In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Vinnie Cazzetta about his father Vince

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Jon Teitel

It is difficult to make a significant impact when you only have 1 opportunity to get it right…but that is exactly what Vince Cazzetta did back in 1968. After leading Seattle University to 3 straight NCAA tourney appearances from 1961-1963, he spent 4 years as an assistant at Rhode Island. In 1967 he was hired as head coach of the Pittsburgh Pipers during the very 1st season of the American Basketball Association, and ended up beating New Orleans in Game 7 of the Finals to win the title. He was named Coach of the Year but resigned after the team owners refused to give him a raise when the franchise moved to Minnesota. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Vince’s son Vinnie about his father’s winning ways in both college and the ABA. Today is both the 53rd anniversary of Vince winning the very 1st ABA title on May 4, 1968, and the 16th anniversary of his passing on May 4, 2005, so it seems like an appropriate day to both celebrate his success and remember his legacy.

Your father served in the Army at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II: what impact did the war have on him both as a father and as a coach? As a father he never talked much about the war at all, but we knew that he had a couple of toes freeze during the war. However, I remember him vividly retelling his grandkids some of his old war stories. As a coach he was a taskmaster: there was no gray area. When things got crazy in the 1960s he would not bend at all and his players responded well to his discipline.

In 1958 he replaced his childhood friend John Castellani as coach at Seattle after Castellani lost to Kentucky in the title game the previous spring and then resigned due to improprieties (providing airfare to a pair of coveted recruits): how was he able to step into such a sticky situation and make the best of it? He inherited a solid core of players so John did not leave the cupboard bare. It might have been easier back then due to the lack of media attention/outside distractions. He was ahead of his times in terms of recruiting: Seattle had more African-American players than a lot of other schools at the time. He would go up and down the East Coast to find talented players.

What are your memories of the 1961 NCAA tourney (Jerry Hahn had 13 PTS/12 REB and made a shot with 4 seconds left in a 2-PT win by ASU) or 1962 NCAA tourney (Mel Counts had 20 PTS/15 REB in a 4-PT OT win by Oregon State)? I do not remember these games but I recall him mentioning that the 4 or 5 best teams in the entire tourney were all from the West Coast and he ended up having to play them all. Nowadays all of those good teams would be split up around the country and only meet in the Final 4.

He resigned as coach of Seattle with 9 games left in the 1963 season after a dispute with the athletic director: what was the nature of the dispute, and how could he walk away from a team that was on its way to its 3rd straight NCAA tourney? My dad was the kind of guy who would sit down with the media at a local restaurant on a regular basis and talk with them about anything. He would not give the canned answers you hear today so a lot of the Seattle-area media encouraged him to seek more power within the organization. The AD and Jesuit administration started to get nervous about the high level of success he was having. I played at a Jesuit university (Fairfield) and it is still like that even today: you cannot have it both ways. There was a concern that people might think it was a basketball factory that was not strong academically. If he were alive today I think he would say that he would have done things differently because he had to start all over as an assistant coach at Rhode Island. I cannot imagine someone like Coach K starting over.

He spent 1 year as head coach of the ABA’s Pittsburgh Pipers in 1968, who beat New Orleans in 7 games to win the 1st-ever ABA title led by MVP Connie Hawkins: why did he decide to take the job, and what did it mean to him to win the title? He was looking to move up the ranks and thought about becoming a college head coach, but he decided to take a new challenge in the professional ranks. Hawkins was the star but he had great role players around him. All of the African-American players worked hard for him because he motivated them. It was a thrill for him, as it would be for any coach on any level.

That same year he was named ABA COY: what did it mean to him to win such an outstanding honor? It was both humbling and rewarding. The ABA was still trying to feel its way around after starting very quickly. He did not have a lot of time to mold players from different background into a team…but he did. They made a key trade during the season that really solidified things.

