RIP Jack Bettridge

[quote="Monte" post=406507][quote="Enright" post=406473]When Alcindor was graduating from Power he was along with Wilt the greatest high school basketball player of all time. He was also a close mouthed individual so there was plenty of guessing where he was going to end up.
SJU had a good chance because of his relationship with Lapchick. If Lapchick was kept on Looie who was promised the SJU job when Lapchick retired would have had to decide whether to stay for four more years at SJU or take another job which he would have had no trouble getting. Loose was forty years old at the time and wanted a head coaching job.
Alcindors coach at Power , Jack Donahue had erroneously spread stories that he could deliver Lew to any school that hired him as head coach. Alcindor , years later wrote how much he disliked Donahue but at the time kept quiet and Holy Cross hired Donahue hoping to get Alcindor.
There was even a rumor that SJU would hire Donahue as asst. to Looie if he could deliver Alcindor. How much of the above is true I don’t know but losing Alcindor changed the future of SJU basketball.[/quote]

Was thinking Brendon Malone was Power's coach at the time, but he was actually the coach right after Donahue. Malone had a pretty damn good center too; Bob Miscavious. Who led them to 2 city championships and went on to play at PC.[/quote]
Remember going to a high school all star game between the catholic league and the public school league and Bob M went up against our own recruit George Johnson (one of if not my fav Johnny) and George couldn't handle Bob M's size on D. Remember Bob M being about 6'9 and bulky but George sure did handle Kent Benson (at MSG a few years later) who was similar in size if not a little bigger than Bob M.
 
[quote="bamafan" post=406511][quote="Monte" post=406507][quote="Enright" post=406473]When Alcindor was graduating from Power he was along with Wilt the greatest high school basketball player of all time. He was also a close mouthed individual so there was plenty of guessing where he was going to end up.
SJU had a good chance because of his relationship with Lapchick. If Lapchick was kept on Looie who was promised the SJU job when Lapchick retired would have had to decide whether to stay for four more years at SJU or take another job which he would have had no trouble getting. Loose was forty years old at the time and wanted a head coaching job.
Alcindors coach at Power , Jack Donahue had erroneously spread stories that he could deliver Lew to any school that hired him as head coach. Alcindor , years later wrote how much he disliked Donahue but at the time kept quiet and Holy Cross hired Donahue hoping to get Alcindor.
There was even a rumor that SJU would hire Donahue as asst. to Looie if he could deliver Alcindor. How much of the above is true I don’t know but losing Alcindor changed the future of SJU basketball.[/quote]

Was thinking Brendon Malone was Power's coach at the time, but he was actually the coach right after Donahue. Malone had a pretty damn good center too; Bob Miscavious. Who led them to 2 city championships and went on to play at PC.[/quote]
Remember going to a high school all star game between the catholic league and the public school league and Bob M went up against our own recruit George Johnson (one of if not my fav Johnny) and George couldn't handle Bob M's size on D. Remember Bob M being about 6'9 and bulky but George sure did handle Kent Benson (at MSG a few years later) who was similar in size if not a little bigger than Bob M.[/quote]

I knew Bob M from my parish and played a year of CYO with him when I was 18. He could shoot from about 30 feet and in, and was a great passer at his size. Power took the starting 5 from that 8th grade CYO team, which included Bob M., who went to Providence, Glen Kolonics who became the all-time leading scorer at one point in Catholic U history, and Jim Buggy who was a star pitcher for SJU in baseball.

Brendan Malone went on to a long career as an NBA assistant, plus one season as HC of Toronto and part of another one at Cleveland. His son, Mike Malone is currently an NBA coach in Denver,
 
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[quote="bamafan" post=406511][quote="Monte" post=406507][quote="Enright" post=406473]When Alcindor was graduating from Power he was along with Wilt the greatest high school basketball player of all time. He was also a close mouthed individual so there was plenty of guessing where he was going to end up.
SJU had a good chance because of his relationship with Lapchick. If Lapchick was kept on Looie who was promised the SJU job when Lapchick retired would have had to decide whether to stay for four more years at SJU or take another job which he would have had no trouble getting. Loose was forty years old at the time and wanted a head coaching job.
Alcindors coach at Power , Jack Donahue had erroneously spread stories that he could deliver Lew to any school that hired him as head coach. Alcindor , years later wrote how much he disliked Donahue but at the time kept quiet and Holy Cross hired Donahue hoping to get Alcindor.
There was even a rumor that SJU would hire Donahue as asst. to Looie if he could deliver Alcindor. How much of the above is true I don’t know but losing Alcindor changed the future of SJU basketball.[/quote]

Was thinking Brendon Malone was Power's coach at the time, but he was actually the coach right after Donahue. Malone had a pretty damn good center too; Bob Miscavious. Who led them to 2 city championships and went on to play at PC.[/quote]
Remember going to a high school all star game between the catholic league and the public school league and Bob M went up against our own recruit George Johnson (one of if not my fav Johnny) and George couldn't handle Bob M's size on D. Remember Bob M being about 6'9 and bulky but George sure did handle Kent Benson (at MSG a few years later) who was similar in size if not a little bigger than Bob M.[/quote]

I stood next to Bob M after a game between Xavier and Power. I was a scrawny freshman. He was absolutely massive to me. Largest human being by far that I had been near at that point in my life.
 
in an interview with coach lou c on tv after a pc - sju game, coach said - bob m had sju in his final 2.
 
[quote="section10" post=406592]in an interview with coach lou c on tv after a pc - sju game, coach said - bob m had sju in his final 2.[/quote]

I was friendly with Bob. Around the neighborhood, we pronounced his last name Mashevowitz, kind of like the kosher wine. He was known as Big Rob. One of the last times I saw him was the day before he was to leave for Providence as a freshman. He told me that something had happened there in Providence and he thought he was getting screwed. He told me he was seriously thinking of going to St. John's instead. Whatever occurred, obviously was resolved, and he was a 4 year player there. I ran into him again years later when we played an early season exhibition against a team from South America. We was probably in his late 20s at the time, and had put on a ton of weight. We chatted a little bit, and I believe that was the last time I saw him.

I have a vague recollection of searching him on the internet a while back. I think one or more of his sons also played at least HS and maybe college.
 
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