College Basketball Loses an Icon

Miami University (my Alma Mater), the Greater Cincinnati community, the basketball community, and the sports world in general, lost a great coach and an even better, one-of-a-kind human being today with the passing of Coach Charlie Coles.

Coach Coles coaching credentials were impressive:

• 355-308 over 22 seasons at Miami University and Central Michigan

• Most wins in Miami University history (263)

• Most conference wins in MAC history (218)

• Two-time MAC Coach of the Year (1987 and 1997)

• 3 MAC Conference Tournament Titles (Central Michigan 1987; Miami 1997and 2007)

• 2 MAC Regular season championships (1987 and 1997)

• 7 Post Season appearances (NCAA 1997, 1999, 2007; NIT 2005, 2006; CBI 2008, 2001)

• 3 NCAA appearances (2-4)

• 2 NCAA wins

• 1 Sweet Sixteen appearance (with Wally Szczerbiak - impressive given where he was coaching)

• 31 All-MAC awards (player awards)

 

2 NBA All-Stars (Dan Majerle and Wally Szczerbiak)

 

These accolades are a product of superior coaching, not superior talent. Coach Coles, like many Mid-Majors, never had the more talented team on the court. Coach Coles won by teaching the right way to win - hard work, defense, and team work and he never shied away from playing the top teams in the country. Under Coles, Miami took an “any time, any place” attitude and regularly scheduled superior teams (UK, Cincinnati, etc) because Coles felt it would make his teams better.  

Not to diminish the coaching ability of Coach Coles, but his coaching is hardly what he will be remembered for. Coach Coles was the definition of everything a coach is supposed to be – a role model and teacher of young men. In a day and age when coaches (at all levels) believe winning is all that matters and fail to realize they have a responsibility to teach their players life lessons and how to be good men, Coach Coles understood that responsibility and took his role of teaching seriously – name another NCAA Division I men’s basketball coach that taught classes at their university? Crazy right? Coles did.

 

Best of all, Coach Coles was an incredible human being that cared about his players, his school, his profession, his community, and the people he came in contact with. Despite his records, Coles was the lowest paid coach in the MAC…and I don’t believe that bothered him for a second. Coach Coles cared about people, cared about integrity, and cared about respect – 3 things rarely associated with college coaches these days.

I am very happy to say I saw Coach Coles coach in person and had the opportunity to call him “our” coach. Rest in Peace Coach Coles, you will be greatly missed but forever remembered.

 

P.S. He also gave the best interviews and postgame press conferences ever! You are welcome for this epic presser!

 

....and this one!

 

 

 

 and this one!