The postseason is when coaching really comes into play as a factor in deciding wins or losses, and Dave Bike was a coach who ended up on the winning side of the equation more often that not. He won 500+ games as coach at Sacred Heart, including the 1986 D-2 title game over Southeast Missouri State. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with current Pioneers coach Anthony Latina about his former boss and that 1 shining moment. Today is Dave’s 76th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
At Notre Dame High School Dave was an all-state basketball player but turned down scholarship offers from Boston College/Providence to sign a pro baseball contract: which sport was he best at, and which sport did he enjoy the most? He was very good at both sports. The reason he chose baseball was because he had a higher ceiling on the diamond, but in high school he was equally dominant and loved them both.
How did he 1st get into coaching? I believe the Detroit Tigers paid for him to take classes at Sacred Heart and the head coach later asked him to help out.
In the 1986 D-2 title game as head coach at Sacred Heart he had a 6-PT win over Southeast Missouri State: what did it mean to him to win a title? He always said that even though we won the D-2 title there is no WAY that Louisville was happier to win the D-1 title that year! To win it at his alma mater in an area where he grew up made it a very important connection. His high school used to be right on the Sacred Heart campus!
He finished that year by being named NABC national COY: what did it mean to him to receive such an outstanding honor? He is such a humble guy that while he appreciated the recognition he would just say that he was lucky to have such good players.
He also spent more than a decade as athletic director: how did he balance being a coach with being an administrator? Things were different back then but he is very intelligent/organized so I do not think it was very difficult. He is a natural leader so it was a natural fit.
In 1999 the school made the transition from D-2 to D-1: what is the biggest difference between the 2 levels of competition? It has changed a lot through the years but I would say the financial commitment: travel, recruiting, etc. The additional resources allow you to recruit better players, but some of the top D-2 teams back then were as good as the D-1 teams because there were far fewer D-1 teams.
In December of 2001 he had a 3-PT 4-OT win at Fairleigh Dickinson: what are your memories of that legendary game? I was at Central Connecticut at the time. Both teams were struggling that year and he joked that someone had to win that game!
He spent 35 years on the Pioneers sideline before retiring in 2013: what does he mean to the school? He is such a great ambassador for our wonderful institution. I cannot think of a better person to be the face of the school. He is humble/generous and everything he stands for has been a great honor for us.
You took over for him as the 2nd-ever coach in school history: how hard has it been for you to fill his huge footsteps? Impossible! If you try to do that you will fail. 1 thing he taught me is to be the best version of myself. Aside from the success, he has had a huge role on the development of the university so I just try to honor his legacy to the best of my ability.
When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? He put people 1st above himself and was a great competitor/winner. It was always about people, which is a great lesson for all of us. He always tried to prepare his players for life and did things the right way: the wins are just a byproduct of his 1st-class manner/leadership.