Charlie Schmaus was recruited by several great colleges back in the 1960s including Florida State/Maryland but decided to go to VMI. It was a good choice: he led the team in scoring for 2 straight years in 1965/1966 and was selected 36th overall by the Cincinnati Royals in the 1966 NBA Draft. He later spent 6 years as head coach at his alma mater, including a 26-4 record in his very 1st year that included a trip to the 1977 Sweet 16. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Charlie about playing/coaching in the NCAA tourney and becoming a realtor. Today is Charlie’s birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
You played at Ford City High School for Coach Herb Rupert, who won 7 section titles as an assistant coach and 11 more as a head coach: what made Rupert such a great coach, and what is the most important thing you ever learned from him? Coach Neenie Campbell came before Rupert and also won a few titles so there was a great tradition there. We were like the Yankees of Section 1 basketball even though we were from a small town. Growing up we watched the kids ahead of us at Ford City and wanted to do the same thing when we were that age.
You were a 2-time 1st-team All-SoCon player at VMI and also played football: which sport did you enjoy more, and which 1 were you better at? I also played 3rd base for 3 years: baseball was my 1st sport and I was pretty good at it, but once I got to high school I started playing more basketball. I went to VMI for a couple of reasons: my high school sent a lot of successful athletes there, and my teammate who played PG was also going to VMI. It was an honor to go to a military school back in the 1960s. I got better each year and made the Helms All-American team as a senior. Had I gone to a bigger school like Maryland then I would not have had as much of a chance to develop.
What are your memories of the 1964 SoCon tourney final (you scored 19 PTS in a 5-PT win over GW)? The biggest win we had was actually in the SoCon semifinals over Davidson, as I tipped in a shot at the end to beat them. Davidson was #4 in the nation at the time and featured future NBA #1 overall pick Fred Hetzel and future Hall of Fame coach Lefty Driesell. Our team was pretty tired going into the final but I still had plenty energy: we put VMI on the map with that win.
In the 1964 NCAA tourney you scored 5 PTS in a loss to Princeton: what was it like to face Bill Bradley (34 PTS/12 REB/8 AST)? Bradley was a great player. I had to guard him even though he was a couple of inches taller than me: he just kept coming off of picks and knocking down shots. I felt that I did a good job on him, as he scored most of his points at the end after we started to press. It was almost a home game for them since we played at the Palestra. Fans could smoke indoors at the time and we were the 3rd game of the day so it was like a fog in there!
In the summer of 1966 you were drafted in the 4th round by Cincinnati (1 spot ahead of Archie Clark): did you see that as a validation of your college career or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA? It was quite an honor, but my military commitment kept me from going to the NBA and playing with legends like Oscar Robertson. The ABA was also starting up around that time: I regret not having the opportunity because I think that I could have made a roster somewhere. I did get to play basketball in the Air Force, which was fun.
Take me through the 1976 NCAA tourney (you were an assistant to Coach Bill Blair, your former VMI teammate):
Ron Carter scored 19 PTS and had a tourney-school record 14 REB in a 6-PT win over Tennessee (Ernie Grunfeld had 36 PTS in the losing effort): how were you able to hang on for the win, and was Grunfeld just unstoppable that night? We were lucky that the “Bernie (Bernard King) and Ernie” show was not in prime time that night. We had a good team: 4 of our 5 starters averaged double-digits that season. Carter was my hometown recruit out of Pittsburgh…and he ended up breaking all of my records!
Carter had 21 PTS/12 REB in a 5-PT OT win over DePaul: was Carter just “in the zone” that entire week? Coach Ray Meyer had a bunch of giants down low while our biggest guy was only 6’7” but our PG made a lot of FTs down the stretch. We just worked the motion offense (started by Bobby Knight at Indiana) and tried to get mismatches. Carter would go inside or outside based on who was guarding him.
Will Bynum scored a tourney-school record 34 PTS in a loss to Rutgers: how was Bynum able to play his best when it mattered the most, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? Bynum was a great player/shooter, but he liked to pass so we had to beg him to shoot sometimes! We were a smart team and shot over 50% from the field that year. We were disappointed that Carter was on the bench with foul trouble most of the game, but Rutgers was undefeated.
In 1976 you became VMI coach after Blair left, and went 26-4 and won the SoCon tourney in your very 1st season: what did you learn from working under Blair, and how were you able to come in and be so successful so quickly? Most coaches will agree that you are only as good as your players: I was fortunate that 4 of my 5 starters that 1st year were players who I had recruited as an assistant. I firmly believed that if it ain’t broke you should not fix it! We finished 20th in the AP poll, which I was very proud of, but if Bill was there then we would have done the same thing.
In 1977 you were named SoCon COY: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? I am proud of it, but again, it is the players who win the games. We had a good rapport: Bill probably should have won the COY award the year before. As a VMI man I am proud to have been a part of all 3 titles in school history.
Take me through the 1977 NCAA tourney:
Bynum and Carter each scored 18 PTS in a 7-PT win over Duquesne (Norm Nixon: 27 PTS): what did you team learn from the 1976 tourney that helped you in the 1977 tourney, and could you tell at the time that Nixon was going to be a star? Coming from Pittsburgh, neither Carter nor I were recruited by Duquesne so we had a little extra motivation going into that game! Winning breeds winning so we were not afraid of anyone. We knew that Nixon was their #1 guy but we felt that he could not beat us all by himself.
Carter had 28 PTS/10 REB in a loss to Kentucky: where does Carter rank among the best players you ever coached, and could you tell that the Wildcats were poised to win it all the following year? Kentucky had everything going for them: good guards, Jack Givens, their Twin Towers, etc. We played well in the 1st half but just got worn out by Rick Robey/Mike Phillips in the 2nd half. They also had Truman Claytor coming off the bench and he had a career game with 29 PTS/13-15 FG. Carter was an All-American and outscored Givens that night. UNC was also in the East regional with us and Dean Smith was very complimentary of our team after the game, which I will always remember. We just enjoyed the experience.
You currently work in real estate in North Myrtle Beach, SC: how do you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? We have been here for almost 3 decades now and just love it. Real estate is similar to recruiting, which is good because I am a people person. All of my coaching friends come to visit because of the beaches, golf courses, etc. I am an observer of the officials for women’s games, which helps me stay involved in the sport: basketball will be in my blood forever.