Here’s an excerpt from There’s Only One Way To Win, a book Dick wrote about his dad, the legendary Coach Chuck DeVenzio, better known as “Coach DV.” Dick played for his dad in high school, where their undefeated 1967 Ambridge team has been called the best in Pennsylvania history.
- Coach DV and Dick
This piece begins after Dick tells a story of a victory for Coach DV that left him disappointed because one of his athletes gave the officials and the opponent an opportunity to call a foul in a crucial late game situation.
“But that was precisely the kind of thing he would get angry about. He knew things that the reporters didn’t. He knew things that Bigsy and his parents and the fans didn’t know either.
For example, in this scenario, Coach DV knew that Bigsy might very well have fouled the shooter if that shooter had been a cleverer player who knew how to play basketball. The shooter that Bigsy had missed by four feet hadn’t really thought of drawing a foul. He was just trying to get three more points for himself in the post-game box score. But what if the player had been a bit faster and stronger, a real winner, the kind of kid who looked for an edge and would try to suck a big, clumsy kid like Bigsy into fouling him? What if they had been playing against a Joe Petruny, the little point guard who had handled the ball for Coach DV for three years, who knew how to think the game? Petruny would easily have been able to get Bigsy to foul him. What no one but Coach DV really understood was that Bigsy had been willing to get in the way and willing to foul; he just hadn’t had the opportunity. The opposing player hadn’t given him the opportunity to make the mistake he was willing to make.
This was another cornerstone of Coach DV’s insight into basketball. Most players are very willing to make mistakes, but you have to give them the opportunity to make the mistakes they are willing to make. It gets to sound almost like double talk, but it made perfect sense to Coach DV.
If you fail to apply pressure to a poor ball handling team, they are not going to make all the turnovers they are willing to make. If you fail to play at a feverish pace, the other team is not going to get the opportunity to show they are in poor physical condition.
There were dozens of obvious points like that. Coach DV understood them all in the moment, and they guided every move he made. If fans and players went home thinking he was crazy for the way he yelled at his team after a victory and the way he chewed out a kid who hadn’t gotten within four feet of fouling at the end, so be it. They didn’t understand the game the way he understood it. They didn’t understand the true meaning of excellence and consistency.”
Dan Slain (Observing Coach)
Being born and raised in Pittsburgh, I had the pleasure of watching Coach DV’s 1967 Ambridge team go undefeated and win the state title that year. It was a team loaded with Division 1 talent: Dick DeVenzio (Duke); Dennis Wuycik (North Carolina) and Frank Kaufmann (Purdue). But what impressed me the most as a fan and what motivated me the most as a high school player at that time while watching this juggernaut beat opponent after opponent that season, was how poised and in total control on the court the point guard (Dick DeVenzio) was for the Ambridge H.S. team. They were an outstanding team, but Dick DeVenzio made his teammates even better as their leader. Even though he was not tall in size, Dick DeVenzio always played “BIG” in “BIG” games because he was always one step ahead of his opponent….not only because he was quick off the dribble, but most importantly, because he was also mentally quick and his basketball savvy always put him one step ahead as well. Dick DeVenzio was born to play and to teach the game of basketball. He was the epitome of what a point guard should be and the “gold standard” by which other PG’s were measured during his playing days at Ambridge H.S. and at Duke University and the way he played the PG position still holds true today 45 years later. It’s great to see Dick DeVenzio’s legacy and his teachings carried on by Dena, Mano and the entire PGC team as they teach and inspire players who aspire to become complete players in the game of basketball.
Hi Dan, what a great story. I hope everyone takes the time to read this. I love what you said about poise, its huge and something that comes from thoughtful mental preparation and development. I also appreciated what you said about the timelessness of Dick’s approach to the game of basketball. There are millions of coaches, camps, and books but few last into as many generations as Dick’s has. That says something. And I am certainly honored to be a part of it. Thank you for your thoughtful response Dan.