duncan228
05-20-2009, 01:46 AM
Going home again (http://www.register-herald.com/homepage/local_story_139235437.html)
D’Antonis’ return to native Mullens a hit
By Dave Morrison
Sports Editor
MULLENS — On the very evening he would find out where his team would draft in the 2009 NBA Draft, New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni was a world away.
Or, he was back home. Where it all started, being celebrated as the returning hero that he was — that he is. Back in Mullens.
The annual Mullens area Chamber of Commerce was the setting.
But it was more of a festive atmosphere, as Mullens past met Mullens present.
And the D’Antoni family was at the center of the event. Billed as “An Evening with the D’Antoni Family” the event drew a huge crowd to Mullens Middle School — formerly Mullens High School — where the championship banners of past hang proudly on the wall.
It had been a decade since he had been home. But for Mike D’Antoni, his older brother Dan, an assistant coach with the Knicks and the patriarch of the family — Lewis, 95 years old, yet not looking it — it was almost like they had been transported back in a time capsule.
“Good times, good memories,” Mike said. “Mullens means so much to our family. My dad only lived here for what, 95 years? It’s been emotional for him. It’s emotional for me. It’s a lot of good people here, good families. I’m extremely proud to be from West Virginia, and to be from Mullens.”
That Mullens is the only town that could pull off an event like Wednesday’s is a given, in that D’Antoni is the only state native coaching in the NBA.
But it goes deeper than that.
“It’s hard to explain,” said Lewis. “I get so emotional. All these people I’ve known for so long, for them to come out ...”
Lewis was the coach at Mullens for 11 years, and by the time his sons were starring for the Rebels — Dan from 1963-1965 and Mike from 1967-69 — he was the school principal.
“We used to get dad’s keys and we’d sneak in here and play,” said Dan, a former high school coach at Socastee High in Myrtle Beach, S.C. “This place was like our second home. It was a great time. A lot of good memories.”
When Mike was starring at Mullens, he was a teammate with Jerome Anderson and both of them made it to the NBA. Anderson went on to win an NBA title, later played with the Pacers and later went to Sweden, where he still lives.
“I don’t know if that has ever happened in West Virginia,” Mike said. “It was a unique situation, a unique time.”
All the D’Antonis reasoned the success of the Mullens program — which had stars like Greg White and Herbie Brooks following them a decade later — came from the families in the small community.
“When I was here (as a kid), the adult population was remarkable,” Dan said. “This entire community raised kids and they were all active in the Little League Baseball program. The playground system here was incredible. Whether it was studying, playing in the band, basketball, people expected us to succeed. You grew up here just knowing you were going to do something great.”
“We’ve all heard, ‘It takes a village,’” Mike said. “That’s what it was here.”
Mike went on to star at Marshall — his brother was his freshman coach — before being drafted in the second round of the NBA draft by the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. He was an all-rookie second-team player and also played with the Spirits of St. Louis (ABA) and the San Antonio Spurs (1977).
After that, he went to Italy and etched a remarkable career and at one time was a player-coach. Always a fan favorite in Italy, he still holds dual American-Italian citizenship.
He was twice Italian coach of the year. After returning to America he did some broadcasting and scouting and was also the coach of the Denver Nuggets for a season.
Later, he had a remarkable run as coach of the Phoenix Suns, after being promoted to head coach in 2003. He was the NBA coach of the year for the 2004-05 season.
Dan D’Antoni was playing in a rec league in Myrtle Beach, S.C., when the principal of Socastee High saw him and asked him if he’d be interested in coaching the local high school team.
In over 30 years there, he accumulated over 500 wins before joining his brother’s coaching staff in Phoenix. He then followed his brother to New York.
The brothers say a bulk of what they coach came directly from Mullens.
D’Antoni favors a high-scoring, fast-paced attack.
“It’s really meshing all the things I learned from my dad and from coach (Don) Nuckols,” Mike said. “It’s no different then what we did. We averaged 90 points at Mullens. We averaged close to 100 at Marshall.”
Lewis, who won a state title before going into the administrative side of the education system, knew his boys would be successful.
I knew they could play basketball and I knew they could coach the game,” said Lewis, who once played minor league baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization and outhit a young Stan Musial one season. “All they needed was the chance. And they got the chance.”
Lewis’ wife Betty Jo always wanted Mike to be “a doctor. He was smart enough. She said she wanted a doctor and a lawyer. My youngest son, Mark (who played for his dad at Chesapeake, Ohio) is a lawyer in Charleston. And my daughter Kathy got a doctorate, in education. So she almost got what she wanted.”
Suffice to say, for the two older D’Antoni boys, the basketball thing is working out just fine.
