To the editor:
I had a tear in my eye on Feb. 17 when I learned that Lefty Driesell passed at the age of 92.
Here are a couple of stories that I have from knowing Lefty and his son Chuck that I would like to share with you.
I learned a lot about recruiting from the way Lefty, then coaching at Davidson College, recruited me when I was in high school. He was so thorough as a recruiter and knew all about who he was recruiting – their favorite TV show, what they ate for breakfast, their favorite flavor of ice cream, all the important things. And he stayed in touch!
He passed his recruiting skills on to his assistant coaches at Davidson: Gayle Catlett, Terry Holland and Bones McKinney.
Catlett was assigned to recruit me and he attended a Peru/Beekmantown game my senior year. Lefty could not fit a game in his schedule, but was able to make the visit on one of my non-play dates to meet with me and my family.
When he made the visit, he wanted to take our family out to dinner. Mom said no and insisted he would join us for a family dinner at home that night. Because it was the dead of winter, my dad grilled our steaks at that time of the year in the fireplace of our living room. Lefty had never seen an operation like that. He loved the steak! He claimed it was the best steak he had ever eaten from a home fireplace. It probably was the only steak he had ever had that was grilled in a living room on the fireplace!
I eventually told him “no” to Davidson and that I was going to attend Syracuse. About 13 years after I told him no, I was at National Airport picking up my boss – Petr Spurney, general manager of the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee – when I spotted Coach Driesell walking through the airport. I went up to him and introduced myself as a former recruit when he was coaching at Davidson. His immediate response was, “you’re the boy whose parents owned the soft ice cream stand in upstate New York!” Right on the mark!!!
I became the women’s basketball coach at Marymount in 1983 and the athletic director in 1990. In 1997, we had an opening for the men’s basketball coaching position. I was in the office after work hours and answered the phone. It was Lefty, and he was calling to promote his son Chuck for the job.
We had more than 125 applications for the position, and Chuck had yet to apply, although he had stopped by to meet me and tell me of his interest. I told Lefty that Chuck needed to submit his application, but I needed to know about the other approximately four to seven candidates who we had received applications for and used “Lefty Driesell” as a reference.
Who, I asked, was his ultimate pick?
He said the other candidates were good, but Chuck was exceptional, and I will never forget his final words about Chuck, “he is a fine young Christian man.” So I hired “little Chuck” – the 4-year-old who I met on my visit to Davidson in 1967!
My last game for Syracuse and my college career in 1972 was at the NIT at Madison Square Garden, and our opponent, to whom we lost to in that first round, was the eventual champion University of Maryland, coached by Lefty. (I guarded Tom McMillan for those final 13 seconds.) It was only fitting that Lefty was there for my last game.
I had a tear in my eye when I learned that Lefty passed, but I am so glad I knew him.
Bill Finney, Hilton Head, S.C.
Finney is former women’s basketball coach and athletic director at Marymount University.
