OT: How many of you are/were players/coaches?

[Mr. Wonderful]

I've coached high school baseball in the past, and I currently coach an AAU soccer team.

I was a legendary chucker on the basketball courts growing up. Like seriously no conscience.

 

[the Q]

Played in HS in NEPSAC but not a starter. My team had a couple guys now in the NE B.B. Hall of Fame, who played college ball. Got one invite to play for a D3 school, but instead attended a D1 school. Went to walk-on tryouts my freshman year but got cut, coach was a certain recently-fired Italian guy. Lots of intramural ball in college and med school. And men’s league in town until a few years ago - a lot more fights in that league than I would have imagined.

Coached some girls youth basketball (I have three daughters), though sadly none of them got the basketball bug.

Men’s league, in basically any sport, are the worst to officiate.

 

[August_West]

I coaxed UConn to multiple national title runs on EA Sports March Madness 2005

 

[Palatine]

I was the MVP of the Enfield Youth Center basketball league.

But as I entered high school, I discovered pot and my circle of friends were not interested in sports and my athletic career ended. It was probably rapidly coming to an end anyway. At UConn my peer group changed again and I became a huge Huskies fan. We did win the UConn Hartford touch football league which had teams from the Law School and School of Social Work, some of those guys were much older and a couple had been in NFL camps.

 

[Mr. French]

2 times high school state champs in New York. Coach AAU.

Where at? When? Just curious, I'm in NY as well.

Played in HS, played D-3, now coach at my HS, have coached freshman, JV and Varsity but am currently just a Varsity assistant.

 

[Mr. French]

Oh ya, and I'm definitely the best shooter on this board, 1000% the best lefty shooter.

 

[the Q]

Oh ya, and I'm definitely the best shooter on this board, 1000% the best lefty shooter.

If we’re doing this I’m claiming best rebounder. Not only beastly box out a but I knew all the tricks to keep someone from getting away from it (stepping on their foot so they couldn’t jump over me, wrapping with one arm holding my other up high to get the refs attention etc).

 

[Mr. French]

If we’re doing this I’m claiming best rebounder. Not only beastly box out a but I knew all the tricks to keep someone from getting away from it (stepping on their foot so they couldn’t jump over me, wrapping with one arm holding my other up high to get the refs attention etc).

I only did it cuz I'm a jerk ... Ha

 

[the Q]

I only did it cuz I'm a jerk ... Ha

So am I.

 

[Bliss]

Played and lettered in HS football, basketball, and baseball. Asked by basketball coach at my small college to join the team but decided it required too much time and effort. Intramural ball was way more fun.

Helped coach my son's youth baseball team and it was a blast. Business manager for my sons' (2) youth football teams.

Yell at TV sports a lot.

 

[LIuconn]

Played HS ball for a Rollie Massimino disciple

 

[Goat]

Classic back to the basket 5 man at 5'9" in 6th grade. Scored my only basket on a lucky free throw. The next year the other kids got tall. Consoled myself with football, skiing, tennis and golf.

Palatine - Also, played on a team that won the UConn Hartford Branch Flag football league. Everyone but me on my touch team had played college sports.

 

[David 76]

Way too uncoordinated to be good at basketball. Actually learned what I do know following UConn over the decades.

 

[Sky ball]

Played HS basketball at small CT HS. Coached Varsity Basketball 7 years at a Private Day School in Fairfield County. Had one player play for Perno at UConn early 1980"s.

 

[CL82]

I was a guard for Purdue during the Great Depression

Meh, it wasn't all that great.

