Former Wake Coach Trader Jack McCloskey dies

[Deaconblue]

There was a column in the N&O several days ago about McCloskey via recalls from Billy Packer. He recalled a big recruit visit and a 'try-out' and scrimmage with the coach. Not totally legal. Interesting and funny, showed a real tough Jack, but I have no way to copy or link. Recruit went to KY - IIRC.

Back then, a lot of good players were under the radar. There was no internet, no AAU ball, no hoards of volunteer "scouts" writing about every kid in shorts and sneakers. Players might or might not be as good as their newspaper clippings. Depended on the honesty of the hometown journalist.

Another factor was that black players were just beginning to be part of the major college basketball scene.

 

[RJKarl]

There was a column in the N&O several days ago about McCloskey via recalls from Billy Packer. He recalled a big recruit visit and a 'try-out' and scrimmage with the coach. Not totally legal. Interesting and funny, showed a real tough Jack, but I have no way to copy or link. Recruit went to KY - IIRC.

I know specifically of one Wake recruit who chose KY at the last minute over Wake. I would have been more the stunned if this happened with him as our coach had known the recruit for most of his life.

 

[raldeac]

To add info on the incident mentioned -- Packer was an asst. coach, main recruiter. Coach McC leveled the guy on a shot attempt. Packer thought the guy may have broken his neck and was in near panic. Coach McC stood over the guy, looked down and said "they tell me you are tough - let me see you get up". as said - he didn't come to Wake.

 

[RJKarl]

To add info on the incident mentioned -- Packer was an asst. coach, main recruiter. Coach McC leveled the guy on a shot attempt. Packer thought the guy may have broken his neck and was in near panic. Coach McC stood over the guy, looked down and said "they tell me you are tough - let me see you get up". as said - he didn't come to Wake.

That didn't happen to the person who chose KY over Wake that I knew about.

 

[DeacDoug]

The rule was a combined 900 SAT score and was a requirement for all freshman scholarship athletes. Atrtis failed this requirement and was unable to enroll at Wake as a freshman. This was not a requirement for transfer student athletes until the spring of 1969 when it was changed as per your post. Artis was again unable to meet this requ
irement and went to Jacksonville. The reversal for McAdoo is correct.

The rule was a combined 800 SAT score. Dr. Jack Sawyer was as shifty as the US AG when I asked him about the new requirement that resulted from a change in tbe transfer rule. Dean definitely did not want Artis at Wake. Remember that Duke and UVa KO'ed the Gamecocks attempt to get Tom Grasso, who the 2nd highest rated recruit behind Alcindor, into school in 1966. This event helped lead to USC exiting the conference 5 years later. Grasso later hurt his knee and proved to be a bust at Louisville. My recollection is that the 800 rule went by the wayside when two Clemson (nonscholarship I believe) baseball players sued the ACC which refused to let them play for lack of 800 SAT scores.

It is true that Jack was hyper-competitive almost the point of being ridiculous. He hated to recruit because he didn't like kissing teenagers' asses. Was such a crazy driver that many refused to ride with him.

McCloskey was an excelllent coach and game tactician. He left Penn when the Quakers won the Ivy League and was not allowed to participate in the '66 NCAA Tournament in protest of the NCAA's newly adopted 1.6 grade point rule which the Ivies thought was a joke. RIP Coach!

 

[sarcasdeac]

To add info on the incident mentioned -- Packer was an asst. coach, main recruiter. Coach McC leveled the guy on a shot attempt. Packer thought the guy may have broken his neck and was in near panic. Coach McC stood over the guy, looked down and said "they tell me you are tough - let me see you get up". as said - he didn't come to Wake.

Doug Gemmell - ended up at Notre Dame.