He resigned as coach of the Pipers after team owners refused to give him a raise in order to help move your family to Minnesota (where the franchise was relocating to): why on earth did the team change cities after winning the title, and how do you feel about his decision to place his family over his job? The reason they moved is because ABA Commissioner George Mikan had to live in a city where there is a franchise. When the Muskies moved after the season Mikan convinced the Pipers’ owners to move from Pittsburgh to Minnesota. He was making about $12,000 at the time and was offered a choice: a $1000 raise or relocation costs for our family (but not both). My dad felt we had to establish roots and he knew that if we moved to Minnesota then we would just end up moving again sometime soon (which became true when the Pipers ended up moving back to Pittsburgh).

He later served as a professor in the Sports Management department at UMass Amherst and as a scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves/Toronto Raptors: how did he like his post-coaching gigs, and which 1 did he enjoy the most? In his heart of hearts he always wanted to coach. I would see him watching games on TV late at night and asking out loud why a player did a certain thing. I think he enjoyed his TV/radio broadcasting work the most, as it allowed him to stay in contact with his friends in the coaching business and catch up on old times. My siblings and I all played sports growing up: when our coaches would ask him for advice he would always stay out of it because he did not think it was his place to do so. He would never put down another coach because he was just a fan of the game. He never pushed us to play basketball: we pushed ourselves.

He passed away in 2005: when people look back on his career, how do you think he should be remembered the most? I think he should be remembered as a coach who was ahead of his time. He was a visionary and a great student of the game. Basketball was more than just coaching to him. He never played basketball growing up: he was self-taught and always studying the game.

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In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Jan Dunbar about Ott Romney

Posted on May 3, 2021 by Jon Teitel

George Ottinger “Ott” Romney was born in 1892 but his legacy as an athlete/coach has lasted well into the 21st century. He served as a head coach in football/track/basketball at at Montana State from 1922-1927 and at BYU from 1928-1936. His basketball teams were successful due to a fast break offense and pressure defense and Montana State later named the 1st gymnasium built on campus after him. In a family of famous politicians (his 1st cousin George was governor of Michigan and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is named for Ott’s younger brother) he served as a great example of how to get things done. He passed away exactly 48 years ago ago on May 3, 1973, but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ott’s niece Jan Dunbar about his life/legacy.

During World War I he gave up a Rhodes scholarship to join the Army: how important were academics to your family, and how did his military service affect his coaching ability? Rhodes Scholarships were suspended in 1914 due to the war so he could not participate. Academics were always of major importance to the 5 Romney brothers. In those early days students of ability often were invited to skip grades. He was 16 when he graduated from Salt Lake High School, 19 when he graduated from Utah, and then attended Harvard Business School in 1914. As my father Dick used to say with a laugh, “What were we to do with a brother who read the dictionary for fun!?” All 5 brothers graduated from college and 4 of the 5 served in the armed forces in WWI: the youngest brother Floyd was born in 1902 and was too young to serve. Ott was a Lieutenant in Naval Aviation. He later was Chief of Community Services, Department of the Army (Recreation) and also served on the President’s Youth Program. It is obvious that Ott’s military service affected his coaching ability. He had leadership qualities which must have been enhanced by both his experiences in the Navy as well as working with young people. It would seem that his coaching career greatly influenced his later work with recreation on the national level. Their maternal grandfather George Martin Ottinger was credited with establishing the art department of the U. of Deseret (the forerunner of the U. of Utah) and as a painter he is widely touted as the “Father of Utah Art.”

He coached for 6 years at Montana State, where he won at least 80% of his games in each season except 1, then went to BYU and won at least 18 games in each of his 7 seasons there: how was he able to be so successful at Montana State, and why did he decide to go to BYU? Ott had a very extroverted personality, which was enhanced by his sonorous voice and vivid vocabulary. He had natural leadership qualities and was very colorful. In the days when coaches spent much of their time trying to attract good high school athletes to their institutions, he was gifted at this due to his friendly/outgoing persona. I can only conjecture but I suppose he saw a career advantage in the long run by moving to BYU. Many aspirations were changed by the Depression.

