Its Sept 17th 1986, its the 1st day NCAA coaches can visit their prospective recruits. They have called and sent 100's of letters ,postcards,etc before this date. The week before I get calls from John Thompson,Jim Boehiem ,Lou Carnessica, and about 10 other coaches telling me that your Player SN because he didn't " predict on his SAT's scores of over 700 " we will not make a formal visit to your high school on opening day but would like to talk to him that day. . But are interested in him and he is one of their top 2 or 3 recruits. Ted Foire of St Peters,Tom Penders from URI Butch Van Breda Koff of Hofstra all call and make appointments to be at the school that day to talk to SN. There were 3 other coaches from the MAAC before it was called the MAAC also wanting to be there the 1st day.
Anyway Penders who this week was nominated or inducted into the college Hall of fame made me think back on that day. He came with Al Skinner his asst coach ,who later became head coach of UMass ,BC or URI { I forgot}
Penders had followed my player way back when He was coaching at Fordham. Being new at this as the coach and athletic director I made all the appointments after school. So we had URI in the library,St Peter in the guidance office and Hofstra in my office .. and a few other coaches spread out.
I knew Penders and he knew me going back from basketball camps in the Catskills and AAU tournaments. He remembered my father was a Manhattan graduate and hated Fordham. Any way he talked to my player with me sitting there and then asked if Al Skinner could take SN out in the hallway and talk to him in private . I said fine. Later when the day was over I asked what Al said to him in the hallway. It was something like " today you will see a lot of coaches and talk to some tonight on the phone. But only one will be a " brother" and is here in your school today.. Something like " we brothers have to stick together"
Later that night when SN and I talked about the day he laughed it off and said " you knew someone would play the race game" . No time and its probably boring to many of you what each coach said that day. The best was Butch Van Breda Koff told the story when he was the coach of the Lakers and benched Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA finals I guess stressing he was a no nonsense coach. But my kid hardly knew who Wilt was and was more into Dr J and that group.
So when I saw Penders was being named in the college hall of fame I thought of that day. St Peters Ted Foire was the best and SN loved him .He had seen him play 4 or 5 times his senior year,AAU tourneys etc. Ted when we all sat down on a conference table in a $1,000 suit after the introductions jumped up and slammed the table with his fist in SN's face and screamed. "Its Sept 17th the 1st day I can visit and pointing his finger in SN's face and I'm here" You are my No 1 recruit " We all jumped when Ted slammed his fist on the table. Damn, If I could play I would of signed up to go to St Peters.
Anyway all these schools knew SN was a classified student with Special Needs. And all had juco's lined up so SN could attend . St Johns had a juco in Texas, Thompson from Georgetown had Allegany in maryland,etc St peters hooked him up with a kansas juco
Anyway SN went to a kansas Juco and graduated with an associate degree and had a 2.6 gpa and scored over the 700 . He went to St peters and in his 1st game vs Seton hall at the Meadowlands in NJ I got to sit in the 1st row and watch my kid score 15 points,10 rebounds 6 assists vs Seton halls All American player who played in the NBA { I forgot his name}
But this story doesn't end good. SN after 1 year there didn't get his grades up and was ineligible his senior year. He was asked to red shirt but living in NYC a stones throw from Jersey City he started cutting classes and hung out with the nYC hoods. He finally got a year eligibility left and transferred to Southern Conn . He married a nurse there and had one son. But was involved in a big drug deal in Conn and served 5 years in state prison.
His brothers and mother would contact me trying to get me to talk to him an put him on the right path. I tried to visit him in prison but was on a no visit list. When his mother passed away from breast cancer she was my one connection. We arranged a meeting with him and me when he got out of prison.but he cancelled the day before. He was to ashamed I guess.. Then 2 yrs ago his brother calls me and tells me SN has pancreatic cancer ; I talk to his wife and he had passed away Last year I met his wife and SN' son in the danbury mall. I gave them a box of his awards,trophies and retired uniform . The ball he scored his 1,000 pts and about 10 video tapes and highlights. I am on facebook with his wife and son now. He set 8 state hs records in the State Championships ans still holds one today. FG % He shot 18-21 and a year later 15-19. Adonle Foyle of the Warriors broke most of his records except the FG one. In the finals for the state championship Alex Hamilton Boxed and one him and we lost by 9.
