Another coaching legend dies

[lou v]

RIP Rollie Massimino. He was another one of those larger-than-life personalities who got a magic ride to the national championship with Villanova in 1985.

Jud, then Rollie. College basketball is a little bit duller without those two.

 

[CSCatFan1]

Damn...he was one of my favorites. Poor Lou Carneseca better watch out.

 

[NJCat]

Poor Lou Carneseca better watch out.

Big John too.....

 

[lou v]

RIP Rollie Massimino. He was another one of those larger-than-life personalities who got a magic ride to the national championship with Villanova in 1985.

Jud, then Rollie. College basketball is a little bit duller without those two.

I didn't realize that Rollie was still coaching. He got his 800th win last December at Keiser University, an NAIA Division II school in Florida. Here's a story Seth Davis wrote about him when he claimed that historic win:

Serh Davis story

 

[docrugby1]

I was in Lexington for that memorable game. I believed GU could lose but could not be beaten. Villanova shot 80%

Villanova only made the dance when a BC lay up seemingly got to the bottom of the net then some how spun back out at the buzzer in the first round of the Big East Tourney

RIP Rollie

 

[pawildcat_rivals209725]

I was in Lexington for that memorable game. I believed GU could lose but could not be beaten. Villanova shot 80%

Villanova only made the dance when a BC lay up seemingly got to the bottom of the net then some how spun back out at the buzzer in the first round of the Big East Tourney

RIP Rollie

That was probably one of the most perfectly executed 40 minutes of basketball ever played by a college team. They needed every bit of that 80 percent shooting to win.

 

[corbi2961]

That was probably one of the most perfectly executed 40 minutes of basketball ever played by a college team. They needed every bit of that 80 percent shooting to win.

Great game. Harold Jensen played out of his mind that night.

 

[pawildcat_rivals209725]

Great game. Harold Jensen played out of his mind that night.

Villanova has had some great coaching over the years. I remember the guy who preceded Rollie, Jack Kraft, used to run a combination zone they called the "ball" defense that drove people nuts. In 1971, they destroyed a very talented Penn team by a 90-47 score in the NCAA tourney. I saw that Villanova team, led by Howard Porter, play in the Palestra that year. Unfortunately, their appearance in the tourney that year was vacated when it turned out Porter had signed a pro contract before graduating.

 

[Medill90]

That was probably one of the most perfectly executed 40 minutes of basketball ever played by a college team. They needed every bit of that 80 percent shooting to win.

I remember that I kept waiting for Villanova to miss. I remember thinking at halftime, well that was nice, Georgetown will beat them by 20 in the second half.