Published: August 28, 2008 10:26 pm      

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: John Beilein will speak at NCCC Oct. 1

SANBORN — Known as a major college basketball coach who emphasizes constant motion, passing, back-door cuts, disciplined teamwork and precision shooting, Newfane native John Beilein was all of these things as a former DeSales Catholic High School player.

Advancing from his modest local roots as a coach at Newfane Middle School, Beilein has reached the pinnacle of his men’s college basketball profession in recent years after highly successful head coaching stints at Erie Community, Nazareth, Le Moyne, Canisius, Richmond, West Virginia and now Michigan.

Beilein is the special guest speaker on Oct. 1 at a dinner to benefit the Lockport Family YMCA Capital Building Campaign at Niagara County Community College, sponsored by the Lockport Rotary Club.

Other guest speakers are equally impressive with men’s basketball coaches from Niagara University (Joe Mihalich), Canisius (Tom Parrotta) and the University at Buffalo (Reggie Witherspoon) also expected in attendance to share their thoughts on their upcoming seasons.

Master of Ceremonies will be DeSales graduate and Lockport native John Murphy, sports director at Channel 4, WIVB-TV in Buffalo.

“The Rotary Club is especially pleased to have John Beilein agree to agree to be part of our fundraiser as the featured speaker at this dinner,” said David Greenfield of the Rotary Club.

“Of course, the event is being held primarily for the benefit of the Lockport Family YMCA. This particularly ties into Rotary International’s theme for this year of, ‘Make dreams real. Around the world. Every continent.’ ”

In 1975, Beilein graduated from Wheeling College (now Wheeling Jesuit University, where he played basketball) with a bachelor of arts degree in history. After graduating, he began his coaching career at Newfane and remained there for three years. He went on to earn a Master of Arts in education from Niagara University in 1981.

He served as the coach of Erie Community College from 1978-82, Nazareth College for the 1982-83 school year, and Le Moyne College from 1983-92. In 1992 he arrived at Canisius College, which was also the first position in which he hired assistant coaches. At Canisius — his first NCAA Division I coaching position — Beilein reached the NCAA Tournament once and the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) twice in his five seasons.

In 1997 he moved to the University of Richmond. There, he compiled a 100-53 record in five seasons, recording a winning record each season, and again reached the NCAA tournament once, where his 14th seeded team upset nationally ranked South Carolina and the NIT twice.

In 2002, Beilein accepted the head coaching position at West Virginia University. At WVU he posted a 104-60 record over five seasons. In 2004-05, his team went 24-11 and reached the “Elite Eight” (fourth round) of the NCAA tournament. The following year, WVU went 22-11 and reached the “Sweet Sixteen” (third round). In 2006-07, Beilein’s Mountaineers, despite losing about 80 percent of their scoring from the previous season, went 27-9 and won the NIT championship.

In April of last year, the University of Michigan hired Beilein to coach its men’s basketball team. He replaced Tommy Amaker, who was fired after failing to reach the NCAA Tournament in his six seasons.

Beilein and his wife, Kathleen, reside in Ann Arbor. They have three sons, Patrick, who played for his father at WVU; Mark, a former football player and WVU grad; and Andy, who is enrolled as a freshman at the University of Michigan next fall); and a daughter (Seana Hendricks).

Greenfield said the Rotary Club is hoping to sell 400 tickets at $100 each. Tickets can be obtained by calling the Lockport Family YMCA at 434-8887. The Rotary Club is also looking for major table sponsors for the event.

The YMCA’s goal for its proposed new Town of Lockport facility is $11.5 million.