All Entries Tagged With: "Denny Crum"
John Wooden’s Ship Has Sailed
“Coach John Wooden won with every different size, shape or (team) construction. He won with short pressing teams and with tall teams that couldn’t press and everywhere in between because he was such a great teacher of the game.
“He was very exacting about the fundamentals and details. There was a right way and a wrong way and no way in between. If he said, ‘Goodness, gracious, sakes alive,’ he was cussing at you, and that was the worst you ever heard.”
Denny Crum
John Wooden At River’s Edge
Apparently it’s just a matter of time.
John Wooden, the most successful coach in the history of college basketball, is gravely ill in Los Angeles. The 99-year-old legend is at Ronald Reagan Medical Center and has not eaten in the last couple of days.
Wooden’s UCLA teams inspired fear in opposing teams and fans during the Sixties and mid-Seventies. Under his watch, the UCLA won 10 NCAA championships, dominating the college basketball scene in a way that may never be equaled. He won 620 games at the school from 1948 to 1975.
University of Louisville fans have always felt a special bond with Wooden, of course, for the contributions of his protege, Denny Crum.
Remember When: Denny Crum Era
Life seemed so simple, so good, especially during the Eighties, the peak of the Denny Crum era in University of Louisville basketball:
Thanks to U of L fan Joey Strader for the find.
Kuric Leaves His Stamp On Freedom Hall
Decades from now University of Louisville fans will remember Freedom Hall, and talk about what a good place it was to watch basketball, about many of the memorable wins, the great Louisville players, the coaches, the NCAA Final Fours, a great slice of college basketball history.
They will remember that Louisville won that game, defeating Syracuse a second time that season.
Talk about all the former players on hand, Darrell Griffith, Wiley Brown, Rodney and Scooter McCray, Pervis Ellison, Billy Thompson, Roger Burkman …
About all the media hype leading up to that final game.
About Rick Pitino turning the microphone over to Denny Crum for the official goodbye to the old Cardinal home court.
What they will remember most, however, is the performance of Kyle Kuric during the second half because he went unnoticed during two minutes of action in the first half. He would re-enter the game with 16:11 to go.
The closing curtain for Freedom Hall, Louisville desperately needing a win, an NCAA tournament bid on the line, it was ne of those games that demands that someone step forward.
Kuric’s offensive display would not begin until the 14:25 mark, shocking onlookers with another one of those amazing dunks, following that up by hitting eight out of his next 10 shots, including four three-point shots and three other slams.
All 22 of his point total in 19 minutes of playing time. Even more impressively, all of his baskets coming with less than 14:25 to go in the game.
Kyle Kuric stepping out the shadows, grabbing the spotlight, assuming the leadership his team desperately needed, becoming a Freedom Hall legend in the process.
And here’s a Kyle Kuric dunk video:
Dana Kirk Dies In Memphis
Dana Kirk was known as “The Suit” when he served as an assistant basketball coach under Denny Crum at the University of Louisville. He was quite a spectacle on the sidelines, often attired in duds one would expect of a carnival barker.
Think of a burley 6-foot-8 dude dressed in bold outfits, checkerboard patterns or with broad stripes. Kirk was quite a sight on the sidelines at Freedom Hall, with his wardrobe choices endearing him to U of L fans.
His popularity in Louisville quickly subsided, however, after he became head coach at rival Memphis State in 1979. He also dressed more conservatively at his new job.
Kirk, 74, died Monday night in Memphis where he coached for seven seasons, compiling a 158-58 won-lost record. He had five straight 20-win seasons including 31-4 in the Tigers’ Final Four year and 28-6 in his last season. He was fired after his team was placed on probation by the NCAA for recruiting violations. He was later found guilty of income tax violations.
Scotty Davenport Quiz
By Paul Sykes
The University of Louisville basketball team will face Bellarmine in Freedom Hall tonight. The head coach of the Knights, Scotty Davenport, is a former UofL assistant coach and one of the best motivational speakers out there.
His Bellarmine squad is ranked #1 in a couple of preseason Division II polls and plays in the highly competitive Great Lakes Valley Conference. Davenport is the only current head coach that has been an assistant under Denny Crum and Rick Pitino.
The days of Davenport remaining in Division II hoops are probably numbered. With the coaching carousel that exists in Division I ball, it is just a matter of time before Davenport gets the opportunity to take his talents elsewhere. Somewhere on that list of coaching possibilities that Tom Jurich keeps, it would be no surprise if Davenport’s name were written.
See if you can pass this quick Davenport quiz:
1. Where did Davenport get his coaching start?
A) Ky. Country Day
B) Ahrens Trade School
C) Georgetown College
D) Westport High School
2. Which two local legends did Davenport coach?
A) DeJuan Wheat
B) Darrell Griffith
C) Allan Houston
D) Derek Anderson
3. Which two schools are GLVC opponents for Davenport’s Knights?
A) Northern Kentucky University
B) IUPUI
C) Kentucky Wesleyan
D) Evansville
4. Which former Cardinal basketball player transferred briefly to play for Davenport before returning to Louisville?
A) Derrick Caracter
B) Beau Zach Smith
C) Perrin Johnson
D) Andre McGee
5. Which team did Davenport coach to the 1988 KHSAA basketball title
A) Iroquois
B) Ballard
C) Male
D) Ky. School for the Deaf
(Answers)
1. B
2. A, C
3. A, C
4. C
5. D…(just kidding, it is B)
Your Day John Wooden
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