Tark the Shark Stories with @stormngt

[T.G.]

1 minute ago, stormngt said:

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.

That's a GREAT story about your dad and Mulligan.

I hated UCI during the Mulligan years.  I really hated Scott Brooks above all others.  I hated the way he carried himself with his chest all pumped out, etc. 

I really like the coach at UCI now. Coach Turner is a great leader.  I've heard him speak a few times and he's the kind of coach I would have wanted to play for if I had been talented enough for Div. I hoops.  He's put them back on the map and taken them to even greater heights than Mulligan.

UCI had a good program... and it was at a time when the Big West was a great conference. 

BTW... Kevin Magee's death was tragic. 

[stormngt]

11 hours ago, Lou said:

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

Goes back when my father was coaching at San Joaquin Memorial in Fresno.  They didn't have water at the end of the bench.   It was a hot day and close game.  My father would spend a lot of time going to for a drink at drinking fountain.  

Game went into overtime so my father grabbed a towel and soaked.  He would suck on the towel to keep his throat from drying out.  

He won the game.  

My father being superstitious kept the towel for the duration of career.

Side note:  1987 Final Four Taco Bell paid him to suck on a Taco Bell towel during the Indiana game.  

They lost the game, thus the last we we saw that towel.

[stormngt]

11 hours ago, Lou said:

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

That is correct

[Lou]

2 minutes ago, stormngt said:

Goes back when my father was coaching at San Joaquin Memorial in Fresno.  They didn't have water at the end of the bench.   It was a hot day and close game.  My father would spend a lot of time going to for a drink at drinking fountain.  

Game went into overtime so my father grabbed a towel and soaked.  He would suck on the towel to keep his throat from drying out.  

He won the game.  

My father being superstitious kept the towel for the duration of career.

Side note:  1987 Final Four Taco Bell paid him to suck on a Taco Bell towel during the Indiana game.  

They lost the game, thus the last we we saw that towel.

I remember hearing how your mom always blamed the Taco Bell towel for that loss. 

[stormngt]

1 minute ago, Lou said:

I remember hearing how your mom always blamed the Taco Bell towel for that loss. 

Wow!  You heard correct!  My mother said that to me the night they lost.

I didnt know that story was out there.

[T.G.]

I worked in Athletics at San Jose State from 1989-1991.  Stan Morrison inherited a disaster of a program when he joined SJSU,  Watching SJSU basketball during those two years was tough... and the home games against UNLV weren't pretty.  They could have been a lot worse.  Always felt like your dad eased up in those games so that SJSU wouldn't be embarrassed too much.

That was a fun time in my career.  Stan Morrison was a great guy to work with.  The first time, I met him - I talked about some of the high school kids I saw the year prior and he instantly took a liking to me.  I remember asking him about a kid named Robert Conlisk at Los Alamitos and he was surprised I knew who he was.  I asked him if he was on his radar and Morrison said something like "We don't deserve a kid like that just yet."

Conlisk didn't turn out to be much... he went to Arizona State, but Morrison's statement struck me as being odd.  I remember thinking... "Don't deserve?  Why not?"

 

 

 

[Lou]

I told you your dad was my 2nd favorite coach. When I say that, I don't mean just in CBB, but in every sport.  I guess it came from my dad, who was a huge fan, too. 

That's why I reached out to you when your father passed away. 

[stormngt]

21 minutes ago, Lou said:

I told you your dad was my 2nd favorite coach. When I say that, I don't mean just in CBB, but in every sport.  I guess it came from my dad, who was a huge fan, too. 

That's why I reached out to you when your father passed away. 

I appreciated that 

[stormngt]

23 minutes ago, True Grich said:

I worked in Athletics at San Jose State from 1989-1991.  Stan Morrison inherited a disaster of a program when he joined SJSU,  Watching SJSU basketball during those two years was tough... and the home games against UNLV weren't pretty.  They could have been a lot worse.  Always felt like your dad eased up in those games so that SJSU wouldn't be embarrassed too much.

That was a fun time in my career.  Stan Morrison was a great guy to work with.  The first time, I met him - I talked about some of the high school kids I saw the year prior and he instantly took a liking to me.  I remember asking him about a kid named Robert Conlisk at Los Alamitos and he was surprised I knew who he was.  I asked him if he was on his radar and Morrison said something like "We don't deserve a kid like that just yet."

Conlisk didn't turn out to be much... he went to Arizona State, but Morrison's statement struck me as being odd.  I remember thinking... "Don't deserve?  Why not?"

 

 

 

That was a strange statement.  Its ine thing to say "we do not have a chance" it's another to say "we don't deserve".

That's how level D1 programs rise to major college.  They recruit better than what they are 

[Lou]

11 minutes ago, stormngt said:

That was a strange statement.  Its ine thing to say "we do not have a chance" it's another to say "we don't deserve".

That's how level D1 programs rise to major college.  They recruit better than what they are 

Yeah, that's not what I would want to hear from a coach. 

