Tark the Shark Stories with @stormngt

[Angel Oracle]

3 hours ago, stormngt said:

Of course my father would have been in contact with him.  However it was well known he wasn't going to make grade.   I tried to get in with him for Juco.  That didn't go anywhere.

I remember Schea's brother at LB st.

James was really good at LB, averaged some 23 pts/game his junior year, which would have been Schea’s senior HS season.

Edited February 27, 2021 by Angel Oracle

[Angel Oracle]

Waldman was at Vegas the year they destroyed everyone until the Duke semifinal game.

Tark’s last season was their 26-2 season, including 18-0 in the BWC, but as mentioned ineligible for the NCAAT.

 

Edited February 27, 2021 by Angel Oracle

[stormngt]

38 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Waldman was at Vegas the year they destroyed everyone until the Duke semifinal game.

Tark’s last season was their 26-2 season, including 18-0 in the BWC, but as mentioned ineligible for the NCAAT.

 

Most people don't know my fathers last season at UNLV might have been his best coaching job.  The team started 2-2.  UNLV had been playing pressure man to man defense for 15 years.  After the 2-2 start my father went back to the 1-2-2 zone that he used at Long Beach.  The team didn't lose again the rest of the season.

My father felt his best work was at Long Beach.  Long Beach had no money, little fan support, and most of the people in the region were either Bruin or Trojan fans.  

Yet Long Beach was arguably the 2nd best program in the country.

[stormngt]

@Angel Oracle@Lou @True Grich

I have to say I am really impressed so many of you are knowledgeable in 49er basketball.  This was enjoyable telling the stories.

Thank you 

[T.G.]

Thank you @stormngt.

Hope we can keep the conversation going.

[stormngt]

11 hours ago, True Grich said:

Thank you @stormngt.

Hope we can keep the conversation going.

Just ask and I will give my best answer.

[Angel Oracle]

On 2/26/2021 at 4:25 PM, Lou said:

James was a good player, too. 

Averaged 23 pts/game his junior year, and then turned pro.

If James Cotton hadn’t missed the 1994-95 season due to injury, LB may have had a decent chance against Utah in the round of 64 NCAAT.   He was their main 3 point threat.

[Angel Oracle]

On 2/26/2021 at 4:19 PM, stormngt said:

Of course my father would have been in contact with him.  However it was well known he wasn't going to make grade.   I tried to get in with him for Juco.  That didn't go anywhere.

I remember Schea's brother at LB st.

Schea ended up being a college basketball vagabond, playing for either 3 or 4 schools (not sure which) not including LB after having signed the letter to attend LB.

 

[stormngt]

9 minutes ago, Angel Oracle said:

Schea ended up being a college basketball vagabond, playing for either 3 or 4 schools (not sure which) not including LB after having signed the letter to attend LB.

 

I know he was at LB City.  What other schools was he at?

[Lou]

10 minutes ago, stormngt said:

I know he was at LB City.  What other schools was he at?

I only know of Alabama.

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, Lou said:

I only know of Alabama.

He had committed at one time to N.C. State.  At least, I seem to recollect it.

Unless I went full Clemens, and misremembered.

[Lou]

1 minute ago, Angel Oracle said:

He had committed at one time to N.C. State.  At least, I seem to recollect it.

Unless I went full Clemens, and misremembered.

He only played at LBCC and Bama. 

[Angel Oracle]

7 minutes ago, Lou said:

He only played at LBCC and Bama. 

I get partial credit.

He committed to three different schools:   LB St which he rescinded after James turned pro, then UCLA, and then N.C. State without ever attending school at each, before enrolling at LB City College and playing a year before transferring to Alabama and playing a year.

Part of it was he did get messed around with by the NCAA.   He took and passed the SAT to get into UCLA, but the NCAA invalidated the score.   He was supposed to be eligible as well to play for N.C. State, but the NCAA messed him up again.

Edited February 28, 2021 by Angel Oracle

[Lou]

Sorry, no credit! 

1 hour ago, Angel Oracle said:

Schea ended up being a college basketball vagabond, playing for either 3 or 4 schools (not sure which) not including LB after having signed the letter to attend LB.

 

 

[Angel Oracle]

Bottom line, NCAA authorities are screwy.

[T.G.]

The documentary about Schea Cotton is worth watching.  He turned out pretty well, all things considered...

 

[T.G.]

@stormngt were you with your dad at Fresno State?  How was that experience for him, coaching at his alma-mater?

[stormngt]

29 minutes ago, True Grich said:

@stormngt were you with your dad at Fresno State?  How was that experience for him, coaching at his alma-mater?

My brother joined his staff at Fresno.  I felt I could help him more being a pipeline for the school in recruiting.

Two of my former players. Shomario Richard's and Willie Farley ended up going to Fresno.  I begged him to take Robin Kennedy (aka suckwidit and UNR) and Warren Rosegreen (UNLV) because thet were  winners.