His “Golden Bobcats” were 1 of college basketball’s 1st legendary teams and after he moved on to BYU his former players went on to win the 1929 Helms national title led by Cat Thompson (who was 1 of the greatest players of the 1st half of the 20th century): do you think he was happy that his former team won the title, or sad that he did not stick around to lead them to victory? Uncle Ott maintained a close relationship with Montana State and was always interested in the school and his athletes’ careers after he left. It was they who awarded him his honorary doctor’s degree and named the Romney Gym after him.

He also spent 14 years as a football coach at Montana State/BYU and had a record of 66-47-7: which sport did he enjoy more, and how was he able to balance the 2? I could only guess but I would say that he liked basketball best. My father coached basketball/football/track for a number of years at Utah State and it was indeed a balancing act. I supposed it was the same for Uncle Ott at Montana State/BYU. It was football practice in the afternoon and basketball in the evening, or basketball in the afternoon and track in the evening, or vice-versa. Weekday dinners with the family were an unknown quantity!

He served in some national positions, including chairman of the National Recreation Policies Committee and member of President Eisenhower’s Council on Youth Fitness: how did he gain such national respect for physical fitness, and what did it mean to him to contribute in such prominent roles? Ott had a very magnetic personality and was a “public speaker” at many banquets. When he found himself in the neighborhood of the federal government, he found a venue for his speaking/organizing ability and his athletic career lent credence to his resume. I vaguely recall that he taught for a short time at American University in Washington, DC: he was just in the right place at the right time.

He had several athletic brothers, including Dick (All-American basketball player/College Football Hall of Fame coach), Woody (All-American basketball player/owner of the minor league baseball Denver Bears), and Milt (QB for the Chicago Bears/coach of the Texas basketball team): who was the best athlete in the family, and have the athletics genes been passed down to the current generation? He had 4 athletic brothers. However, the “Woody” you mention is not Ott’s brother, but rather WW “Woody” Romney. Elwood “Woody” Romney was a cousin. Ott’s brother Wilford “Woody” Woodruff played football/basketball for Utah. It is difficult to say who was the best. Naturally I am biased because I know the career of my father EL “Dick” Romney more than those of my uncles. My father often said that he grew up in “Romneyville”, a name for our family of cousins in the area of Salt Lake City called “The Avenues”. We had athletic events among the kids all the time. There were the “Big Romneys” and the “Little Romneys”. I think my father may have been the best basketball player and Mitt may have been the best football player. My father’s career as a coach certainly was the longest: 3 decades at Utah State (1919-1949) and then a decade as Athletic Commissioner of the Mountain States Conference (1949-60). The legendary qualities of the family of Romney athletes lives on because all of them were outstanding, gifted, successful, charismatic, and “grassroots”, in the sense of being athletes because they loved it. They were not large men but large enough; smart, crafty, inventive, and they attracted a lot of attention. I would call them “cerebral” athletes/coaches. The 5 brothers were raised to be competitive among themselves and with the world beyond “Romneyville.” Mitt went into the business world and lived far away from Utah but may have been the best athlete of the bunch. I do not think anyone would argue that Dick was the best coach. I do not know enough about the subsequent careers of the “genes’ in the family. The 5 brothers produced only 7 children among them (2 boys/5 girls) and none of us were more than average in athletic ability.

When people look back on his career, how do you think he should be remembered the most? I think Ott became something of an institution, paving his own way in the athletic/recreation fields. If you met him or were around him for long you could see that he was a personality who held center-stage. He had that vocabulary, that charm, that great big voice, and that great big chin. He was not built like the nurtured athletes of today: he just WAS an athlete, and my father was the same. They could run and jump but mostly they could talk: they had credibility and stage presence. How many athletes do you know who had tea with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth while the bombs fell on London? That was a long way from Third Ave. and E St. in Salt Lake City!

