wsucatfan said:
Here is another easy one, but a interesting one.
Weber State is the only school to appear in the NCAA Tournament under two coaches who later became NBA coaches of the year. Who are the two coaches?
A. Dick Motta: WSU coach 1963-1968, our first D1 coach.
record: 98-29, 3 big sky titles
Motta went on to the NBA and even earned NBA Coach-of-the-year honors. Former Chicago Bulls, Washinton Bullets, Dallas Mavericks, and Sacramento Kings coach, Dick Motta patrolled the WSU sidelines from 1960-1968 (JC & DI). Motta left WSU to become head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1969 and in 1970 he was Coach-of-the-Year.
Motta is one of the winningiest coaches in NBA history and never even made the high school bball team.
The first year of WSU being a DI was 1964 and WSU was the first ever school to go straight from the junior college rankings to DI.
B. Phil Johnson, Utah Jazz current assistant, WSU coach 1968-1971
record: 68-16 84%, 3 big sky titles
Johnson, was NBA Coach-of-the-Year in 1974 with the Kansas City Kings. Johnson coached WSU's 15-0 (27-3 overall) 1969 team. Only 2 teams in the history of the Big Sky have ever gone undefeated, both were WSU - 1969 and 2003. Johnson has the highest winning percentage (84%) in Big Sky history.
NBA draftees during the WSU Motta and Johnson days:
1966 Jerry Trice Baltimore Bullets
1966 Gene Visscher Baltimore Bullets
1968 Dan Sparks Cincinnati Royals
1969 Larry Bergh Chicago Bulls
1969 Justus Thigpen San Diego Rockets
1971 Willie Sojourner Virginia Squires
7 for 10
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