Coach remembered for helping others
Ivan Rabb made the gamewinning free throw, Bishop O’DowdOakland boys basketball fans stormed Haas Pavilion and head coach Lou Richie had one prevailing thought: “Call Coach.” The Dragons had beaten Mater DeiSanta Ana 6564 to win the 2015 state Open Division title, 27 years after O’Dowd thought it had won the Division I crown by one point over Manual ArtsLos Angeles on a lastsecond shot by Richie.
Instead, the floater was waved off for basket interference and Richie, celebrating frantically at midcourt with his coach Mike Phelps, was left heartbroken. They both were.
Thus, almost three decades later, Richie wanted that horrible memory finally erased for Phelps.
“I found a hall as soon as possible and dialed his number,” Richie said. “‘Coach, we did it, we did it,’ I told him. I wanted so bad to win for him and his legacy.”
Richie said Monday, if he didn’t know before that phone call, he knew right then that Phelps didn’t care about his own legacy.
“He was just so happy for us, for me, and all the coaches and players who put so much into the game,” Richie said. “As I thought about it then and now, he never talked about wins and losses. Or championships. Ever. He was all about growing people together from all backgrounds. Helping young people live productive lives. Helping peers, all the young and great coaches alike in the area, grow the game of basketball.”
Many of those coaching standouts, along with friends, family and more than 50 former players gathered Monday at Assumption Catholic Church in San Leandro to pay tribute to Phelps, who died Oct. 2 from complications from Parkinson’s disease and dementia. He was 74.
Approximately 400 overall attended the 3.5hour service, which included close to two hours of storytelling for a coach who left the game in 2003 as the winningest in California history with 843 victories against 196 defeats. He currently ranks sixth.
SalesianRichmond’s Bill Mellis, St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda’s Don Lippi, former De La SalleConcord coach Frank Allocco and former Riordan and Half Moon Bay coach Rich Forslund — state champions all — were among those who shared memories.
“Pound for pound, the best basketball coach in the Bay Area,” said Lippi. “If you played Mike’s teams, you better be ready to play with intensity. They took only good shots, and they defended with excellence.”
Allocco, now an associate athletic director at USF, said Phelps helped him get started in high school coaching at NorthgateWalnut Creek, where he eventually won a state crown before winning two more at De La Salle.
“He let us in the summer league, and, wow, you had to be so well drilled offensively and defensively to compete against him,” Allocco said. “He was both a very gentle man and very intense. He was an elevator guy, always raising others up.”
In 31 seasons at St. Joseph and O’Dowd, he won 24 league titles and 13 North Coast Section crowns as well as the first CIF State D1 championship in 1981 while with the Dragons.
As iconic as his career on the court was, he left amid turmoil in 2003. The same season he became the state leader in victories, he was placed on paid administrative leave after pleading not guilty to molestation charges from an incident in 1966.
The case never went to trial due to California’s statute of limitations, but he was never again allowed to coach at the high school level.
He coached from 200609 at Cal State East Bay with former Bishop O’Dowd, Stanford and UC Davis standout Sara Lillevand, now a Piedmont city administrator.
She was one of the four eulogists Monday, along with former assistant coaches Mike Bannister and Tony Freccero, and Lippi.
Bannister, who has coached at O’Dowd for 32 years, said Phelps’ gifts were in the minute details and intricacies of the game. A math teacher, Phelps utilized analytics long before they were in fashion.
“He had a passion for the X’s and O’s, but more so it was his ability to bring kids from all different backgrounds to come together,” Bannister said.
Among those were former NBA player and coach Brian Shaw and Tony Ronzone, the director of player personnel for the Dallas Mavericks, who called Phelps a father figure.
“Coach Phelps helped shape me to be the person I am today,” Ranzone wrote on his memorial page. “His care and love for everyone he touched will always be remembered.”
Wrote former player Dale Noleroth: “He had such an influence on me as a person. My understanding of teamwork, hard work, discipline, attention to detail, being able to accomplish more than I thought, and being a part of something bigger than myself.”
Forslund, who won a state title at Riordan, befriended Phelps after he left O’Dowd, often visiting at his San Leandro home. “I was struck by his absolute generosity,” Forslund said. “Every time I visited he had binders of coaching material to show. He was so willing to share everything. Mike has always been a coach I’ve tried to emulate. His teams were not only expertly coached, but they were classy. Just like Mike.”
Said Richie: “He was just a great, loving, humble and caring person. He did so many incredible things to help improve so many lives. He sure lifted mine.”
MaxPreps senior writer Mitch Stephens covers high school sports for The San Francisco Chronicle.