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews 2007 NBA champion Melvin Ely

Posted on May 2, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Melvin Ely has been a winner ever since high school when he was named a 1997 McDonald’s All-American after going 93-4 during his 3 years as a starter. He played for Coach Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State and won back-to-back WAC POY awards in 2001/2002. He was drafted 12th overall by the Clippers in 2002 and a few years later he won a championship ring with the Spurs in 2007. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Melvin about playing for a Hall of Fame coach and winning an NBA title. Today is Melvin’s birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

In the 1997 McDonald’s All-American Game you played for the East in a win over the West: which of your teammates impressed you the most (Ron Artest/Elton Brand/Lamar Odom/other)? It is funny you say that: we are all thick as thieves now and got to meet up later in the NBA. Lamar impressed me the most: people do not realize what it took to be a near-7 footer who could put the ball on the ground. Tracy McGrady was also a beast.

You played for Hall of Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State: what made him such a great coach, and (even though you previously said you learned something from him every single day) what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? How long you got?! After the All-American Game I had people saying that Tark wanted me but I did not even know who he was. I told my brother and he dropped the phone. I was thinking of going to Wisconsin because my brother had played there. Once I received a letter from Tark the letters from everyone else like Georgetown/Syracuse stopped. I talked to his son Danny who was the in-between guy: we are still close. I picked Tark because he cared: not too many people will come to Harvey by themselves but he pulled over 1 day and asked some gang members how to get to my house! He had some of the roughest guys chauffeuring him around and once he did I was hooked. He was a legend by the time he met me: nobody else would come to my neighborhood. Every day I went to his office he would only have his door closed if he was cussing out 1 of his players. If he told you something then he meant it and loved us like a father would. I lost my dad entering my senior year and Tark was the most genuine coach I ever saw. I have had similar coaches (like Gregg Popovich) but nobody exactly like him. The only thing Tark ever cared about was how we were doing off the court: he wanted to raise a bunch of kids in his shadow. We had a few that stumbled but he never gave up on us and never allowed us to give up on each other. He and his family made me a better man/responsible adult. Basketball was easy: his philosophy was to succeed at life. When we lost a game for Tark the world got a little bit smaller. Whenever I called him he always made time for me: I remember calling him when I got cut by the NBA. I was 1 of the last players to speak to him before he passed and am happy for that. He protected us all the time whenever people came at us with BS: we knew that we had a father figure.

In 2001 & 2002 you were named WAC POY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It meant more for me that it shined a light on our coaching staff. I was suspended for a few games during my senior year and when I found out I was in tears in the locker room. Tark asked me if I wanted to get even and told me that when I got back on the court to act like I was playing against the NCAA. If you look back at my stats when I returned from suspension I scored about 30 PPG! Any honor I got was due to Tark. President John Welty told me 1 day that he was thinking of getting rid of Tark: I told him that if he fired Tark I would never play for Fresno State again. When you play for someone else rather than for yourself the game becomes more rewarding.

In the summer of 2002 you were drafted 12th overall by the Clippers (3 spots behind Amar’e Stoudemire): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? I did not even know that I was going to get drafted: I just saw basketball as a way for me to pay for college and get an education so that I could get a better job afterward. I remember all of the times I got cut and had to play with holes in my shoes while wearing the same clothes that I had worn the previously day. We did not get there by ourselves: a lot of people put in the time/effort that got me there. Getting to the NBA is tough…but staying there 10 years is even harder. You have college kids who want your job, overseas players, etc. It was the scariest moment of my life because the whole process was a nightmare. You are lucky if you get your # called. My mom was a steelworker and my dad was a cook so the 1st thing I did was to get my mom out of Harvey and tell her to go back to work 1 more day and tell them to kiss her ass! It is a dream come true but it can be a never-ending nightmare as well.

In 2007 you were voted 1 of the “100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament” along with great players such as Michael Finley/Jack Sikma/Isiah Thomas: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? At the top. When I was in high school you did not want to play us! We played to a packed house everywhere we went. I played with Corey Maggette/Quentin Richardson and against Antoine Walker: when you go through Chicago hoops you have to earn it. We all stayed around each other: it meant a lot to be a Chicago hooper. New York/LA have some legends…but every team in Chicago had 1-2 players who made the NBA or could have made it if they had the grades to get into college. I will go name for name with everybody. I think Chicago is its own mecca: someone should tell the story someday.

