Vanier basketball coach Hertzog calls it a career after 32 years, 761 wins
Victories aside — and there were hundreds over the course of three decades — Andy Hertzog is most proud of the lives he helped mould during his legendary coaching career at Vanier College.
“The kids themselves were the most important things, not the wins or championships,” Hertzog said. “I'm proud of the overwhelming percentage who played university ball, most on scholarships. So many have had productive lives, great jobs and terrific families.”
The St-laurent based CEGEP announced last week that Hertzog, 62, was retiring from coaching basketball following 32 years, although he'll remain associated with the program as a liaison. He became head coach of the school's Division II men's team in 1988, before being promoted to Division I in 2000. He retires with 761 victories, six RSEQ provincial titles and one national championship in 2011, the first the Cheetahs captured since 1987.
Hertzog was named the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association coach of the year in 2018-19 after guiding Vanier to a 16-0 record.
The Pierrefonds resident actually has coached 42 of the last 43 years — he distanced himself from the sport during his first year of law school — serving stints at Chomedey High School, his alma mater, and Sun Youth. Hertzog owns his own law practice and, while walking away from sports, isn't ready to quit his day job as a litigator.
Hertzog took a sabbatical last year due to health-related issues. He said he no longer has the energy or time to coach and would like to travel.
He also believes his assistant coach the last five years — Feras Saaida — is ready to replace him, although the coronavirus pandemic might well cancel the RSEQ basketball season.
While Hertzog never considered himself a disciplinarian, and rarely raised his voice, he was a demanding coach who believed in old-school behaviour.
“I'm weird about a lot of things,” he said.
For example, any player who didn't say please would be ignored. Similarly if he didn't say thank you. Anyone using foul language was ordered immediately to do 10 pushups and Hertzog said he corrected their grammar more often than did some teachers.
“I wanted them to sound intelligent in a job interview,” he said.
While Hertzog had to evolve as a coach over the years, and has seen the game go through its share of changes, the essence of dealing with teenagers, he said, has remained largely constant.
“They know what you're about pretty quick,” he said. “They'll know if you care and are there for them; there for their best interests. If they know you care about them you can ask a lot of them — and they'll be prepared to give.”
But Hertzog said the average player's attention span has become much shorter. About 20 years ago, during a timeout, Hertzog said he might review five or six items. Now, that has been reduced to one or two.
“For the most part, kids are kids,” he said. “If you're tough but fair and reasonable, listen and respect them, you'll earn their respect.”
Dwayne Buckley, who attended Vanier from 2001-04, noted the influence Hertzog had on his career.
“He's actually the first coach that really gave me a chance after high school,” said Buckley, 37, a basketball trainer who works closely with his brother, Damian, who's an assistant coach at Concordia University.
“He just knew how to motivate me to get me to play my best. He was a very integral part of my career.
“He was very open to the players he had,” Buckley added. “He was more of a players' coach. Some coaches are stuck to their system. The players have to play their system. He based his system around the players he had.”
For example, Vanier recently had many big men, so the team was able to play more inside. But the game has become more guard-oriented and athletic, Hertzog said, and quicker due to the 24-second shot clock.
Hertzog wouldn't name players who have had lasting effects on him, or those he might be most proud of. Two of his most recent success stories include Karim Mané, who signed with the NBA'S Orlando Magic this year, and Pierre- Olivier Racine, who is playing in the NCAA for Fairleigh Dickinson in Teaneck, N.J.
“A few hundred players stand out,” Hertzog said. “I'm proud of so many for so many different reasons.”