No wonder he ended up at southern cal. 

[T.G.]

3 minutes ago, Lou said:

Yeah, that's not what I would want to hear from a coach. 

No wonder he ended up at southern cal. 

SJSU was after USC....

He brought Brad Winslow with him from USC as a grad assistant.  Back then... the gym was reserved at noon for faculty/staff and we played basketball during lunch. Winslow would run with us... he was a cool guy.  He took it easy on us.  He was funny too. 

Edited March 2, 2021 by True Grich

[Tank]

12 hours ago, Lou said:

See if I ever help you again. 

[Lou]

1 hour ago, True Grich said:

SJSU was after USC....

I guess getting scraps at sc molded his recruiting style. 

[Angels 1961]

On 2/26/2021 at 1:41 PM, True Grich said:

Thanks in advance @stormngt for doing this.

Were you at the NCAA tournament game where the referees stole the game from Long Beach State against UCLA?

 

In those days it was known as the UCLA invitational tournament.

[Lou]

lol @ robbed.

You know what championship teams don't do? Blow 11-pt 2nd half leads.

[T.G.]

26 minutes ago, Lou said:

lol @ robbed.

You know what championship teams don't do? Blow 11-pt 2nd half leads.

Dude... that was somewhat tongue in cheek.  I never saw the game... just read about it.

[stormngt]

On 2/26/2021 at 2:27 PM, True Grich said:

Years and years ago, I read "The Wizard of Westwood" and it talked about how Morgan was yelling that "42 is holding!" all game long."

In those days LB St had even numbers at home and did numbers on their road jerseys.   I assume LB was wearing road jerseys because UCLA would be a higher seed.  Ratliff would have been 43.

[stormngt]

On 3/26/2021 at 2:52 PM, Lou said:

lol @ robbed.

You know what championship teams don't do? Blow 11-pt 2nd half leads.

As a coach, my father gave me a lot if great advice.  One of them was never to complain about officiating if you lose.  People would think you are whining.  You can complain when you win.

[Tank]

5 hours ago, stormngt said:

As a coach, my father gave me a lot if great advice.  One of them was never to complain about officiating if you lose.  People would think you are whining.  You can complain when you win.

so how did you become an angels fan? i'm guessing it's from your time in long beach.

[Lou]

12 minutes ago, Tank said:

so how did you become an angels fan? i'm guessing it's from your time in long beach.

He also coached at Redlands HS and Riverside CC.

[stormngt]

On 3/31/2021 at 2:39 PM, Tank said:

so how did you become an angels fan? i'm guessing it's from your time in long beach.

Two things stay in my mind.  First living in Hintington Beach while my father coached at Long Beach.  We went on vacation at Palm Springs and a friend of my fathers brought me to an Angel spring training game.  Jim Fregosi won the game on a walk off.  A single between short and third.  I was six.

Then playing little league the Angeks would always have "little league night" and we would go to the games. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by stormngt

[stormngt]

8 minutes ago, Lou said:

He also coached at Redlands HS and Riverside CC.

Yes you are right.  I was born at Redlands Hospital.  I am really impressed how much you guys know of his background.

[Redondo]

3 hours ago, stormngt said:

Yes you are right.  I was born at Redlands Hospital.  I am really impressed how much you guys know of his background.

I graduated from Redlands high school

Still have family in the area

[Angel Oracle]

On 3/2/2021 at 11:21 AM, True Grich said:

I worked in Athletics at San Jose State from 1989-1991.  Stan Morrison inherited a disaster of a program when he joined SJSU,  Watching SJSU basketball during those two years was tough... and the home games against UNLV weren't pretty.  They could have been a lot worse.  Always felt like your dad eased up in those games so that SJSU wouldn't be embarrassed too much.

That was a fun time in my career.  Stan Morrison was a great guy to work with.  The first time, I met him - I talked about some of the high school kids I saw the year prior and he instantly took a liking to me.  I remember asking him about a kid named Robert Conlisk at Los Alamitos and he was surprised I knew who he was.  I asked him if he was on his radar and Morrison said something like "We don't deserve a kid like that just yet."

Conlisk didn't turn out to be much... he went to Arizona State, but Morrison's statement struck me as being odd.  I remember thinking... "Don't deserve?  Why not?"

 

 

 

I remember hearing about Morrison handing out pizzas to students waiting to get into games that first year at SJSU.

Morrison was solid wherever he coached (UOP, USC, SJSU), and took SJSU to its’ first NCAAT in 16 years in 1996.

[Angel Oracle]

On 3/31/2021 at 2:52 PM, Lou said:

He also coached at Redlands HS and Riverside CC.

And then Pasadena CC, where he was then hired away in 1968 by new LBSU AD Fred Miller.  

Miller hired some great college coaches to LBSU.   Tark, Don Gambril, Ted Banks, and Jim Stangeland

Miller eventually went on to be AD at ASU.

Edited April 9, 2021 by Angel Oracle