Blast From The Past: Coach Lee Rose

That is arguably the best way to describe Coach Lee Rose's Purdue career. After all, in just two years as the Boilermaker head coach Rose won 50 games, a Big Ten title (1979) and took the Boilermakers all the way to the 1980 Final Four.

Rose, now 68 and living in Charlotte, N.C., remembers his Purdue days fondly. His time is still kept very busy in the sport he loves - basketball. He serves as a supervisor to coaches in the NBA's development league, the NBDL. Most of the teams are in the Southeast, so his travel schedule is still relatively reasonable for a guy looking to spend time with his children, grandchildren and beloved wife of 46 years, Eleanor.

"This job is pretty satisfying," said Rose, who has worked in several capacities with the NBA since he left college coaching in 1986 and also spends time speaking to groups about the world of basketball and life. "I've been speaking to students in the poorer regions of the state about the importance of staying in school and getting, at a minimum, a high school degree. It's been a great experience, but one that leaves you exhausted. The needs of Appalachian children are great where there is both physical and mental poverty."

Rose has also authored a book "The Basketball Handbook" and has a website Coachleerose.com. He has kept his eye on Purdue over the years and still has relationships with friends in West Lafayette. Coincidentally, Rose was in town visiting some close friends the weekend of Coach Gene Keady's final Mackey Arena appearance against Minnesota Feb. 26.

"I had an offer to go to the game, but thought it best that I stay home," Rose said. "Coach Keady had an unbelievable career at Purdue and you can't help but be impressed with what he accomplished. As competitive as he is, I am sure the last year was difficult for him."

Rose knows a thing or two about being competitive. His style was a little less "in your face" compared to Keady's, but his desire to win was as keen.

"I was so fortunate to coach such competitive players; players willing to buy into the philosophy that the team comes first," Rose said. "I've always found in coaching that a mixture of excellent players, who are good students, with good character, makes for good teams and great experiences. We were truly blessed with athletes with these attributes."

Rose was also smart enough to build his Purdue teams around 7-foot-1 center Joe Barry Carroll. The All-American pivotman had a special relationship with his former coach.

"Coach Rose was the reason for the success," Carroll said recently. "When he came to Purdue he made it clear that they were going to bring the ball to me and that I had a responsibility to be productive with this charge. We were a great team that way.

"Coach (Fred) Schaus (Rose's predecessor) came to Purdue (from the Los Angeles Lakers) to kind of retire. We had some talented guys to be sure, and Coach Schaus let us play. But, unfortunately that doesn't work over the course of a season.

"Coach Rose established a whole discipline about basketball, the classroom ... everything," Carroll added. "I never thought too much about academics and all the pieces to the puzzle until Coach Rose got to Purdue and that was great for me."

There was no shot clock or three-point line in those days. For the first time since before the days of Coach Ward "Piggy" Lambert, the Boilermakers were a half-court team. Most every possession went through Carroll. The slower play that Rose implemented took some time for the Boilermaker faithful, who had been used to fast-break basketball since the strategy had been invented, but the winning was always welcome.

The 1979-80 team, which finished 23-10 overall, 11-7 in the Big Ten (third place), had more than enough complementary players to Carroll to get the job done. The Denver native poured in 22.3 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest which was a good place to start, but sophomore guard Keith Edmonson (13.5 points per game) and junior forward Drake Morris (11.1) added some offensive punch. Power forward Arnette Hallman (5.9 rebounds per outing) was as good a leaper as anyone to wear a Boilermaker uniform. Point guard Brian Walker (169 total assists in 1979-80) steadied the ship from the point.

The Boilermakers weren't deep, but Mike "Scooby Doo" Scearce and Steve Walker (Brian's brother) added some punch up front and Kevin Stallings was a capable backup at the point and two-guard.

Rose remembers the team having some peaks and valleys but coming together at the right time. The Boilermakers were aided by playing the first two games at home in Mackey Arena in the 1980 NCAA Tournament. The victory over Indiana, however, in the Mideast Regional Semifinal in Lexington, Ky., will be remembered as one of the greatest moments in Boilermaker hoops history.

It had extra meaning to Purdue fans and players alike because the Hoosiers had upset the Boilermakers the year before in the 1979 NIT Finals in Madison Square Garden. It was a bitter defeat for Rose and his team that kept them hungry for the entire 1979-80 season.

Rose saved one of his best locker room speeches for the battle with IU. His deliberate delivery, which remains to this day, was much like a Southern preacher which is not surprising since he hailed from Lexington, Ky. He cut his coaching teeth as a coach at Transylvania (in Lexington) and North Carolina-Charlotte, where he led the 49ers to the 1977 Final Four.

"We had some unfinished business against Indiana," said Rose, who remains one of just 11 coaches to take two different teams to the Final Four. "Our players lived with that defeat for the whole summer, and we said that wasn't going to happen again. You can say that in the fall, but when all of a sudden you are confronted with the possibility of playing them again in the NCAA Tournament, it is no time to run and hide, it is a time to stand up."

Purdue stepped up in a big way and destroyed Indiana winning 76-69 in a game that wasn't even that close. IU Coach Bob Knight sat on the bench motionless with his head in his hands for much of the second half.

"Our guys felt like we should have won the game in New York, why shouldn't we feel like we couldn't beat them on a neutral court?" Rose said.

The Boilermakers advanced to the Final Four and were beaten by UCLA in the national semifinal. Rose said his team never got up to speed for the Bruins.

"Due to exams that week, we were never able to have our entire team together for a practice," Rose recalled. "But that is what college is supposed to be all about in terms of getting it done in the classroom, so I have no regrets."

Rose admits to this day it bothers him that UCLA had to vacate its victory over Purdue due to NCAA violations and yet there was no retribution available for his team.

Less than two weeks after the season, Rose was off to a new coaching opportunity for a fledging program at the University of South Florida.

It surprised many Boilermaker faithful that Rose would leave Purdue for a smaller school. After all, USF was just getting started with its hoops program. There were rumors about Rose's desire to leave Purdue before the end of the season, but it was unbeknownst to the team.

Rose was never totally comfortable at Purdue. And he shared an often distant relationship with some in the Boilermaker administration. At the time of his departure, he publicly stated he wanted to leave for Tampa because of better weather, a chance to be closer to family and an opportunity to coach in the Sun Belt Conference, a league he helped to bring to stature at UNC-Charlotte.

The truth probably lies somewhere in between. He had a good friendship with football coach Jim Young, but wasn't always happy to take a backseat to Young's football program which was in the middle of three consecutive bowl trips. Rose was also struggling to build relationships with in-state high school basketball coaches who were smitten with Knight. He was also offered a yearly contract worth $86,000 for the USF job, which at the time was a fair chunk of change.

Rose led the Bulls to three NIT appearances in six years before heading off to a two decade career in the NBA as an assistant coach with San Antonio, New Jersey, Milwaukee and Charlotte in addition to a six-year stint in the front office as director of player personnel with the Bucks.

"I am blessed to have had a great career in the game I love, and part of my positive experience was my time at Purdue," Rose said. "I met some great people there."