AKRON, Ohio — When Miami (Ohio) head coach Charlie
Coles took the floor about 90 minutes before his team's game at Akron Wednesday
night, he walked deliberately and with a slight limp. He looked his age,
frankly.
Coles turned 70 last week.
Almost exactly three hours later, Coles was mostly sitting and watching a
superior Akron team steadily take over the game when one of his players was hit
with a technical foul -- and subsequent lecture — from the nearest official.
Suddenly, Coles was out of his seat, his face the color of his bright-red
sweater, and he was filling the official's ear with all sorts of personal
thoughts.
Coles turned 70 last week.
It was vintage Charlie Coles, a legendary coach and a legendary character. Get
him angry and he'll jump up and defend his players like he's half of 70. Talk
with him about how or why a certain game went a certain way and you'll get an
honest answer.
"We don't have a good team this year," was among his postgame observations.
It's been a rough year for Miami, which slipped to 8-16 with Wednesday night's 74-59
loss. It's Coles' 16th year as head coach at his alma mater, his 22nd as a
college head coach in total. He's also served as a general manager in the
Global Basketball Association and as a high school head coach.
Last April, Coles was presented with the NABC Guardians of the Game Pillar
Award for Education, an award for coaches who have made long-lasting impacts on
and off the basketball court.
He's earned the right to chew out an official. He's earned the right to keep
doing things his way.
A few weeks ago, with his team in the midst of a four-game losing streak, Coles
told a local newspaper that he was considering retirement. He later chalked
that up to frustration, saying that no decision had been made and that he'd be
doing a disservice to the game if he walked away with "anything left in
the tank."
His is quite a tank. Coles had a heart attack during a game at Western Michigan
in 1998. He was thought dead but was revived by doctors on the floor after 20
minutes. He'd previously had a heart attack and subsequent bypass surgery in
1985-86, when he was the head coach at Central Michigan.
"I hate to see him get so aggravated like he did tonight, I really
do," Akron coach Keith Dambrot said. "I worry about him. Think about
what he's been through, and think about the guts and determination he's had to
come back from all that.
"I can't say enough good things about Charlie. He cares about the kids.
He's a real tribute to the sport."
Coles says — always has — what he feels at the time and reserves the right to
change his mind. He recently laughed off the retirement comment to Miami's
student paper, saying "I've probably retired 700 times."
He's probably considered it at least 303 times, now that his career
head-coaching record is 354-303. He's won 262 games at Miami, winning about 54
percent overall and a bunch of big ones. He's won three MAC regular-season
titles and been to the NCAA Tournament three times, the most memorable coming
on the Wally Szczerbiak-led run to the Sweet 16 in 1998-99.
Akron's superior athleticism was already showing in the first half Wednesday
night when Akron's Nick Harney came clean to a rebound and dunked it back
through, giving the Zips a six-point lead. Coles immediately called timeout and
started discussing what happened with Miami forward Jon Harris.
"The ball's over there," Coles said after the game, pointing left and
recreating his conversation with Harris. "He's wondering where he should
be. There ain't but one ball. How hard can it be?"
Whatever else Coles said in that particular timeout worked. Miami followed by
scoring 10 unanswered points to take the lead.
Coles has seen a few games, made a few adjustments and told a few stories. He's
like your father, your grandfather and your crazy uncle all rolled into one. When
he talks, you'd be wise to listen.
On Wednesday's game, he said his "big guys were lifeless. They didn't get
it done." He said he chose to unleash on that official because if one of
his players needed a lecture, Coles would be the one to give it.
"I hold the right to vehemently protest, which I did," Coles said.
He referenced Martin Luther King in one sentence and pick-and-roll defense in
the next. He shook his head at some of his team's mental errors, noting that
his players "played their butts off" and that guard Brian Sullivan,
who's generously listed at 5-11 and made five 3-pointers against Akron,
"is pretty amazing."
No one around Miami's program — especially Coles — is talking about
retirement or what might happen when the season ends. It's not Coles' style to
worry about anything but producing players who become good people and winning
game plans, even when such plans require ugly basketball. He wouldn't want any
tributes. He certainly doesn't want any lectures from any officials.
He told a story about a game earlier in the year when another official held up
the end of a game with a discussion Coles felt was too lengthy and unnecessary.
Coles said that official acted as if "he'd been elected deputy sheriff of
the country" and was now allowed to issue orders.
"He's the sheriff, so now he's giving orders to a 70-year old man who
either ain't listening or can't hear," Coles said. "I haven't
determined which it is."
This Miami team has endured more than its share of bad luck. It lost three key
players to either injury or attrition. It lost by six at Xavier, by nine at
Cincinnati and by seven at Vanderbilt.
"He's always overscheduled," Dambrot said. "This (Miami) team
really isn't bad. Their record doesn't usually indicate how good they are
because he's always playing a lot of really good teams. This team is
competitive with three pretty good guys missing."
This Miami beat potential NCAA Tournament teams Dayton and Belmont but also has
three two-point losses and suffered a three-point loss last week at Northern
Illinois, one of the worst Division I teams in the country.
"That's a seven-hour bus ride back (to Miami) from Northern
Illinois," said Kent State coach Rob Senderoff, who worked under Coles as
a graduate assistant at Miami in the 90's. "Charlie's done good things in
this league for a long time, and he's done it without charter flights and
without staying at the Four Seasons. It will wear on you, but he keeps coming
back.
"I've always admired his ability to get kids to play hard, regardless of
the circumstances, and especially in February and March. It's not a stretch to
call him a legend. He's a great coach and a better person."
Senderoff didn't hesitate when asked if he thought he'd be coaching at age 70:
"No. Hell, no."
Said Dambrot: "I'm 53 and this beats me up. I take naps in the middle of
the day. I know Charlie doesn't do that."
When Akron was dribbling away the final seconds of Wednesday night's game,
Coles turned around and shook hands with Akron fans seated in the first row
behind Akron's bench. He and Dambrot shared a long embrace at mid-court.
"I had a great time tonight," Coles said. "I always have a great
time here."
About 30 minutes later, Coles was headed toward Miami's bus when he was greeted
by two Akron students who wanted to pose for a picture and thank him for all
the great games through the years. Coles told them that he'd buy them a beer in
Cleveland at the MAC Tournament next month if Miami wins its first-round game and
gets there. How many coaches do that?
We don't know if he's retiring, but we know Charlie Coles will pretty much be
coaching forever. And we'll drink to that.
