Status: Head coach of the Syracuse University basketball team which is expected to compete at the upcoming NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in March. Are you ready to bet on March Madness?
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 205
DOB: Nov. 17, 1944 In: Lyons, N.Y.
Childhood Heroes: “Jack Nicklaus, Henry Aaron, Jim Brown, Ernie Davis.”
Hobbies/Interests: “Golf.”
Nickname: “Bobo. P.J. Carlesimo calls me that one. I don’t know why.”
Early Basketball Memory: “The high school coach (Dick Blackwell) used to take all of us sixth graders to have a practice for five hours on Saturday mornings. He wanted to have a good team. We lost four games in six years. We had a good group, we knew each other well.”
First Car: “1958 cream-colored Ford Thunderbird convertible. With red seats. I rode it into the ground. We used to go to practice with 12 guys in it.”
Favorite Movies: “Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, westerns.”
All-Time Favorite TV Shows: “Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law.”
Musical Tastes: “Bruce Springsteen. I saw him in concert in Syracuse. I liked him. He’s got tremendous energy. He’s a great performer.”
Favorite Meal: “Veal, fish.”
Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “I don’t eat breakfast.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Chocolate.”
Pre-Game Feeling: “Not too much. Just try to get relaxed. Get ready. Think of some of the little things we’re gonna try to do. Try not to get too uptight over it. What is this? Some kind of offbeat psychological profile [smiles].”
Greatest Sports Moment: “Well, you know, if you win the National Championship, that’s the only thing. There’s nothing that can top that (defeated Kansas 81-78 in New Orleans in 2003).”
Most Painful Moments: “Oh, I think in ‘87 when we lost to Indiana. We had a good chance to win the game and it just slipped away at the end. So those are always … when you lose the National Championship, that’s pretty painful [laughs].”
Toughest Competitors Encountered: “Oh, I don’t know. There’s a lot. Everybody’s fierce. There’s a million, they’re all very fierce. Off the top of my head … Chris Mullin of St John’s. He just wouldn’t let us beat them. He was that kind of player. Patrick Ewing. Gerry McNamara.”
Funniest Person I’ve Encountered in College Hoops: “Abe Lemmons.”
Favorite Vacation Spot: “Bermuda.”
Favorite Athletes To Watch: “Jack Nicklaus. Tiger Woods. Wayne Gretzky. Michael Jordan. Steffi Graf. Deion Sanders. Derek Jeter. Emmitt Smith. Jerry Rice. Muhammad Ali — my favorite boxer of all-time. Sugar Ray Robinson — the best fights I ever saw were Robinson with Carmen Basilio, ‘The Onion Farmer’ from Canastota, N.Y., home of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “People who really dedicate their lives to helping other people and charitable causes. There are people who do that without asking for or receiving anything. Those are the people you have to admire.”
Future Ambition: “I’d like to play on the Senior Golf Tour, but I know I’m not good enough [smiles].”
Topics: Breakfast Cereal, Butch Cassidy, Childhood Heroes, Early Basketball, Ford Thunderbird, Greatest Sports, Henry Aaron, Hill Street Blues, Jack Nicklaus, Jim Boeheim, March Madness, Musical Tastes, Ncaa Men, P J Carlesimo, Psychological Profile, Sports Moment, Sundance Kid, Syracuse University Basketball, Time Favorite Tv, University Basketball Team
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