The ETSU Buccaneers, that is.
The Bucs are coached by a guy with coaching bloodlines.
Gene Bartow, the former coach at Memphis, UCLA and UAB, is Murry Bartow’s father. Gene Bartow led Memphis to the national championship game in 1973, took UCLA to the Final Four in 1976 and later led UAB to seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
“My dad has been my biggest influence as a coach,” Bartow said. “I played for him at UAB, was an assistant under him and then he was my boss when I was the head coach there. He was a great coach. He just had a great feel for the game. He was a tremendous player’s coach. I was able to watch him and learn from him.”
His apprenticeship under Knight was a big influence as well. In his only two seasons at Indiana, he got to experience a bitter disappointment in the tournament the first year and a national championship the next.
In 1986, No. 3 seed Indiana was upset by No. 14 seed Cleveland State. One year later, the Hoosiers cut down the nets after Keith Smart made a baseline jumper as the clock wound down to beat Syracuse, 74-73.
His father Gene, also started the UAB basketball program — and set his son up as the next coach. The younger Bartow lasted six season. He was fired after a sub-.500 season.
A touching profile on Courtney Pigram, ETSU’s shooting guard who had interest from top programs but injuries and grades kept him from going to a top school.
Here’s a video preview of the team.
