In 1988, Larry Brown coached the University of Kansas to an NCAA title. In 2004, he led the Detroit Pistons to an NBA championship. By then, he had already been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, solidifying himself as a legend of the game.
Now, at 76-years-old, it seems Brown is not yet ready to throw in the towel on his coaching career. Brown recently stepped down as the head coach at SMU and now reportedly wants to jump into the high school hoops scene and coach the East Hampton (NY) varsity team. Brown has a house in the area, so the grind wouldn’t be quite so taxing.
The New York Post caught up with a few relevant sources to discuss the possibility:
“He always said he wanted to end his career coaching high-school basketball. I think it’s tremendous,” Peter Vecsey, who covered the NBA for The Post.
Joseph Vasile-Cozzo, director of physical education at East Hampton, said he is trying to get a meeting with Brown.
“We are excited. We would love to have him,” Vasile-Cozzo said. “If he is interested, there is no interview needed.”
Don’t get it twisted, even though the pay is minimal, the East Hampton job is a desirable coaching position. The team has a rich history that Brown would have to work to uphold:
Brown, who won an Olympic gold medal as a player in 1964, would be stepping into the shoes of the legendary Ed Petrie — the winningest boys basketball coach in New York State public school history. Petrie died in May 2015.
The job doesn’t pay much — a stipend of $6,000 to $8,000 — which is why it’s normally taken by a full-time teacher who is free in the afternoons.
Jesse Shapiro, 35, a former East Hampton player, said it was his “dream job” when he was named coach in June, but Shapiro resigned two weeks ago.
“He couldn’t find a job out here that fit his schedule,” Vasile-Cozzo said. Brown doesn’t have any scheduling conflicts.
