Smizik goes old school grandpa today.
Mike Rice and Pitt, at least to a certain segment of the population, don’t go together. To understand the full enormity of Mike Rice working at the University of Pittsburgh, let alone being a member of the basketball coaching staff, you need a little history.
Rice is the son of Mike Rice, a former player and coach at Duquesne. The elder Rice was a good player in his day, which was the early 1960s. It was a time when the Dukes were still in their glory and the dominant basketball program in town.
He was a talented player. If he played today, he’d be a shooting guard or a small forward. He could slash from the wing. He wasn’t necessarily a star, but no one was surprised when he scored 20 or 25 points in a certain game. He twice went over 30 in his career.
But despite his ability, he was better known for other things. To call him a scrapper would be an understatement. He was as ferocious a competitor as you might see. He was the kind of player you loved if he was on your team and hated if he was on the other.
Mike Rice would do anything to win, and the word “anything” is not used lightly.
On-the-court brawls were not uncommon for Rice, and, if memory serves, he lost a couple of teeth in one.
In those days, the Pitt-Duquesne rivalry was the fiercest in town, and, needless to say, it brought out the best — or worst — in Rice. There is nothing he liked more than to beat Pitt.
It was the same when he became the Dukes’ coach in 1978 — he would do anything to win. At the same time, Tim Grgurich was the coach at Pitt. The two had competed as players in the intense Duquesne-Pitt rivalry.
Grgurich was the same type of scrappy competitor as Rice, although with not as much talent. He likely wasn’t as willing to do “anything” to win. The two men did not like each other — they once were thrown out of a summer league for fighting — and their personalities enhanced the rivalry about tenfold.
I don’t mind the history lesson. It’s good to read about the past. And since he uses the hiring of Mike Rice, Jr. as a jumping off point to talk about Mike Rice, Sr. and when Duquesne used to be relevant. I’ll use the story as a jumping off point to bring up the fact that Tim Grgurich has been conspicuously absent from any association with Pitt for over 20 years.
A player, alum, coach and in the last 10 years I’ve yet to read or see one thing hinting that he even gets invited to the school. To meet with the players and coaches. He is considered one of the best assistants in the NBA.
Hell, Grgurich runs a summer camp out of Las Vegas where he lives for NBA Players. And while I’m sure the lure of Vegas is a hell of an enticement, it does draw top talent to come and work.
He hopes to fill out the staff with a coach or coaches who specialize in working out and developing young players, “guys who can be on the floor every day.” The Denver Nuggets have such an assistant in Tim Grgurich, known for the popular workout camp he organizes every August in Las Vegas that regularly draws NBA All-Stars, including Paul Pierce.
How can Pitt not be actively trying to bring Grgurich back into the family? The idea of him being able to offer advice, maybe even put the players through some of the drills he puts the pros through. It just seems like not trying to use a great asset and one of the few NBA ties Pitt has.
Back to the article that is more about Rice, Sr. than Jr.
He hasn’t threatened to disown his son.
In fact, he is pleased and proud, although still holding out a bit.
“He said he’d send me a Pitt sweatshirt. I’m not sure I’ll wear it.”
But the dad knows this is best for the son. Being who he is, he has followed events closely in Pittsburgh. He knows what’s happened to Duquesne, he knows what’s happened to Pitt. He knows this is a great deal for his son, a former St. Joseph’s assistant.
“If you look at Pitt since I left, it’s pretty remarkable what’s happened. When I left they were Eastern Eight. Then, they made the move to TV land [Big East Conference], and that was one marvelous thing. Pitt’s done a great job with its basketball. If you’re an assistant coach, it’s a plum. That’s where you want to be.
“I’ve never seen Mike so excited about moving to a new job as he is right now. He’s very good. It’s in his blood from day one. He knows basketball. He’s lived it all his life.”
Rice, Sr. calls games for the Portland Trailblazers. He knows bad and good basketball very well.
