In 11 Seasons at UCI, Mulligan Almost Always Had the Last Word

IRVINE — During the rapture of a heady victory or in the pain of a devastating loss, during a quiet lunch on campus or at a media-day podium, Bill Mulligan nearly always managed the last word. For 11 seasons at UC Irvine, the cantankerous basketball coach has been a sort of Archie Bunker with a whistle, weaving a charming web of controversy and always speaking his mind with brazen frankness.

Here then, is a look at some of the Best of Bill:

BILL & MAGEE

How important was All-American center Kevin Magee to Mulligan’s first two Irvine teams?

This important:

Before a road game in 1982, Mulligan steps onto the team bus and asks if Magee is on board. The answer is affirmative. “Let’s go,” Mulligan says.

With 17 minutes left in a 1982 National Invitation Tournament game against San Diego State, Magee cuts his hand on the rim and needs nine stitches. The Anteaters advance and are scheduled to face Oklahoma next, with or without Magee. “He’ll play if he has to play with one hand,” Mulligan promises. No, he won’t--and without Magee, Irvine blows a 17-point second-half lead and loses, 80-77.

Magee gets hurt again, this time going down in a heap during a game against Cal State Fullerton. “Are you all right, Kevin?” Mulligan asks. Magee nods. “Good,” Mulligan replies, “ ‘cause I was going to go home.’ ”

Magee misses another game and Irvine loses to Cal State Long Beach, which Mulligan attributes to “poor coaching. I coach better when Magee’s in there.”

And, the ultimate tribute:

In 1984, Bob Thornton gets 22 rebounds against UOP, three short of Magee’s school record, but Mulligan decides to pull him with four minutes left. Why? “I told him he’d have to play a heck of a lot better than that to get Magee’s record.”

BILL & WAYNE

Then, there was the Anti-Magee, Wayne Engelstad, who could never please Mulligan, no matter how many points he scored. Wayne was always too fat. Too lazy. Too nice. Too out of shape.

To wit:

“I told him to report at 215 to 220 this year and he comes in at about 250. I didn’t know how much for sure, but I knew he was too damn fat just by looking at him. So I said, ‘OK, you go inside. Fat people play center.’ ”

“It’s frustrating because he doesn’t play to his potential. I want him to be a leader, but he doesn’t always possess leadership qualities.”

“Sure, he’s a nice kid. All our kids are nice kids. That’s the trouble with our school. What we need are a couple of kids who aren’t so nice.”

“I love the kid, but every time the game is on the line, he’s on the bench (because of fouls). I tell him this to his face. When he gets tired, he makes dumb fouls. And he gets tired because he’s out of shape. He and (Ed) Johansen and a couple other guys, they live together down in Newport Beach. Now you tell me, if you lived in Newport, would you be in shape?”

After Engelstad had 27 points and 11 points against Manhattan College and was named MVP of the Freedom Bowl Classic: “Wayne’s supposed to be the guy who takes over in these pressure situations and he did everything wrong.”

After Engelstad committed 10 turnovers in two games: “There were times when I told (the team), ‘OK, the ball is going into Engelstad,’ but the problem with that is Engelstad is not Magee. Engelstad has a chance to lead the nation in turnovers. If he works really hard, he has a chance to do it.”

Finally, Engelstad earned a cease-fire during his senior year, but had to score 41 points against Bradley to do it. Afterward, Mulligan told Engelstad, “I’m never going to call you a fat (so-and-so) again.”

Engelstad graduated in 1988 as the third-leading scorer and fourth-leading rebounder in UC Irvine history.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS

Mulligan, on his playing days: “I was first string as a freshman, second string as a sophomore, third string as a junior and when I was senior, my coach told me if I wanted to get into refereeing, he’d be glad to help.”

On Scott Brooks’ transfer from Texas Christian to Irvine: “He’d still be at TCU except he hated the state of Texas. He liked the program. He just hated the state.”

On Pacific player Domingo Rosario: “He’s the best freshman in the conference. I think I’ll head down to the Dominican this summer and see if I can’t find me something, too.”

On high school classmate Bob Newhart: “In four years, I never heard him say one funny thing.”