By the way, the Knicks are drafting seventh.
D’Antonis’ return to native Mullens a hit
By Dave Morrison
Sports Editor
MULLENS — On the very evening he would find out where his team would draft in the 2009 NBA Draft, New York Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni was a world away.
Or, he was back home. Where it all started, being celebrated as the returning hero that he was — that he is. Back in Mullens.
The annual Mullens area Chamber of Commerce was the setting.
But it was more of a festive atmosphere, as Mullens past met Mullens present.
And the D’Antoni family was at the center of the event. Billed as “An Evening with the D’Antoni Family” the event drew a huge crowd to Mullens Middle School — formerly Mullens High School — where the championship banners of past hang proudly on the wall.
It had been a decade since he had been home. But for Mike D’Antoni, his older brother Dan, an assistant coach with the Knicks and the patriarch of the family — Lewis, 95 years old, yet not looking it — it was almost like they had been transported back in a time capsule.
“Good times, good memories,” Mike said. “Mullens means so much to our family. My dad only lived here for what, 95 years? It’s been emotional for him. It’s emotional for me. It’s a lot of good people here, good families. I’m extremely proud to be from West Virginia, and to be from Mullens.”
That Mullens is the only town that could pull off an event like Wednesday’s is a given, in that D’Antoni is the only state native coaching in the NBA.
But it goes deeper than that.
“It’s hard to explain,” said Lewis. “I get so emotional. All these people I’ve known for so long, for them to come out ...”
Lewis was the coach at Mullens for 11 years, and by the time his sons were starring for the Rebels — Dan from 1963-1965 and Mike from 1967-69 — he was the school principal.
“We used to get dad’s keys and we’d sneak in here and play,” said Dan, a former high school coach at Socastee High in Myrtle Beach, S.C. “This place was like our second home. It was a great time. A lot of good memories.”
When Mike was starring at Mullens, he was a teammate with Jerome Anderson and both of them made it to the NBA. Anderson went on to win an NBA title, later played with the Pacers and later went to Sweden, where he still lives.
“I don’t know if that has ever happened in West Virginia,” Mike said. “It was a unique situation, a unique time.”
All the D’Antonis reasoned the success of the Mullens program — which had stars like Greg White and Herbie Brooks following them a decade later — came from the families in the small community.
“When I was here (as a kid), the adult population was remarkable,” Dan said. “This entire community raised kids and they were all active in the Little League Baseball program. The playground system here was incredible. Whether it was studying, playing in the band, basketball, people expected us to succeed. You grew up here just knowing you were going to do something great.”
“We’ve all heard, ‘It takes a village,’” Mike said. “That’s what it was here.”
Mike went on to star at Marshall — his brother was his freshman coach — before being drafted in the second round of the NBA draft by the Kansas City-Omaha Kings. He was an all-rookie second-team player and also played with the Spirits of St. Louis (ABA) and the San Antonio Spurs (1977).
After that, he went to Italy and etched a remarkable career and at one time was a player-coach. Always a fan favorite in Italy, he still holds dual American-Italian citizenship.
He was twice Italian coach of the year. After returning to America he did some broadcasting and scouting and was also the coach of the Denver Nuggets for a season.
Later, he had a remarkable run as coach of the Phoenix Suns, after being promoted to head coach in 2003. He was the NBA coach of the year for the 2004-05 season.
Dan D’Antoni was playing in a rec league in Myrtle Beach, S.C., when the principal of Socastee High saw him and asked him if he’d be interested in coaching the local high school team.
In over 30 years there, he accumulated over 500 wins before joining his brother’s coaching staff in Phoenix. He then followed his brother to New York.
The brothers say a bulk of what they coach came directly from Mullens.
D’Antoni favors a high-scoring, fast-paced attack.
“It’s really meshing all the things I learned from my dad and from coach (Don) Nuckols,” Mike said. “It’s no different then what we did. We averaged 90 points at Mullens. We averaged close to 100 at Marshall.”
Lewis, who won a state title before going into the administrative side of the education system, knew his boys would be successful.
I knew they could play basketball and I knew they could coach the game,” said Lewis, who once played minor league baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization and outhit a young Stan Musial one season. “All they needed was the chance. And they got the chance.”
Lewis’ wife Betty Jo always wanted Mike to be “a doctor. He was smart enough. She said she wanted a doctor and a lawyer. My youngest son, Mark (who played for his dad at Chesapeake, Ohio) is a lawyer in Charleston. And my daughter Kathy got a doctorate, in education. So she almost got what she wanted.”
Suffice to say, for the two older D’Antoni boys, the basketball thing is working out just fine.
By the way, the Knicks are drafting seventh.