'Coach' John Castellani

[IWB]

Great story in the JS on Coach John Castellani. Who knew?

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/badgers/john-castellani-prefers-to-live-in-the-present-b99472213z1-298242801.html

[TedBaxter]

I met Mr. Castellani at one of the Marquette banquets and he is really a nice person. Frequents MU basketball more than the article mentions.

[Mark Miller]

Wow. Incredible story. Sure would love to hear his stories about Al.

[IWB]

I too would love to hear his stories about Al.

We have a relative (Uncle Terry but actually a cousin) that started as a writer for the Journal and worked his way all the way up to GM of the Bills, Asst GM of the Giants, Pres of the Cardinals etc. We were at a family function one time (likely a funeral) and he starts telling stories about Al, MU, Lombardi, Wooden etc. My brothers and I were in shock. Here is one of them that had to do with something referenced in the story above.

Terry was covering MU for the Journal and got pretty close to Al. They got to be so close that he often felt uncomfortable about what to write as Al would bring him into the locker room at halftime etc. One day his phone rings....

Bucks: "You have gotten to be pretty close with Al McGuire, haven't you?"
Terry: "Yes."
Bucks: "Do you think he would be interested in coaching the Milwaukee Bucks?"
Terry: "I don't know, I would think so."
Bucks: "Well can you ask him and see if he would be interested and call me back?"
Terry: "Sure."...... "I asked Al, he said he would be interested."
Bucks: "Well, what would it take to get him to leave Marquette and come with us?"
Terry: "Oh, I don't know."
Bucks Rep: "Well, can you ask him and see what it would take."
Terry: "Um, I guess so."

Terry said he couldn't believe this was happeneing this way, and wondered why they were talking to him and not just calling Al.

Terry: "I talked to AL, he said it would take XY&Z."
Bucks Rep: "Ok, well what if we did this and that?"

Out of nowhere Terry gets a certified letter from Marquette University. MU was threatening to sue him and revoke future credentials from the Journal, accusing Terry of "Tampering with their employee."

We all know that Al was not able to get out of his contract, but times have sure changed in the sports world since you could accuse someone of "Tampering with their employee" in a coaching search. Pretty funny.

Gato78 or Goose85 - feel free to correct the details if I am wrong, but damn I don't know why Terry never wrote a book about all of this stuff.

[Goose85]

I too would love to hear his stories about Al.

We have a relative (Uncle Terry but actually a cousin) that started as a writer for the Journal and worked his way all the way up to GM of the Bills, Asst GM of the Giants, Pres of the Cardinals etc. We were at a family function one time (likely a funeral) and he starts telling stories about Al, MU, Lombardi, Wooden etc. My brothers and I were in shock. Here is one of them that had to do with something referenced in the story above.

Terry was covering MU for the Journal and got pretty close to Al. They got to be so close that he often felt uncomfortable about what to write as Al would bring him into the locker room at halftime etc. One day his phone rings....

Bucks: "You have gotten to be pretty close with Al McGuire, haven't you?"
Terry: "Yes."
Bucks: "Do you think he would be interested in coaching the Milwaukee Bucks?"
Terry: "I don't know, I would think so."
Bucks: "Well can you ask him and see if he would be interested and call me back?"
Terry: "Sure."...... "I asked Al, he said he would be interested."
Bucks: "Well, what would it take to get him to leave Marquette and come with us?"
Terry: "Oh, I don't know."
Bucks Rep: "Well, can you ask him and see what it would take."
Terry: "Um, I guess so."

Terry said he couldn't believe this was happeneing this way, and wondered why they were talking to him and not just calling Al.

Terry: "I talked to AL, he said it would take XY&Z."
Bucks Rep: "Ok, well what if we did this and that?"

Out of nowhere Terry gets a certified letter from Marquette University. MU was threatening to sue him and revoke future credentials from the Journal, accusing Terry of "Tampering with their employee."

We all know that Al was not able to get out of his contract, but times have sure changed in the sports world since you could accuse someone of "Tampering with their employee" in a coaching search. Pretty funny.

Gato78 or Goose85 - feel free to correct the details if I am wrong, but damn I don't know why Terry never wrote a book about all of this stuff.

I think Al's demand was to be paid more than the highest paid player.

Think about the difference now (media sessions with players) and back then. Terry had to jump through a ton of hoops just to get an 'interview' with expected first pick in the NBA draft Lew Alcindor - through Wooden.

[CaribouJim]

Wow - there is a great book out there that will never be written.

He sounds sharp as a tack.

[TrevorCandelino]

He was in line to succeed Hickey as MU coach with many MU players rooting for him. Al got the job. I think it turned out OK.

[russguss]

I always heard that Al had said, that he would not coach anyone who is being paid MORE than him..:cool:

[CaribouJim]

...another old-timer with MU connections who could have been MU's coach...like Johnny C. I never hear of him before.

Father of 3-point shot says: Always do what's best for the game by K.C. Johnson Chicago Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-smack-kc-johnson-spt-0402-20150401-story.html

Wisconsin, which averages 19.8 3-point attempts per game, faces Kentucky, which takes 15.2 per outing, in a national semifinal Saturday in Indianapolis.

Bill Knapton, who has witnessed 37 Final Fours in person, will be watching from his retirement home in Florida.

Knapton, who had a 40-year run at Division III Beloit (Wis.) College, served on the NCAA basketball rules committee that voted the 3-point shot into college basketball for the 1986-87 season. Given that Knapton changed his vote from no to yes and the tally moved from a 6-6 tie to 7-5 in favor, some have called Knapton the father of the 3-point shot.

He changed his vote because after a wide variety of opinion, the committee presented a distance -- 19 feet, 9 inches, which since has been changed to a foot longer -- that he thought proper.

"People don't call me that enough," Knapton, 87, said by phone with his trademark sarcastic humor. "Nah, not many people are even aware of my role, I'm sure. Doesn't matter. It was the right move. You always do what's best for the game."

Full disclosure: I played for Knapton from 1985 to 1989. But he's right: Imagining college basketball without the 3-point shot is like picturing a John Calipari-coached team without multiple McDonald's All-Americans.

In 1986, Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan was beginning his third season at Wisconsin-Platteville, which he turned into a Division III powerhouse. One of Ryan's 352 victories in his Platteville run that featured four national championships was a 12-point triumph over Beloit on Dec. 15, 1988.

If Ryan had bothered with a scouting report, it might've read about a certain small forward: Disinterested in defense as he continues to leak out to launch 3-pointers. But I digress.

Platteville named its court after Ryan in 2007, an event attended by his Badgers team.

"What can you say? He's fantastic, a Hall of Famer," Knapton said of Ryan. "I love to watch Wisconsin play. I really do. I've enjoyed them every step of the way."

Before his 557-victory run at Beloit, Knapton served three years as a rising Marquette assistant for a team ranked fifth in the country. Ultimately, he decided the Division I lifestyle didn't suit him, even rejecting the feelers Marquette sent to gauge his interest in the head coaching job in 1958. So Knapton settled in for 31 winning seasons, 11 trips to the NCAA Division III tournament and a prestigious stint as president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches while at Beloit.

Ryan took his teachings to a higher level. He, Gregg Popovich and Tom Thibodeau are three of the many high-profile coaches whose philosophy took root in Division III. The principles remain the same, regardless of the level.

Knapton took the road less traveled. But beyond his influence on 40 years of players, his impact remains because he worked under a simple premise: Always do what's best for the game.