After a good start in 1986: “If anyone had told me before the season that we’d be 6-4 at this stage, I’d have married ‘em.”

After a televised, 71-55 loss in San Jose on Feb. 2: “This was a good game to be on TV. Now every kid in Orange County and L.A. will say, ‘I want to go to Irvine. They really need players.’ ”

After a Norwegian club team ill-advisedly attempted to run with Irvine during a 1986 exhibition game: “Last year, even Las Vegas said they couldn’t run with us. But the Norwegians probably don’t read the Vegas newspapers.”

On the decision to name the on-campus arena after Orange County businessman Donald Bren: “It should be named the Magee Center; he’s the one who put us on the map. But, he didn’t give us a million bucks, either.”

A FIRST

Irvine loses its 1985 conference opener to San Jose State, 93-71. Mulligan: “Words fail me.”

ON PHILOSOPHY AND LIFE

“You’re supposed to be tall and handsome to be a basketball coach. I’m 0 for 2.”

“Guys say you build character by losing. You don’t. I think much more character evolves when you win.”

“I won’t play a zone because I’m a dumb, stubborn SOB.”

“I’d trade two wins over Las Vegas for one over Fullerton.”

After winning his 100th game at Irvine: “All that means is I’m getting old.”

After a few losses in 1983: “Look, I don’t want to get any humility, but I’m staring humility in the face right now.”

“Hey, we really spend a lot of time on defense in practice. We really do. We practice it, then I don’t know what happens in the games.”

THE PLAYERS’ COACH

Irvine is tied with Utah State with two seconds left and Anteater forward Bob Thornton steps to the foul line for a one-and-one situation. Attempting to rattle Thornton, Utah State Coach Rod Tueller calls two timeouts before the free throws. “Good thing they don’t know you’re too dumb to be nervous,” Mulligan tells Thornton in the huddle. Smart move. A relaxed Thornton hits both free throws and Irvine wins, 78-76.

Irvine guard Randy Whieldon misses a dead-on 20-foot jump shot, sending Mulligan through the roof. Calm down, coach. Whieldon had just made eight of his other 10 shots. Mulligan: “But he should NEVER miss that shot.”

Irvine guard George Turner tries to shrug off a loss by telling Mulligan, “I just had a lousy game.” Mulligan: “George, your last seven of nine have been lousy games.”

Forward Steve Florentine has just committed five turnovers during the nine minutes he played in a loss to San Jose State. Mulligan: “Florentine played like a dead man tonight.”

Center Ricky Butler, carrying a few extra pounds, carries Irvine to victory late in the 1989-90 season. Mulligan: “He’s playing so well, you look at him and he almost looks skinny.”

Irvine loses to UCLA, 116-100, and the blame is dumped on Engelstad, of course, and center Ed Johansen. Mulligan: “We have two players who are supposed to be physical. But they weren’t. They were in Nothingland.”

Mulligan misses the first game of his 29-year coaching career because of surgery to repair a clogged artery in his neck and Irvine loses its 1984 opener to Colorado, 80-73. Says point guard Jerome Lee: “It was weird to look at the bench and not see Mulligan screaming at you.”

COACH & SON

Brian Mulligan was a 5-7, 150-pound point guard who played for his father from 1982 through 1984. Or, rather, he sat for his father. “He’s not a bad shooter and he’s a pretty good ballhandler,” Coach Dad said. “He’s got two problems: size and his genetic background.”

But Brian rarely played, only 14 minutes in his first 14 games. “I considered using Brian,” Bill said after one one-sided game, “but I don’t think he’s ready. His mother thinks he’s ready, but I don’t.”

“BOOKWORM TECH”

That was Mulligan’s nickname for UC Irvine, where, to his everlasting chagrin, studies come first and attending basketball games a distant second.

“We have a lot of academically oriented players on this team,” Mulligan said during the 1982-83 season. “A lot more than ever before. They’re really into these exams. That’s good, but I don’t know if it makes for good basketball, though.”

BILL & HIS POINT GUARDS

David Jones was the second player Mulligan recruited at Irvine, right after Magee. That’s the only time Jones and Magee were ever mentioned in the same sentence. Said Mulligan, after watching Jones for a few weeks of practice: “He’s got a long way to go. In fact, he doesn’t belong in the same gym with these guys.” Jones soon transferred to Biola.

