UPJ coach garners 500th win
A conversation with Bob Rukavina feels more like a journey through time. The Pitt-Johnstown basketball coach tells of a broken-down bus in Virginia, an unexpected run-in with a legendary district coach, an upset of epic proportions in his first season at UPJ ...
It has been 31 years, 503 victories and countless memories for a man affectionately known as “Ruk,” a man who is beloved by the hundreds of young men who have called him Coach.
One such example is Jordan Medich of Norwin High, who played for Rukavina from 2005-2010. He still feels the impact of his mentor ... a decade later.
“The drive and work ethic coach Rukavina instilled in me through UPJ athletics has carried over into my business life,” said Medich, a project manager at the ground improvement contractor in Carnegie, Menard Group USA. “Being a walk-on and him giving me opportunity through scholarship developed me as a young professional and taught me that, through hard work and dedication, will eventually come reward.”
One of the best of all time at UPJ, Nick Novak of Franklin Regional (UPJ, 2009-13), amplified on Medich’s plaudits.
“I was blessed to have the opportunities to play seven years of pro ball in Europe,” said Novak, who left UPJ ranked No. 2 in scoring and No. 3 assists. “I’ve played for guys from all over the world. Nobody is better to play for than coach Ruk.”
On Jan. 18, Rukavina was doing what he does best: Winning. This time, it took on added meaning because it was the 500th of his career.
The team UPJ beat that evening — Slippery Rock — was the same one the Mountain Cats upset in Rukavina’s first year in 1989-90. Back then, The Rock was ranked No. 2 in Division II, had beaten UPJ by 44 points weeks earlier and was led by future NBA player Myron Brown.
A young Rukavina, a Verona native, never flinched.
He implored his players to hold the ball for as long as possible on each offensive possession.
They did.
And they won . ... And they’ve kept on winning.
His career record of 503-347 is highlighted by four trips to the NCAA tournament, seven 20-win seasons and numerous Coach of the Year honors.
For perspective, consider the Mountain Cats had endured 10 consecutive losing seasons prior to Rukavina’s arrival.
“When I heard I was closing in on 500 wins, I didn’t think much of it,” said Rukavina, whose current team is 17-4, 11-3 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. “But as it got closer and people started talking about it, the thing that I thought about the most was all of the guys that I’ve coached in all of those games over all of those years. I’m close with just about everybody I’ve coached. I still talk to everybody. It’s amazing how fast time goes by. Winning the 500th game wasn’t that big of a deal to me. But the memories ... the great memories from all of those wins mean a lot.”
Through the years, Rukavina, 62, has had opportunities to leave UPJ for perceived better jobs. He twice interviewed at Division I Saint Francis (Pa.). However, his devotion to UPJ is undeniable.
“It’s the right place for me,” said Rukavina, whose teams annually rank among the best in Division II in field-goal percentage. “Love it here.”
That would explain why Rukavina has driven 130 miles roundtrip from his home in Lower Burrell to Johnstown for 31 years. That computes to 780 miles per week — and nearly 30,000 miles a year.
Stunning? Maybe for some. But for Rukavina, it’s another day at the office. Literally.
“I make a lot of recruiting calls, because it’s a good time to do it,” Rukavina said of the 2½-hour roundtrips. “And I always carry a notebook, so I’ll write down what I want to do in practice. I just have to make sure I don’t forget anything at home or at the office, because I can’t turn around to get them.”
Rukavina laughed after making the last statement. It is something the affable coach does often. He especially perks up when regaling others with stories. (There are plenty after three decades).
One involves former Saint Vincent College coach Bernie Matthews. Known for his fiery nature, Matthews once berated Rukavina for allegedly yelling at one of Matthews’ injured players.
Problem was, Matthews’ ire was misdirected.
“He was intense, he was around my dad’s age,” Rukavina said. “I’m confused. He saw me yelling — which I was, at one of my guys — and he started screaming at me. I’m thinking, ‘I like Bernie, we get along. What’s going on here?’ I explained to him later that I wasn’t yelling at his guy. It’s funny now, but maybe not at that moment.”
There was also the unplanned bus stop in Longwood, Va. Rukavina’s assistant, Andy Helton (now the associate head coach at Saint Francis), suggested a “shortcut” around the interstate and through the mountains. Bad idea. The bus got stuck in ice while navigating an S curve. Several UPJ players from the inner city were not amused.
“A couple of the guys jumped off the bus, then they jumped right back into it,” Rukavina said, laughing. “They said, ‘Coach, let’s not get off. Not here’ We eventually had to get towed.”
The husband of wife Sharon (a retired Riverview teacher) and the father of son Nick (a UPJ sophomore who runs track and serves as a basketball team manager), Rukavina anxiously awaits an alumni event that could draw upwards of 100 of his former players on Feb. 8. He has personally contacted each of them.
“It might be the biggest alumni gathering any school has ever had,” he said, pridefully.
There could be more such gatherings in the future, because Rukavina plans to keep doing what he does best: Coaching, winning and forming unbreakable bonds with his players.
“I haven’t thought about retirement,” he said. “Of my top seven guys this season, six are sophomores. They’re pretty good. So, I don’t plan on going anywhere. I still love what I’m doing.”
At UPJ, they love him back. “Once you play for coach Ruk,” Novak said, “he will always be a part of your life.”