was going to tell the Rafer Johnson story but SN story kinda took to long. I saw Rafer in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. I was only 9 but didn't under stand what the decathlon was because all I always saw on the scoreboard was Johnson USA 1st place
hen
Anyway Penders who this week was nominated or inducted into the college Hall of fame made me think back on that day. He came with Al Skinner his asst coach ,who later became head coach of UMass ,BC or URI { I forgot}
Penders had followed my player way back when He was coaching at Fordham. Being new at this as the coach and athletic director I made all the appointments after school. So we had URI in the library,St Peter in the guidance office and Hofstra in my office .. and a few other coaches spread out.
I knew Penders and he knew me going back from basketball camps in the Catskills and AAU tournaments. He remembered my father was a Manhattan graduate and hated Fordham. Any way he talked to my player with me sitting there and then asked if Al Skinner could take SN out in the hallway and talk to him in private . I said fine. Later when the day was over I asked what Al said to him in the hallway. It was something like " today you will see a lot of coaches and talk to some tonight on the phone. But only one will be a " brother" and is here in your school today.. Something like " we brothers have to stick together"
Later that night when SN and I talked about the day he laughed it off and said " you knew someone would play the race game" . No time and its probably boring to many of you what each coach said that day. The best was Butch Van Breda Koff told the story when he was the coach of the Lakers and benched Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA finals I guess stressing he was a no nonsense coach. But my kid hardly knew who Wilt was and was more into Dr J and that group.
So when I saw Penders was being named in the college hall of fame I thought of that day. St Peters Ted Foire was the best and SN loved him .He had seen him play 4 or 5 times his senior year,AAU tourneys etc. Ted when we all sat down on a conference table in a $1,000 suit after the introductions jumped up and slammed the table with his fist in SN's face and screamed. "Its Sept 17th the 1st day I can visit and pointing his finger in SN's face and I'm here" You are my No 1 recruit " We all jumped when Ted slammed his fist on the table. Damn, If I could play I would of signed up to go to St Peters.
Anyway all these schools knew SN was a classified student with Special Needs. And all had juco's lined up so SN could attend . St Johns had a juco in Texas, Thompson from Georgetown had Allegany in maryland,etc St peters hooked him up with a kansas juco
Anyway SN went to a kansas Juco and graduated with an associate degree and had a 2.6 gpa and scored over the 700 . He went to St peters and in his 1st game vs Seton hall at the Meadowlands in NJ I got to sit in the 1st row and watch my kid score 15 points,10 rebounds 6 assists vs Seton halls All American player who played in the NBA { I forgot his name}
But this story doesn't end good. SN after 1 year there didn't get his grades up and was ineligible his senior year. He was asked to red shirt but living in NYC a stones throw from Jersey City he started cutting classes and hung out with the nYC hoods. He finally got a year eligibility left and transferred to Southern Conn . He married a nurse there and had one son. But was involved in a big drug deal in Conn and served 5 years in state prison.
His brothers and mother would contact me trying to get me to talk to him an put him on the right path. I tried to visit him in prison but was on a no visit list. When his mother passed away from breast cancer she was my one connection. We arranged a meeting with him and me when he got out of prison.but he cancelled the day before. He was to ashamed I guess.. Then 2 yrs ago his brother calls me and tells me SN has pancreatic cancer ; I talk to his wife and he had passed away Last year I met his wife and SN' son in the danbury mall. I gave them a box of his awards,trophies and retired uniform . The ball he scored his 1,000 pts and about 10 video tapes and highlights. I am on facebook with his wife and son now. He set 8 state hs records in the State Championships ans still holds one today. FG % He shot 18-21 and a year later 15-19. Adonle Foyle of the Warriors broke most of his records except the FG one. In the finals for the state championship Alex Hamilton Boxed and one him and we lost by 9.
was going to tell the Rafer Johnson story but SN story kinda took to long. I saw Rafer in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. I was only 9 but didn't under stand what the decathlon was because all I always saw on the scoreboard was Johnson USA 1st place
hen