Jason Works had talent, loads of it, and often found creative ways to channel it. He played out of control and generally drove Mulligan out of his head. Once, after a no-look, behind-the-back pass sailed out of bounds, Mulligan jerked Works from the game, yelling, “Sit down, you moron!” But, with no other options at point guard, Mulligan resigned himself to the fact that Works would have to play “about 30 minutes a game--even if it gives me a coronary.” Works didn’t make it through a second season, with Mulligan eventually issuing an ultimatum: See a psychiatrist, or quit. Works quit.

Leonard Johnson had one major flaw in Mulligan’s eyes: He wouldn’t get the ball to Magee. And he balked when Mulligan insisted he shoot less and pass more. Said Johnson: “Coach, you’re taking my game away from me.” Replied Mulligan: “You don’t have a game.” Later, after Johnson quit, Mulligan was more generous. “Leonard was a super athlete,” Mulligan said. “He just couldn’t shoot.”

BILL & FRESNO

Mulligan used to hate the style of basketball Fresno State played under Coach Boyd Grant. “Vomit basketball,” he called it. He also hated the place where they played vomit basketball.

Quote Mulligan:

“Everybody always asks me why they get so many Chicago players at Fresno. I tell them, ‘It’s easy, they think they’re going to California.’ ”

“The people in Fresno are different. The majority are good people. But there’s a small minority that would kill me.”

And, then, grudgingly:

“I was in Fresno recently and people stopped me on the street. Fresno people know who you are. They’re so supportive it’s unbelievable. They had 500 people meet the team after losing to Louisiana Tech in the NCAAs. We get off the plane and there might be a mother or a father.”

“THE LIBRARY”

Crawford Hall was UC Irvine’s home gymnasium until the opening of the Bren Center in January, 1987. It seated 1,496 under fire-hazard conditions and, in Mulligan’s mind, was the ball-and-chain attached to his basketball program.

“People stay away from Crawford Hall now because they don’t think they can get in,” Mulligan once groused. “We have empty seats and they don’t know it.”

In 1983, a power generator exploded at Crawford Hall. “When I heard the sirens,” Mulligan said, “I was hoping the place would burn down. Then I remembered we wouldn’t have any place to practice.”

ON RECRUITING

“We just take the best players we can get. We recruit. North Carolina selects.”

“We take a kid to the Rusty Pelican in Newport Beach. We’re looking out over the ocean, it’s beautiful. We tell him how great it is. He lives in Brea.”

“It’s amazing. The Orange County players think it’s too close and the out-of-staters think it’s too far.”

“Have you ever wondered why all the top high school players pick the ‘name’ basketball schools as their college choices? Whatever happened to the American dream--help the underdog?”

After losing a recruit to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay: “Can you imagine trading Newport Beach for Green Bay? So much for quality of life.”

And then there was the time Mulligan visited a recruit, who had unfortunate news: He had decided to sign with another school. This upsets the recruit’s mother so much she begins to cry. Mulligan leans over to assistant coach Mike Bokosky. “Hey, Bo, we did a great job on the mother and a . . . job on the kid.”

5-23

Excerpts from the longest season of Mulligan’s life, 1989-90:

“I used to think this could only happen to other people. This could never happen to me. But it has.”

“I used to call guys and write them letters (of condolence) during bad seasons. Now, I’ve got guys calling me.”

After beating UC Santa Barbara to end the 15-game losing streak: “It was like someone told you that you had cancer and then a little while later, someone else comes by and says they made a mistake.”

How did this happen? “The coaches all of sudden got bad.”

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

1981: “Everybody was so negative about UCI. But to me it looked like a challenge. I like the area, too. Maybe I’m stupid, but I like to think we can build a winner here.”

1984: “I came here because everybody told me not to. So, I figure it can (catch on).”

1986: “I’m happy here. And I think we’ve finally reached the point where the students here care.”

1990: “I want to turn this around. I really think we can. If not this year, then the next. Then if we can’t, we’ll see.”