Fridays with Mac: "Authoritative"

A Hall of Fame football coach is always ready to talk aspects of gridiron warfare. Some, like Billy Mac from Hackensack also love to dissect other sports. For the only coach to ever led the Colorado Buffaloes to a national title, basketball is another passionate subject.

“You know what my nickname was?” Bellows William Paul McCartney. I’ve heard it a zillion times but play along like being clueless. “No, what is it?” Without hesitation, while extending his right wrist with perfect shooting motion, coach Mac announces, “Nothing but net Billy Mac!”

McCartney was a very successful high school basketball coach in the Detroit area before Michigan hired him as an assistant football coach back in the mid 70’s. This time of year with March Madness upon us, a recent Friday was spent talking hoops. As the annual chase for a national collegiate basketball title unfolds, an even bigger story is the pending retirement of Duke’s legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski after 42 years as its head coach. Unbelievable. More than four decades.

Much like McCartney, Krzyzewski’s first three seasons at Duke (1980-83) were less than spectacular. Despite a losing record, the school awarded Coach K with a contract extension. CU did the same with McCartney in Boulder. In each case, a wise decision. Duke has become a national power, won five national titles and played in 12 Final Fours since the 1983-84 season. CU after Coach Mac’s rough start won a national title, won several Big 8 championships and played in nine bowl games in ten seasons. Only 54 when walking away after 13 seasons at the foot of the Flatirons, McCartney handed successor Rick Neuheisel the keys to a finely-tuned football program after the ’94 season.

Patience. Duke had it with Coach K. Colorado had it with Coach Mac. It paid off in spades.

As the Kryzzewski conversation continued, I mentioned to Mac several excellent stories about the retiring legend in the recent issue of Sports Illustrated. One made several references to former Army, Indiana and Texas Tech basketball coach Bobby Knight. Krzyzewski was team captain for Knight on the Army team in the late 60’s. After serving five years military duty the Chicago native joined Knight’s staff at Indiana for one year before returning to West Point as the Cadets head basketball coach in 1975.

Mac was taking on a “Wired, fired and inspired” look. “I went to a basketball conference one year while a high school coach and heard Coach Knight speak.” Then the 81-year-old fighting the good fight against memory issues cracked, “Knight got tired of me asking questions!”

A young high school basketball coach from Divine Child in the Motor City was soaking up all the wisdom he could from, at the time, the most revered hoops coach other than UCLA’s John Wooden. Indiana was elite. Its ’75-76 juggernaut was the last team never to lose in winning a national title, finishing 32-0.

“After that conference I came back and installed Knight’s offense and defense.” Mac was on a roll. “His offense was balancing the floor, cutting to the basket and constantly moving the basketball. Defense was man-to-man, pressure always and get a foot in their jockstraps!” The guy who knew he wanted to coach from the tender age of seven was levitating in his chair.

While laughing heartily at the “jockstrap” reference, I let my buddy know that’s EXACTLY what my high school basketball coach, the amazing Bud Lathrop, would tell us. I did my best and always enjoyed the challenge of trying to shut down a high-scoring opponent. It’s hard for them to score if they can’t get the ball.

The basketball world celebrates one of its greatest in Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski who learned from legendary Bobby Knight who greatly influenced Bill McCartney early in his coaching journey. All Hall of Famers.

Tragically, two of them suffer from Alzheimer’s. Knight and McCartney are the same age. Coach Mac a few months older. Knight is rarely heard from. Mac? Still coaching away, “That Bobby Knight? When he walked into a room, he commanded attention and was authoritative.”

Billy Mac? You still are! #fridayswithmac