He enjoyed coming back to Fresno however the administration. Put up a lot of obstacles for success at the school. Both Rafer Alston and Tremayne Fowlks tested the water for the draft after their junior year.  The school denied both to return.

My fathers third year Fresno could have had Alson (NBA pg), Courtney Alexander (first round draft pick), Fowlkes (NBA) and Melvin Ely (NBA).

This wasnt the only example.  They lost a couple of very good players by over management by the school.

Edited March 1, 2021 by stormngt

[Tank]

so storm, what was the deal with biting the towel?

[T.G.]

@stormngt I think I read or heard somewhere that your dad was friends with Bill Mulligan. Is that true?

I have a funny story somewhat related to Mulligan.

Prior to going to Long Beach State, I went to Saddleback College.  I saw some great basketball teams coached by Mulligan.  My time at Saddleback overlapped a bit with a point guard named Ed Patrick.  Patrick was about 5'10" but was tough as nails and he could dunk.

Mulligan would go on to coach at UCI.  Ed Patrick went on to play at Hawaii Hilo.

Fast forward some 30+ years...

My wife and I love a restaurant in Old Town Orange called "Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen."  The restaurant is the brainchild of Gabbi Patrick.  She and her husband opened a second restaurant in Tustin called Chaak.  My wife and I went there a couple years ago and the owner - Ed Patrick comes up to introduce himself to us.  We'd been going to Gabbi's for several years and never knew Gabbi's husband's name.  Well, I look at him and wonder if he's the same Ed Patrick who played hoops at Saddleback. He was about the same height and even though it had been more than 30 years, I thought he looked familiar.  I asked him and he was the same Ed Patrick who played basketball at Saddleback.  He was dumbfounded that anyone would recognize him.  We had a great dinner and I had a fun story to tell.  Ed was super nice and we've been back a couple times - although we haven't been since the pandemic.

 

 

[Lou]

8 hours ago, Tank said:

so storm, what was the deal with biting the towel?

He would bite on it when his mouth was dry. The towel was soaked in water. 

[Tank]

4 minutes ago, Lou said:

The towel was soaked it water. 

well said.

[Lou]

On 2/28/2021 at 11:57 AM, Angel Oracle said:

Part of it was he did get messed around with by the NCAA.   He took and passed the SAT to get into UCLA, but the NCAA invalidated the score.   He was supposed to be eligible as well to play for N.C. State, but the NCAA messed him up again.

He really wanted to go to UCLA. The NCAA really screwed him over. 

[Lou]

1 minute ago, Tank said:

well said.

See if I ever help you again. 

[stormngt]

11 hours ago, True Grich said:

@stormngt I think I read or heard somewhere that your dad was friends with Bill Mulligan. Is that true?

I have a funny story somewhat related to Mulligan.

Prior to going to Long Beach State, I went to Saddleback College.  I saw some great basketball teams coached by Mulligan.  My time at Saddleback overlapped a bit with a point guard named Ed Patrick.  Patrick was about 5'10" but was tough as nails and he could dunk.

Mulligan would go on to coach at UCI.  Ed Patrick went on to play at Hawaii Hilo.

Fast forward some 30+ years...

My wife and I love a restaurant in Old Town Orange called "Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen."  The restaurant is the brainchild of Gabbi Patrick.  She and her husband opened a second restaurant in Tustin called Chaak.  My wife and I went there a couple years ago and the owner - Ed Patrick comes up to introduce himself to us.  We'd been going to Gabbi's for several years and never knew Gabbi's husband's name.  Well, I look at him and wonder if he's the same Ed Patrick who played hoops at Saddleback. He was about the same height and even though it had been more than 30 years, I thought he looked familiar.  I asked him and he was the same Ed Patrick who played basketball at Saddleback.  He was dumbfounded that anyone would recognize him.  We had a great dinner and I had a fun story to tell.  Ed was super nice and we've been back a couple times - although we haven't been since the pandemic.

 

 

Great story!

My father and Bill Mulligan were close friends.

I do not remember what year it was but one time Irvine was coming to play Vegas.  It was before they were in the same conference.  I think the had Kevin McGee who led the nation in scoring.

Mulligan the day before the game came to my dad and said he would make a deal with him.  The deal was that he would not play a zone of my father if my father agreed not to play a zone.

Irvine would jump to a big lead.  My dad switched to a zone and UNLV would go on to win.  Mulligan pissed off confronted my father for going back on his word.  My father replied "I am getting paid to win games not keep my word".

Irvine had some great players go through them in the 80s.  McGee,  Murphey, Tom Tolbert, Ben McDonald,  Roger's, and Englstedt.

In 1986 they had four NBA players on one team!  Them and UCSB in 1988 were the only Big West teams to sweep UNLV in conference play.