Coach Tom Penders remembers walking up three flights of stairs to his George Washington basketball office.
Every step was a task considering the heart problems Penders hid; he once even registered under a fake name at a hospital when he was considering a transplant. His doctors advised him to retire; Penders even pondered it in 1998. But then GW athletic director Jack Kvancz spent four days coercing his boyhood friend to succeed Mike Jarvis at a program primed for success.
“At GW, I was really there without the approval of my doctors,” Penders said. “They really wanted me to get out of coaching. I’d rather die coaching than doing nothing.”
So Penders kept going despite needing a defibrillator (it once caused blood to drip from his chest to his shoe during a game) and medicines that often zapped his energy. Penders still loved the game. GW reached the 1999 NCAA tournament under Penders before two mediocre seasons sent him to yet another career stop.
“Dead Coach Walking: Tom Penders Surviving and Thriving in College Hoops” by Penders and Dallas writer Steve Richardson details 36 seasons, seven teams, 648 victories and 11 NCAA tournament appearances by “Turnaround Tom.”
“For the fan, the book’s an inside look at what really goes on in college basketball,” Penders said. “The only active coach who hints at anything is [Maryland’s] Gary Williams. He talked an awful lot about the AAU thing, and he’s right on the money. So many AAU programs now are pimping players in hopes of making money and later on being involved in the agent process.”
Penders, 65, retired after leading Houston to the NCAA tournament last year. His final game was a first-round loss to Maryland. He’s now “tinkering” with radio and considering an NBA scouting job while splitting time between Houston and Rhode Island.
And maybe looking for one more coaching job.
“I would never say never because [Connecticut’s Jim] Calhoun’s three years older than me and [Syracuse’s Jim] Boeheim’s two years older. Gary’s six months older than me. Those guys keeping winning.
“It might happen this summer when I feel, ‘Why not?’?”
March Madness always makes old coaches feel young. Penders’ odyssey from Tufts to Columbia, Fordham, Rhode Island, Texas, GW and Houston brought a flood of memories.
“You always remember the championships,” Penders said. “That [first] year [at GW] was fun. Building a real team, there’s nothing like that. Sometimes it’s late February before it comes together. You learn it’s more important to trust each other than what offense you’re running.”
Penders’ book isn’t tactful when he writes about the sport’s current state. He reveals hypocrisy by the NCAA and how AAU coaches and agents are jeopardizing the sport’s integrity.
“It’s time to do something about agents,” Penders said. “Let’s pretend it’s all above board. Let’s have the NBA and NCAA approve the agents. Everything should be crystal clear.”
Like Penders’ love for coaching basketball.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
