February 15, 2001

By Gary Rubin

Herb Magee reaches 700-win plateau

Philadelphia University has hold of second place in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference behind the nation's No. 1 ranked team, Adelphi. Last week the Rams posted an 85-81 victory over visiting St. Thomas Aquinas College, giving head coach Herb Magee his 700th career coaching victory. Senior guard Tai Crutchfield poured in a game-high 29 points, including seven three-point field goals, while fellow senior Ryan Presson added 23 points and 10 assists in helping Magee to the historic win.

In his 34th season as the Rams' mentor, Magee has a career record of 700-266 (.724) and joins legendary Winston-Salem State coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines (828) and current Lemoyne-Owen coach Jerry Johnson (772) as the only coaches in NCAA Division II history to win 700 games.

A two-time All-America at the University as a player, Magee remains the second-leading scorer in school history with 2,235 points, averaging 24.3 ppg in his career. Magee served as an assistant under his mentor, Bucky Harris, for three years and Jack McKinney for one season before taking over the program in 1967 at the age of 25. In just his third season as head coach, Magee guided the Rams to the national championship, culminating with a 76-65 win over Tennessee State. In his 34 seasons, Magee's teams have made 19 NCAA Tournament appearances, had 22 seasons with 20 or more wins and have won three NCAA Regional Championships.

Wingate hits 20 wins again

Wingate (21-1) has climbed to a No. 3 ranking in the latest NABC/Division II Bulletin Top 25. The Bulldogs have earned their third straight 20-win season and just the fourth in the program's history. First-year head coach Parker Laketa is gearing his team for a run at the South Atlantic Conference title and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Prior to joining Wingate, Laketa was the executive director of the Illinois High School Athletic Hall of Fame. The Wingate position is Laketa's first collegiate head coaching job, but he does have vast experience as an assistant coach and player on the NCAA Division I level. Prior to accepting the job with the Illinois High School Athletic Hall of Fame, Laketa was the assistant basketball coach at the University of Notre Dame for seven seasons.

Unbeatable at home

Ed Douma's Hillsdale (20-4) club is in first place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference South division and garnered its first national ranking since moving to the Division II level. The Chargers are currently riding an 18-game home win streak. Douma is in his third season as head coach of the Chargers and his 25th season as a head coach overall.

He took his alma mater, Calvin College, to the NCAA Division III national title in 1992 and earned NABC Coach of the Year honors the same year. His arrival has made an immediate impact on the Hillsdale program, as in two seasons he's improved the Chargers by 12 games and led them to the GLIAC Tournament last season while starting three freshmen. Hillsdale's 13 wins in GLIAC play last season tied the school record set by the 1980-81 GLIAC Championship team. In his initial campaign, Douma's coaching experience showed immediate dividends by leading the Chargers to a 12-14 mark, an eight game improvement over the previous season.

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