In February of 2007 you were traded from Charlotte to San Antonio: what did it mean to you to win an NBA title only a few months later? Bernie Bickerstaff is like Tark to me: a great coach/father figure. People who win championships are not just friends: they are a restructured family. I was a little hurt when I left Charlotte until I realized that Bernie wanted to put me on a better path. It helped me prolong my career because in San Antonio you learn 1 way to do things: the team way. From my very 1st day with the Spurs it was great to be around Pop because he is so funny. When you leave a place as a better man that is amazing to me: the haves got it right and the have-nots do not have a damn clue! The championship was great because I can throw it in people’s faces who do not have 1, but the best part was bringing my family with me on the month-long road trip due to the rodeo. My entire career before that I was told “family can wait” but it was 1 of the best experiences of my life.

In the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals as a player with New Orleans you lost to San Antonio at home in Game 7: how were the Spurs able to become only the 4th team to ever win Game 7 on the road after the home team won each of the 1st 6 games? It was just a fight: that whole series was awesome. We guarded well and were right on the verge but I think their experience edged us out at the end. You can be a great scorer like Michael Jordan but without any experience it is just a bunch of points. The Spurs had done it before and knew what it took to win down the stretch. It was a damn shame that they broke our team up after that. It was bittersweet for me but we all learned from it. If I had a team that took the Spurs to Game 7 I would have kept that entire team together!

You spent more than a decade playing pro basketball in the NBA/Puerto Rico/Japan: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? At 1st I thought there would be a huge gap…but it was not. With enough knowledge/care the sport can be the same everywhere. Right now the 2 guys leading the All-Star voting are Luka/Giannis! I coached in the G-League but my advice is to young players is to go overseas and make some money 1st before coming back and then getting your head together. People forget that it is a livable wage for 5 months…but there are 12 months in a year. Now you see every team with an overseas scout so the learning curve is shrinking. Within the next 10-15 years I think there will not be any difference between Europe and the US. Japan has a little ways to go because basketball is newer to them but Puerto Rico has at least 2-3 NBA guys on every roster.

Your brother Louis played basketball at Wisconsin: who is the best athlete in the family? Right now my son would say him. My brother was a better shot-blocker than me because he had great timing as an undersized center. I think that I was the better athlete but my son is a better shooter. There will be 3 different answers if you ask the 3 of us! I am just lucky to have basketball in my family. Without Lou there would be no me.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? Hard worker. People laugh when I tell them this: I never started but I always got double-teamed because I worked my ass off during my 13-year career. I did some stupid things when I was younger but at the end of the day I was loyal and a man of my word. The type of person I was really counts to me: “basketball player” is just a job title. Everyone has an opinion on my ride but it was a hell of a ride! I traveled the world and basketball allowed me to spend more time around my kids and be a better father. I am loved/respected and that is all I really wanted. My only regret is not playing longer but I was coached by legends, played with legends, and had a ball. We lost Commissioner David Stern last year: when he walked up to you at the draft and shook your hand, it showed that he knew how hard we worked to get there and he helped us along. We were on the verge of folding but Stern came in and fixed it all. It helps minorities the most and people do not realize that he upped the money for the players: that man will be missed.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews Liberty legend Julius Nwosu

Posted on May 1, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Julius Nwosu took a very interesting path to the NBA. He was born in Nigeria, then attended college at Liberty, where he averaged 14.3 PPG/7.4 RPG while shooting 56.2 FG%. He did not get drafted but was signed by San Antonio in 1994 and joined a fantastic frontcourt that included future Hall of Famers Moses Malone/David Robinson/Dennis Rodman. He continued to play basketball around the globe, ending up in 14 different countries during his 14-year pro career. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Julius about growing up in Nigeria and playing in the NBA. Today is his 50th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

You were born/raised in Nigeria: how did you 1st get into basketball, and why did you decide to go to Liberty? I played volleyball/handball/soccer growing up but then I started getting taller than all of my teammates. We would watch Hakeem Olajuwon’s games on TV. Everyone else was pushing me to get into basketball when I was about 15-16. I am a Christian and attended a Baptist church: we had a missionary every summer from Florida and the guy asked me if I wanted to play in the US at a Christian university.

