Glory Days: The rise and fall of Slippery Rock men's basketball
By Josh Rizzo
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Sports Extra
Morrow Field House is packed.
The bleachers are full, and the field house is standing room only to watch Slippery Rock University men's basketball play.
The bleachers under the basket are full and the tiny gym is swelling with Rock pride.
It's 1990 and SRU basketball is ranked No. 2 in the nation and has a future Minnesota Timberwolves draft pick in the line-up.
Former alumnus and revered coach Bob Barlett roams the sidelines barking instructions.
Hard to believe 18 years later SRU basketball was that popular, isn't it?
For the first time in 15 years, Bob Barlett will be attending a SRU basketball game on Nov. 21. Barlett coached at SRU from 1986-1994.
During his tenure at the Rock, SRU made two NCAA tournament appearances, won a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-West Division Title and was one point away from winning the conference title.
After coaching at SRU for 10 years, Barlett resigned after the program was accused of committing a number of NCAA infractions.
The beginning
Barlett was hired in 1985. The Rock hadn't made a NCAA playoff appearance since 1977-78.
During Barlett's first two seasons the team struggled to 7-18 and 8-19 records. But Barlett managed to bring on a longtime friend James "Posey" Rhoads to be his top assistant. This is a decision that would help the Rock program turn around.
The assistant
Posey had played against Barlett in high school, and went on to play point guard for Wake Forest University. After starting for three years at Wake, Posey went on to play pro basketball for six years in Australia and New Zealand.
John Carpenter, who was Sports Information at SRU for 31 years until retiring in 1999, said Posey and Barlett made a great team.
"Posey was a great evaluator of talent," Carpenter said. "Barlett coached high school and seemed to know everyone. They were a good complement to each other."
The recruiting plan
The bleachers are full, and the field house is standing room only to watch Slippery Rock University men's basketball play.
The bleachers under the basket are full and the tiny gym is swelling with Rock pride.
It's 1990 and SRU basketball is ranked No. 2 in the nation and has a future Minnesota Timberwolves draft pick in the line-up.
Former alumnus and revered coach Bob Barlett roams the sidelines barking instructions.
Hard to believe 18 years later SRU basketball was that popular, isn't it?
For the first time in 15 years, Bob Barlett will be attending a SRU basketball game on Nov. 21. Barlett coached at SRU from 1986-1994.
During his tenure at the Rock, SRU made two NCAA tournament appearances, won a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-West Division Title and was one point away from winning the conference title.
After coaching at SRU for 10 years, Barlett resigned after the program was accused of committing a number of NCAA infractions.
The beginning
Barlett was hired in 1985. The Rock hadn't made a NCAA playoff appearance since 1977-78.
During Barlett's first two seasons the team struggled to 7-18 and 8-19 records. But Barlett managed to bring on a longtime friend James "Posey" Rhoads to be his top assistant. This is a decision that would help the Rock program turn around.
The assistant
Posey had played against Barlett in high school, and went on to play point guard for Wake Forest University. After starting for three years at Wake, Posey went on to play pro basketball for six years in Australia and New Zealand.
John Carpenter, who was Sports Information at SRU for 31 years until retiring in 1999, said Posey and Barlett made a great team.
"Posey was a great evaluator of talent," Carpenter said. "Barlett coached high school and seemed to know everyone. They were a good complement to each other."
The recruiting plan
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