Past and present coaches have plenty to teach us. LaSalle's Ken Loeffler is a great example of an outspoken coach from the 1950's and 1960's whose wisdom transcends time. He coached Tom Gola, one of the top collegiate players in history.
His teams won the NIT in 1952, the NCAA championship in 1954, and were runnerup to the Dons (and Bill Russell) in 1955.
After losing a game at NC State, Loeffler remarked, "This is the biggest steal since the Louisiana Purchase." He considered himself confident, but many in the coaching community found him arrogant. "Coaching is no popularity contest" and "I've never said anything that I didn't believe" were two of his other notable quotes. After Utah ended his team's twenty-one game winning streak at Madison Square Garden, the irascible Loeffler groused, "I'm sick and tired of losing."
- Loeffler believed in two types of mistakes - intelligent mistakes (good decision with failed execution) and wild mistakes (poor decisions).
- Loeffler wrote a letter to referee Phil Fox (whom he felt persecuted by in the NC State loss) and pledged to film all fouls and distribute the images in 'coaching schools' and 'demonstrations'. Despite Fox's protests, Loeffler didn't back down, and furthermore, felt he subsequently got fair but not favored treatment from Fox.
- He believed in "incentive basketball"; "each man is required to execute every skill: screening, shooting, flash-pivot play, and rebounding...he is not a supporting actor. He too is a king."
- "...three distinctive elements necessary to make up a prime college prospect: namely, 1) extreme size, 2) extreme mobility, and 3) extreme shooting ability." That's the reality check that we can introduce to our 'families'. He believed that zone defenses impaired the ability to judge player's overall game.
- He believed in teaching "when to shoot and when not to" before discussing mechanics.
- Without the ball, your role varies...from setting up yourself with cuts, to teammates by screening, or simply occupying a defender to prevent help or double-teaming.
- Loeffler was not a believer in a "set pivot" focused offense. He argued the following: excess combination of intercepted passes to the pivot, missed shots from the pivot, poor rebounding position of the pivot man, and tendency to induce "watching" from other players. He preferred a "flash pivot" off a fake or screen.