You were named All-Conference as a junior and senior: did you feel like you were 1 of the best players in the conference? I think so: I was 1 of the dominant centers in the Big South at the time.

In 1993 you tied a Big South tourney record with 18 REB and made 9-10 FG in a 4-PT loss to Radford: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It was 1 of those big rivalry games and I was ready to go right out of the gate.

You also finished 2nd in the conference in shooting as a senior (61.5 FG%): what is you secret for being a great shooter? I was not that good of a shooter from outside as a freshman but I worked on my shot during the summertime. I wanted to shoot from 3-PT land as a senior but the coach would not let me!

In 1994 you signed as a free agent and played 23 games for the Spurs: what is your favorite memory from your time in the NBA? 1 time I was voted as Player of the Week off the bench and my teammates were all happy for me.

Your team made it to the Western Conference Finals that season: what is the biggest difference between the regular season vs. the postseason? I was just a rookie with a lot of veteran players who played hard, but when you get to the playoffs you try to leave everything on the floor. If you have a broken finger during the regular season you would let it heal, but in the playoffs you just wrap it up and try to go as far as you can.

You played for the Nigerian national team at the 1998 FIBA World Championship, but due to bad medication bought at a market in Lagos you were suspended for doping and could not finish the tournament: how did you feel when you learned about your suspension, and what impact did it have on your reputation (if any)? We spent a month in the capital of Nigeria prior to the FIBA games and I got malaria and was very sick. I took some medicine (including Nyquil) the night before the game hoping that I would wake up refreshed. I have never had a drink or a smoke so drug testing was never a problem for me when I was playing professionally. I did not list Nyquil on the list of medications that I was taking because I did not even think it was illegal. I tried to play the next season but every team I talked to told my agent that they were concerned about my failed test, so I ended up having to go to Russia and played for a team that never paid me.

You played in 14 different countries during your 14-year pro career: what did you learn from these experiences, and how did they compare to the NBA? It was amazing to play overseas. When I 1st came out of school and played in Spain there was a huge gap between Europe and the US, but nowadays most of the pro teams abroad could blow out any US college team. The system in Europe is about playing as a team and moving the ball, whereas the NBA is about individual talent. When I watch college basketball I see so many guys doing things the wrong way due to flaws in the system.

You later became a coach in Texas: how did you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? I would like to coach college basketball. Due to all of my experience I think that I could make a difference. For example, when you are playing defense on the post you cannot front your opponent all the time because he will push you outside and then have the ball dumped inside to him, but it seems like a lot of college players do exactly that. Most mid-level NCAA coaches end up borrowing a system from a high-level coach and then their assistants just learn their own coach’s system.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I was a guy who liked to play defense so when I look back I wonder if I should have tried to score more often. I am probably the only player who has won 15 championships because I have played in so many different places and was willing to do whatever it took to win. I was relentless on the court and worked very hard.

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In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Lou Pucillo about Everett Case

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Everett Case was born in 1900, less than 1 decade after the game of basketball was played for the very 1st time in 1891. After graduating from college in 1923 he spent the next 4 decades as 1 of the most successful coaches of his era: 726 wins in 23 years as a high school coach (including 4 Indiana state championships), followed by 377 wins and 6 NCAA tourney appearances during 18 years as head coach at NC State. He was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1964, the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1968, and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with 1959 ACC POY Lou Pucillo about his legendary coach. Today marks the 55th anniversary of Case’s passing on April 30, 1966, as we reflect on his life/legacy.

Case was nicknamed the “Old Grey Fox”: how did he get the nickname, and how did he like it? I learned about the nickname when I got here in 1955. He had grey hair, which is how he got the nickname. NC State conducted a national coaching search after losing 15 straight times to UNC. In fact, the guy who suggested they hire Case was legendary shoe salesman Chuck Taylor!

