An old acquaintance recently asked if I had any 'funny' stories regarding my wife during my thirty-nine year coaching career. I do and I share with you as I did with him and others just yesterday.
My first varsity basketball coaching position was at Mason City, Illinois, which is now a consolidated school district of the Mason City, Easton and San Jose communities, called Illini Central. I will always maintain that the three years spent in Mason City was the absolute best coaching break in my career; the kids were dedicated and the entire community of 2,500 people took their basketball seriously. The experience helped establish a fundamental 'coaching philosophy' anchor.
Please understand that I replaced a coach that was on that job for only one season but several years prior another successful, long time coach by the name of Martin Chilovich was at Mason City. Chill's teams were tenacious defensively and the locals became accustom to winning games with scores in the 40-to-50 point range. My coaching approach was more geared to wide-open style; 'get it and go' looking for fast, quick and easy scores; never debated the issue with folks but simply coached that style when I had quickness. On the other side of that 'tempo' issues, I occasionally had slow kids and entered them into half-court 'plowing-contests.' Regarding (coach win) comparisons, I never got into that scene; suffice to say Chill had successful teams and our clubs were successful at Mason City winning 62 games, several invitational tournaments and two Regional Championships; this back in the day of only 'one-class' IHSA basketball class system.
Okay...the Coach's wife story. It was during my first season coaching at Mason City and we were playing at home, losing 39-32 at half time against Greenview high school. Now, remember that 39 points was often enough to 'win' a game under my predecessor. During half-time, the Mason City school board president walked up to the local doctor and said, "We need to call Chilovich and have him come back and teach our team some defense." The good doctor smiled and said to the board president, "Let me introduce you to Coach Roustio's wife, Gerry (who was standing nearby and heard the comment). Gerry fumbled around in her purse, pulled out a dime (remember it is 1964) and handed it to the board president saying, "You go call the old coach and I'll go home and pack, my husband was looking for a job when he took this one and he'll find another." As good fortune would have it, Mason City cam back in the second half and won. At the end of the game my wife walked across the floor and said to the school board president, "Give me my dime back, you people don't pay that well and I need every cent."
The Roustios spent three wonderful years at Mason City and to this day enjoy great friendships from that town. That story had legs for many years around town and Mason County because the good doctor, Jack Means enjoyed telling it up until the time of his death many years later.
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