Stephens: Hard-headed Eustachy wins 500th game his own way
Saturday was a celebration.
Not the one it could have been.
Not the one we wanted it to be.
Distractions aside, the Rams still mobbed their coach at midcourt.
Five hundred wins. That's a lot; a milestone only two Mountain West coaches (retired Utah State coach Stew Morrill and San Diego State's Steve Fisher) had ever before reached. Larry Eustachy, at 61 years old with 26 seasons of head coaching experience, made it a trio Saturday when CSU beat Air Force 85-58 at Moby Arena.
The crowd that witnessed it wasn't large — 3,243 strong with maybe 150 students — and for them, the coach put on a postgame show, shaking his hips as Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” played over the public address system. Senior guard Gian Clavell gave his dance moves a solid “4.”
It was a temporary reprieve during a season that’s been trying for Eustachy and Colorado State University. From unexplainable losses to Loyola Marymount and Long Beach State to the recent loss of three players to academic ineligibility, dwindling the roster to seven, a fifth year under a veteran coach that started with so much promise has since received black eye after black eye. Fans are questioning leadership and coaches on the outside are left wondering how the Rams got here.
The three suspensions don't set in until Jan. 17 — the first day of the spring semester — and, so far, it hasn't hurt CSU's hope of a Mountain West championship, sitting in second place with a 3-1 conference record. The Rams are a bank-shot of a 3-pointer at the buzzer from having the only undefeated mark in league play.
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No matter how the Rams ultimately fare in a depleted Mountain West this season during their remaining 13 guaranteed games, know this: CSU and Eustachy will recover from this shiner. He always does.
“He’s the most mentally tough person that I’ve ever known in any sport, anywhere," said Leonard Perry, the associate head basketball coach at Pacific who played and coached under Eustachy for more than 20 years. "His mental state of mind is so tough and his will to never be broken is as strong as any human being I’ve ever seen."
He's breathed life into abysmal programs at Utah State and Southern Mississippi. He was the focus of viral college party photos that will never be purged from the Internet. Living as an alcoholic will never be something he jokes about.
His wardrobe is the constant butt of jokes — a black Adidas turtleneck that's since graduated to a black button down — and there is that temper.
Most of the spectacle that is Eustachy's career has been self-inflicted. Alcoholism is a disease, but, as the late comic Mitch Hedberg said, it's the only disease you can be yelled at for having. And everything that has gone wrong in his life, from why he was fired at Iowa State to his current reputation, he’s taken ownership.
Because of that ownership, he’s been able to remain a coaching icon. Along with his stubbornness, which, perhaps, is a greater instrument of his success.
For 26 years, his teams have done two things: play defense and rebound. They’ve often been offensively inept, but for 188 more times than it hasn’t, the approach has worked.
“Simplicity leads to execution. He keeps things simple as a coach, but he demands execution. That’s why his teams have been so consistent at so many schools,” said Furman coach Niko Medved, who spent one season under Eustachy at CSU. “Larry said 90 percent of coaching is to get your kids to play hard. He does that. We can overthink things as coaches, but he keeps it simple. Defense and rebounding. Nothing else.”
Simple. Hard-headed. Foul-mouthed. What he’s known for.
Intelligent. Hilarious. The traits almost no one ever sees and never will.
Eustachy isn’t the most liked person among his fan base. Winning a school-record 27 games in 2014-15 didn’t change that. Popularity within his own administration seems to change with the Colorado wind, most recently blowing cold off the mountain tops following academic issues.
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He’s come to terms with how he is viewed and that the perception, some warranted and some assumed, isn’t likely to change. The steps most coaches would take to rectify that – going to local pubs, fraternizing with students – are out of the question. He’s been Lovable Larry before; it didn’t end well.
“It’s not about 500 wins. It’s about the success and the failures and getting back up. I’m the poster boy for that,” Eustachy said. “That’s fine. The bottom line is, perception is reality, but it’s not to me. I’ve been told who I am by people who I really trust, and it makes me feel good."
Love or hate him, smiling or irate, Eustachy has proven he’s one of the best coaches college basketball has ever seen, and he’s always done it his own way.
“Larry Eustachy is genuine. No pretense. And he’s not what most are,” Fisher said. “He’s who is he is, and that’s a longtime, passionate, exceptional teacher-coach who got in the business long ago, not for fame or money, but because he had a passion for what he’s doing and it shows.
“He’s not afraid to tell you how he feels, but he has your back all the time.”
For insight and analysis on athletics around Northern Colorado and the Mountain West, follow sports editor Matt L. Stephens at twitter.com/mattstephens and facebook.com/stephensreporting.
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Coaches on Eustachy
Tom Izzo, head coach, Michigan State
“I’ve always thought of Larry as one of the best tacticians in our game. There is no question that one of the greatest games I’ve ever been a part of was our Elite Eight matchup at the Palace of Auburn Hills in the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Unfortunately for Larry, he was on the short end that night, but I always look back on that contest as the de facto national championship game. I have great respect for Larry and the way his teams always play with incredible toughness. I offer him my sincere congratulations on reaching his latest coaching milestone.”
Steve Fisher, head coach, San Diego State
“That’s in his DNA. That’s who he is. That’s what he’s grown up with. That’s his belief. That’s what he wears on his sleeves. He’s unafraid, unabashed. He’s a fierce, fierce competitor who never says ‘why me?’ ‘Woe is me’ He says, ‘next play, next game, stay with it.’ It’s called life. (Hard times) happen. Things happen beyond your control and you don’t piss and moan about it. You deal with it the appropriate way and you make it work. That’s what he’s done.”
Niko Medved, head coach, Furman
“Things that happen to him don’t faze him. He has a what’s-next? mentality. The one thing that really struck me with him is when you’re one-on-one with him in a room, he’s really funny. He’s really intelligent. Some of the best moments I had with him was when he was reflective, not just talking about basketball, but life. He sees things for what they are. Because he can do that, he can find a solution and move on. Larry takes pride in that and being a fighter and being his own man.”
Ross Hodge, associate head coach, Arkansas State
“Larry gave me my first Division I coaching job and taught me that basketball is a simple game. I fully believe in coach’s philosophy that the team that wants to win the most and approaches it that way, even if your players aren’t as good as what’s on the other team, that team has a really good chance to win that given night.”
Leonard Perry, associate head coach, Pacific
“My playing days stand out more than anything. I was part of his very first win. This will be his 500th. What a journey?! Only very select guys have been able to accomplish that feat. For him to be able to say that he’s one of them, means he’s one of the best to ever do it.”