 

[UConnNick]

Played soccer, basketball and baseball in HS. Basketball was my best sport, averaged 10-15 per game as a puny guard. Never met a shot I didn't like. I've also coached all three sports at the youth level, soccer and basketball in junior high school. I played in the intramural league at UConn, when our biggest star got promoted to the varsity team, Lee Otis Wilson, a/k/a "The Mad Bomber". Lee Otis was routinely averaging 40 ppg in the intramural league. I don't recall ever having to play his team, luckily for us. I would remember if we did. He averaged almost 14 ppg in his one year on the varsity. Alas, he became academically ineligible during his senior year, may have even flunked out of school. Our intramural league was TOUGH back in those days! LOL

 

[Kitaman]

I played back in the day when being under 6'0 you could still play forward. I was mainly a playground baller and had some nice MVP trophies against some great talent. That was when they had leagues outside on the playgrounds and all the girls showed up. Summer weather, lights on at night, crowds all around courtside and people just hanging out. Oh the memories . . . . . . .

Anyway played some HS basketball, starting at guard but focused more on football in my upper class years. Later just played pickup games no more leagues.

 

[Kemba429]

Going to college for Sports Administration, aspiring coach.

 

[pj]

If we’re doing this I’m claiming best rebounder. Not only beastly box out a but I knew all the tricks to keep someone from getting away from it (stepping on their foot so they couldn’t jump over me, wrapping with one arm holding my other up high to get the refs attention etc).

I'm claiming best fouler. I can foul in any situation, but my favorite is the back out for a rebounding turnover.

 

[Ant3411]

Played for a good D3 program (2007 sweet 16 baby). Multiple years as a bball camp instructor and AAU coach. Always had a passion for the backboard slap layup and the pullup 3.

 

[husky429]

Played for a good D3 program (2007 sweet 16 baby). Multiple years as a bball camp instructor and AAU coach. Always had a passion for the backboard slap layup and the pullup 3.

Isn't slapping the backboard after a layup on purpose a tech or something? I seem to remember phil nolan gettin called for that, but I may be crazy

 

[gtcam]

played soccer (4yrs) and baseball (2yrs) in HS
because of my size I was limited but worked hard
should have continued playing college soccer but after 1 yr let the "good times" roll
coached soccer for almost 30 yrs up to and including ODP - camps with Lenny T, Coach Joe M, Coach Nevers and others
coached Little League and umpired (worse job ever - damned parents)

 

[QDOG5]

Maxed out my talents when I was 15th man on a 15 player JV team in high school. I refereed for four years in college. Coached my four kids in grade school and then high school rec leagues. My last kid goes to college next fall (BC and Cincinnati are possibilities, it pains me to write that). Might start coaching a travel team next year. I play hoops twice a week.

 

[Husky25]

I won a (albeit lower division) National Championship with the Ithaca Warriors in the mid 30's and well on my way to a second when the best kid that ever played for me (Tough, stubborn, and willful) presumably questioned my 4-pass-before-you-shoot rule.

"It's been a number of years and it still kind of goes around in my head. I...I slow it down. Sometimes I really think that I can stop my fist from hitting that boy's jaw. One second and everything I'd worked for was just all finished."

Anyhow...the NCAA banned me for life as did the New York High School Athletic Association. So two years later, I enlisted in the Navy just after they bombed Pearl and in 10 years at sea, I work my way up to chief petty officer.

Then during the height of the Korean Conflict. I get this phone call from an old classmate who I graduated with from the Buffalo State Teachers College in 1931, who (whudentchunoit) is a principal at some high school somewhere in middle America. It was hard to hear, with him being in the Indiana sticks half a world away and all, but because he owed me something fierce and offered to drag my old bones back to the States and a way back into coaching.

My time ebbed at first (to say the least) but once I got the best player to come through in 40 years out from under the wing of some shrew (or so I thought at first), it flowed. I hired an alcoholic assistant coach (who had a basketball encyclopedia for a brain and looked 20 years old than he was) and we had all pistons were firing over my last 10 games and into the State playoffs.

Long story short, I now have two championships under my belt...oh and I got the girl too.

So there. Good enough for you?

 

[Husky25]

I coaxed UConn to multiple national title runs on EA Sports March Madness 2005

NCAA 2010.

Holy Cross lost 3 games including to Kentucky in the Final Four in 2009-2010. I've since run off 120 straight and 3 titles. We're moving out of the Hart Center next season.