top moment in VCU sports history, and how were you able to overcome a 20-point deficit?

MM: Winning the inaugural game in the Siegel Center was a real highlight to many people at VCU, including myself. We were supposed to open the arena the year before against Virginia, but construction was delayed so instead we opened the building against Louisville (our old conference foe from the Metro). VCU has such a great tradition and loyal fans that had waited so long for us to play on campus. It was almost like it was destined to be a special night. Coming back from 20 points down against such a prestigious program like Louisville was miraculous.

JT: In 2001 Jones made a 70-foot shot at the buzzer for a three-point overtime win over ECU. Where does that shot rank among the best you have ever seen, and what was the reaction like in your locker room afterwards?

MM: When Bo made the shot to ironically beat ECU (where I later coached), I had no idea what to say...which is exactly what I told ECU coach Billy Herrion after the game, "I don't know what to say!" I have never really been part of anything like that.

JT: In 2004 you joined the Georgia Tech women's basketball staff as an assistant coach. Why did you take the job, and what is the biggest difference between coaching men and coaching women?

MM: Dave Braine, the athletic director at the time, asked me if I might be interested in leaving TV and radio to go back into coaching. MaChelle Joseph had just gotten the head coaching job, and both she and Dave thought that having an experienced assistant might be a good idea. Coach Joseph has gone on to do a really good job, becoming a regular NCAA tournament participant. I loved working at Georgia tech and coaching the women was really fun. They are very receptive to coaching instruction.

JT: You became head coach at ECU in 2007. Why did you take the job, and why were you unable to duplicate the success you previously had elsewhere?

MM: I came to ECU as an assistant to Ricky Stokes. When he resigned after two years I got the interim job and the following year I got the head job. We did not have the success that I had hoped for. ECU men's basketball has struggled for quite a while. We have made some progress, especially in the team APR (Academic Progress Rate), which had been a real detriment to our improvement on the court. I think that the program is on solid ground now and ready to continue moving in the right direction under Jeff Lebo's leadership.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?

MM: I hope that people would look at the job we have been able to do and know that we have left each program in better shape than when we arrived. I would also hope that we are known to have treated people respectfully, worked really hard, and been good contributing citizens in each city. I have so many great relationships because I got to coach at great schools and live in wonderful communities.

McCarthy is also on Jon's list of best coaches in Southern Conference history.

Appalachian State: Buzz Peterson (1996-2000, 2009-2010) 103-52, 1 NCAA tourney, 4 conference titles, 2-time conference COY
Charleston: John Kresse (1979-2002) 560-143, 4 NCAA tourneys, 9 conference titles, 4-time conference COY
Chattanooga: Mack McCarthy (1985-1997) 243-122, 5 NCAA tourneys, 8 conference titles, 3-time conference COY
Citadel: Les Robinson (1974-1985) 132-162, 2-time conference COY
Davidson: Bob McKillop (1989-present) 426-271, 6 NCAA tourneys, 11 conference titles, 1-time national COY, 6-time conference COY
Elon: Bill Miller (1959-1979) 329-224, 2 conference titles
Furman: Joe Williams (1970-1978) 142-87, 5 NCAA tourneys, 3 conference titles, 1-time conference COY
Georgia Southern: Frank Kerns (1981-1995) 244-132, 3 NCAA tourneys, 4 conference titles, 4-time conference COY
UNC Greensboro: Fran McCaffery (1999-2005) 90-87, 1 NCAA tourney, 1 conference title
Samford: Jimmy Tillette (1997-2012) 229-219, 2 NCAA tourneys, 1 conference title, 1-time conference COY
Western Carolina: Steve Cottrell (1977-1987) 145-133, 1-time conference COY
Wofford: Mike Young (2002-present) 156-151, 2 NCAA tourneys, 2 conference titles