Nov. 10, 1964 - Former University of Detroit basketball star Dave DeBusschere (pictured #22), named head coach of the Detroit Pistons today, said he probably will continue the current lineup for a while, including keeping himself as a starting forward.
Charley Wolf was fired as head coach of the NBA team and replaced immediately by DeBusschere, a 24-year-old third-year NBA player. DeBusschere will serve as an interim coach.
DeBusschere, who pitches in the Chicago White Sox organization in the baseball season, averaged 12.7 points a game his rookie NBA season. A broken foot kept him out of all but 15 games last year. He is the youngest-ever coach in league history.
DeBusschere, reached at Philadelphia, said the appointment was “quite a surprise. I really haven’t had time to think much about it yet.
“I’ll coach as long as it doesn’t hurt my playing. Let’s face it. At my age, my future is still as a player, and my value is primarily as a player. There will be no drastic changes. I’d like to coach the way Al Lopez manages the White Sox, realizing that we are all pros and want to be treated as pros.”
Wolf came to the Pistons at the start of the 1963-64 season. The team won 23 and lost 57 and finished last in the NBA’s Western Division. They have lost nine and won two this year.
“I heard about it from a newspaperman,” said Wolf today. “It wasn’t a complete surprise. The thing that aggravated me was the way it was handled. Imagine, they wanted me to sign a paper of resignation, that I was doing so for the good of the team, my family, etc. The whole country knew I was going to be fired, so how could I resign?
“How DeBusschere will do as a coach is strictly a guess. He is a highly promising player and has a fine bunch of players to work with. They’re still trying to find themselves, still trying to get the kinks out.”
Wolf scoffed at reports of dissension among the players — “absolutely untrue,” he said. “They gave me exceptional cooperation. If anything, they hustled too much and made mistakes that beat them. Remember, eight of their first 11 games were played on the road, and four of those were against Boston.”
Wattrick, a 54-year-old Detroit sports and radio personality, was given the newly created job of executive manager yesterday by owner Fred Zollner. In Fort Wayne, Ind., Zollner said Wattrick is acting on his own initiative in team matters.
“Last year, Wattrick was only broadcast pro basketball,” scoffed Wolf. “Now, he’s an expert. I knew he was real close with Don Ohl and Bob Ferry, and he was unhappy when I traded them.”
Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s
Comentarios