He compiled a 726-75 record in 23 years as a high school coach, including winning 4 Indiana state titles from 1925-1939 at Frankfort High School: how was he able to dominate for almost a quarter-century? He was a great coach and had great athletes.

After leaving the Navy in 1946 he became coach at NC State, where he won 9 straight conference titles to begin his tenure there: how on earth as he able to come in and be so good right from the start? He brought a lot of his players from the military who were very mature. He played a full-court press and started beating everyone.

He was responsible for a variety of innovations (numbers on jerseys, cutting down the nets after a big win, announcing starting players before the game, the backcourt 10-second rule, reviewing film to prepare for a game): which 1 did you like the most? We used to only have numbers on our warm-up shirts so it was nice to get numbers on our actual jerseys.

He unleashed his “Hoosier Hotshots” in an up-tempo style of basketball that the fans loved: how was he able to get so many players from Indiana to come east to Raleigh? That is where his roots were, which is why he focused his recruiting efforts there. The guys from the Northeast were more about the give-and-go, while the Midwestern guys were more strong/physical.

What are your memories of the 1947 NIT (Ralph Beard had 15 PTS in a win by eventual national runner-up Kentucky)? That was a bit before my time but I know for a fact that both he and Wildcats coach Adolph Rupp were very competitive.

In 1949 the school built the largest basketball facility in the Southeast (12,400-seat Reynolds Coliseum): how much of a factor was Case in making this a reality? The original gym was just a small place where farmers would come in to see the horse shows. When the administration hired Case in 1946 they convinced him that they would build the biggest arena in the area. He threatened to leave after they failed to follow through despite his initial success so they decided to finish the building.

In the 1956 NCAA tourney Henry Nowak scored 29 PTS and Fran Corcoran made a jumper with 5 seconds left in a 1-PT 4-OT win by Canisius: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of Case’s career? It was the most devastating loss of his career and was also tough on me and my freshman teammates. We were listening to the game on radio: it was supposed to be a sure win because Canisius did not have anyone over 6’4”. If we had won that game then I was going to go to my hometown of Philly to see us play in the following round in the Palestra. Vic Molodet was 1 of the best players I ever saw but he was called for 3 charging fouls in the 1st half, which was unheard of back then.

He was named ACC COY 3 times during a 5-year span from 1954-1958: what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors? He was very competitive and loved basketball: he was not married so his philosophy was to “eat, sleep, and dream basketball”. His goal was to have a basketball court in every driveway.

The ACC basketball tourney was largely his idea: how did he come up with the idea, and how did he convince the other schools to go along with it? A lot of coaches did not like the idea of a conference tourney but he was positive that it was a good idea because it worked well when he was growing up in Indiana. However, UNC coach Frank McGuire did not like it because he thought it would undo all of his team’s hard work during the regular season.

Before passing away in 1966 he instructed that his body be laid facing NC Hwy. 70 so he could “wave” to later Wolfpack teams as they traveled to Durham/Chapel Hill: how big were those in-state rivalries back in the day? I blow my car horn every time I drive past him! As the team was driving to the 1974 Final 4 to face UCLA, Coach Norm Sloan ordered the bus to stop by Coach Case’s resting place so that the team could pay its respects. The in-state rivalries were huge. Everyone knows about UNC/Duke but Wake Forest was an underrated team: it was all because of Bones McKinney. All of the schools were within 30 miles of each other, which is almost unheard of outside of Philly.

He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982: when people look back on his career, how do you think he should be remembered the most? He should be remembered as the 1 who got it all started. He was a great recruiter/promoter. Case would have local North Carolina businessmen meet the opposing coach at the airport and give him the 1st-class treatment: the best hotels, a bottle of liquor waiting for him in his room, etc. That is how he was able to get so many great teams like Louisville/Cincinnati to come play at the Dixie Classic.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews former VMI player/coach Charlie Schmaus

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Jon Teitel

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.

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