A tale of two coaches
Apr. 20th, 2009 01:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
libertangoBoth coached basketball for NCAA Division III colleges.
One was at their college for 23 years (1969-90, plus '92), and had a record of 336 wins to 143 losses, for a winning percentage of .701. They made it to the Division III Final Four at least twice.
The other was coach from 1979 to 1988 (9 years), and had a record of 76-124 (.385).
Since leaving their respective colleges, one has gone on to coach in the NBA, has won four titles, and is in the playoffs this year.
The other retired, and was never able to get a coaching job again.
*^*^*
Here's the kicker (you can probably see it coming, but hey):
The losing DivIII coach -- was the one who went to the NBA, and has won four titles. His name is Gregg Popovich. The college he coached at was Pomona-Pitzer; his NBA team is the San Antonio Spurs.
However, he was never better than the second best basketball coach at Pomona. Because the winning coach, the one who dominated the SCIAC conference for years, and made multiple trips to the DivIII final four -- was Nancy Breitenstein, who also coached basketball at Pomona-Pitzer, for the women's team. Partly because of when she retired, the only hits on the web for her are at the NCAA's site for winningest women's coaches ever in DivIII. Where, despite her success at Pomona-Pitzer, she only ranks 38th.
One can only wonder: If Breitenstein had been born with the right plumbing, would it really be the second string Pomona-Pitzer coach in the hunt for their fifth NBA title this year? And what about the 37 DivIII women's coaches with better records than hers?
*^*^*
The team Breitenstein coached in the years I was there was one of the best basketball teams I've ever seen. Nora Seager. Jill Apperson. Shontel Sherwood. Libby Gates. Melissa Barlow.
(It wasn't until Libby made the board of Pomona College, where she's described as, "com(ing) from a family of civic-minded leaders," that I figured out who Libby's older brother is. I knew her only as hellfire on wheels on a basketball court.)
One was at their college for 23 years (1969-90, plus '92), and had a record of 336 wins to 143 losses, for a winning percentage of .701. They made it to the Division III Final Four at least twice.
The other was coach from 1979 to 1988 (9 years), and had a record of 76-124 (.385).
Since leaving their respective colleges, one has gone on to coach in the NBA, has won four titles, and is in the playoffs this year.
The other retired, and was never able to get a coaching job again.
*^*^*
Here's the kicker (you can probably see it coming, but hey):
The losing DivIII coach -- was the one who went to the NBA, and has won four titles. His name is Gregg Popovich. The college he coached at was Pomona-Pitzer; his NBA team is the San Antonio Spurs.
However, he was never better than the second best basketball coach at Pomona. Because the winning coach, the one who dominated the SCIAC conference for years, and made multiple trips to the DivIII final four -- was Nancy Breitenstein, who also coached basketball at Pomona-Pitzer, for the women's team. Partly because of when she retired, the only hits on the web for her are at the NCAA's site for winningest women's coaches ever in DivIII. Where, despite her success at Pomona-Pitzer, she only ranks 38th.
One can only wonder: If Breitenstein had been born with the right plumbing, would it really be the second string Pomona-Pitzer coach in the hunt for their fifth NBA title this year? And what about the 37 DivIII women's coaches with better records than hers?
*^*^*
The team Breitenstein coached in the years I was there was one of the best basketball teams I've ever seen. Nora Seager. Jill Apperson. Shontel Sherwood. Libby Gates. Melissa Barlow.
(It wasn't until Libby made the board of Pomona College, where she's described as, "com(ing) from a family of civic-minded leaders," that I figured out who Libby's older brother is. I knew her only as hellfire on wheels on a basketball court.)
