Crum built Louisville into hoops power
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Denny Crum took everything he learned from legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden, added his personal touch and built his own sparkling legacy at Louisville.
Crum, who won two NCAA championships and turned the Cardinals into one of the most dominant programs of the 1980s during a career that led to him being inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (1994) and the College Basketball Hall of Fame (2006), died Tuesday. He was 86.
The school announced Crum’s death in a release after being informed by his wife, Susan. No cause was given, but Crum had battled an extended illness. He had a mild stroke in August 2017 while fishing in Alaska and another two years ago.
Nicknamed “Cool Hand Luke” because of his cool, unflinching sideline demeanor — legend has it he never uttered a curse word — Crum retired in March 2001 after 30 seasons at Louisville with 675 victories, which ranked 15th all-time then, and championships in 1980 and 1986. A native of the Los Angeles area and a disciple of the legendary Wooden, Crum often wore a red sport coat and waved a rolled-up program and stat sheet like a bandleader’s baton as he directed Louisville to 23 NCAA tourney appearances and six Final Four trips.
The second half of his tenure was not nearly as successful as the first, however, as Louisville endured two separate NCAA investigations and never returned to the Final Four after Crum’s second championship season. He accepted a $7 million buyout in March 2, 2001 — his 64th birthday — and was replaced by Rick Pitino, the former coach of Louisville rival Kentucky and another eventual Hall of Famer who guided the Cardinals to the program’s third NCAA title in 2013, which the governing body later forced them to vacate after a sex scandal was uncovered.
Nonetheless, when Crum was inducted into the Naismith Hall, it was with Wooden, his college coach and longtime mentor at his side. Crum had 11 more overall wins and 55 more than his most influential adviser amassed while coaching the Bruins to 10 NCAA titles.
UCLA mourned Crum in a release that noted his 1990 induction into its athletics hall and achievements as a
Bruins player and coach.
Crum remained a beloved, revered and respected presence around Louisville whose legacy has been recognized in many ways. He frequently attended Cardinals games played on the KFC Yum! Center home court bearing his name and signature, and he was present for the September 2022 dedication of Denny Crum Hall, a new campus dormitory for athletes and students.
“You try to remember all of the things that you did, things that happened,” Crum said at a February 2020 ceremony honoring the 1980 title team. “Some was bad, but most of it good. It just makes you really proud that you were a part of it.”
Crum had a front-row seat in March 2022 for the introduction of one of his former players, Kenny Payne, as Cardinals coach. There were plenty of Crum’s other pupils present to not only support Payne but enjoy another meeting with their mentor and friend on and off the court.
Payne expressed prayers for Crum’s family and called his former coach a true treasure who gave so much to the school and community.
“Today is a sad day for me personally, as well as the basketball world,” Payne said in a released statement. “My
thoughts go through all the lessons that he taught, not just to me, but every player he ever came in contact with. … Rest in peace, Coach. You touched so many. Well done.”
A native of San Fernando, California, Crum played guard for two seasons at Los Angeles’ Pierce Junior College before transferring to UCLA in 1956. The Bruins went 38-14 in Crum’s two seasons as a player.
He briefly served as a graduate assistant to Wooden before coaching Pierce in the mid-1960s.
Wooden hired Crum as his assistant and chief recruiter in 1968, when the Bruins were in the midst of their dynastic run to 10 NCAA titles. Crum is credited with luring Bill Walton to UCLA, and the Bruins went 86-4 and won three NCAA titles during Crum’s three seasons there.
Crum succeeded John Dromo as Louisville’s coach on April 17, 1971, but Wooden figured his former assistant would soon return to succeed him.
“Denny was so good that I knew I wasn’t going to keep him very long,” Wooden told the Courier Journal of Louisville back then. “I was pleased when he got the job at Louisville. I had always hoped when I retired that he’d be the one to succeed me, but he left and proved to be just what I thought he was.”
Huggins gets punished
West Virginia men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins has agreed to a three-game suspension, a $1 million salary reduction and sensitivity training for using a homophobic slur during a radio interview, the university announced Wednesday.
The agreement allows Huggins to keep his job as the school’s coach, but the blunder will leave a lasting mark on his career.
School president Gordon Gee and athletic director Wren Baker said in a joint statement that the university has “made it explicitly clear to Coach Huggins that any incidents of similar derogatory and offensive language will result in immediate termination.”
Under the agreement, Huggins and all current and future athletics coaching staff will be required to undergo training that will be developed by the university’s LGBTQ+ Center to address all aspects of inequality, including homophobia, transphobia and sexism. Huggins also will be required to meet with LGBTQ+ leaders from across the state.
Under the agreement, Huggins’ salary of $4.15 million will be reduced by $1 million. That reduction will be used to directly support WVU’s LGBTQ+ Center, as well as a mental health center at the university and other groups that support marginalized communities.
Huggins will be suspended for the first three games of the 2023-24 season. In addition, his contract will be amended from a multiyear agreement to a yearby-year contract that will begin on May 10 of this year and end on April 30, 2024.
“Over the past 48 hours, I have reflected on the awful words that I shared on a radio program earlier this week,” Huggins said in a separate statement Wednesday. “I deeply regret my actions, the hurt they unfairly caused others and the negative attention my words have brought to West Virginia University.
“West Virginia and West Virginia University are my home. I love this University and know first-hand that the education and experiences students receive here make a difference. I am truly sorry for the damage I have done. And I am grateful for the chance to move forward in a way that positively represents this University and our state.”
Huggins used the slur to refer to Xavier fans on Monday while also denigrating Catholics during an appearance on Cincinnati radio station WLW.
Rodman to Southern Cal
LOS ANGELES — The University of Southern California’s basketball roster is getting more star-studded by the moment.
The Trojans had already landed Bronny James, son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. Now, D.J. Rodman has announced on social media that he’s transferring to USC, which confirmed his addition on Wednesday.
The son of NBA rebounding great Dennis Rodman played the past four seasons at Washington State. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while starting 30 of 31 games for the Cougars last season.
Rodman graduated with a degree in communications. He will take advantage of an NCAA rule allowing an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic to play for the Trojans, close to his hometown of Newport Beach.
Coach Andy Enfield on Wednesday also said the Trojans have received a signed national letter of intent from James. The guard announced on his social media last weekend that he had committed to the Trojans, and his father discussed it after a playoff victory.