“Like I’ve said many times, I enjoy everything about coaching,” he said. “I don’t know of anyone who enjoys this job as much as I do.”
That’s true, said Coles, 69, regardless of the level of basketball. “I’ll have to say that in my first year, when I coached the junior varsity team at Sycamore High School, I had as much fun as any year I’ve coached.”
The induction program will be held Saturday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, where Coles will join a hall of fame that includes Oscar Robertson, Jerry Lucas, Bobby Knight, Wayne Embry, Don Donoher and John Havlicek.
“As with any honor, it’s mostly a tribute to the people who have helped you. My family, they’ve been very supportive of me,” he said, specifically mentioning his wife, Delores, along with his son (Chris) and daughter-in-law (Robin), daughter (Mary Bennett) and son-in-law (Craig Bennett), and four grandchildren (Tyson, Taya and C.J. Coles and Jazz Bennett).
“And Miami University gave me a second chance to be a head coach,” added Coles, a former Miami guard who coached at Central Michigan from 1985-1991 and then returned to Miami in 1994. “Herb Sendek asked me to join his staff and I didn’t know I was going to end up being a head coach again.”
Coles was named as the RedHawks’ head coach in 1996 and recently completed his 15th season. He has 349 career victories overall, including 257 at Miami, and his teams have played in four NCAA tournaments.
“We’ve had very good teams at times, we’ve had two or three teams that haven’t been so good, but Miami’s been very patient with me,” Coles said. “I can’t lie to you, I feel very, very good.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2197 or pconrad@coxohio.com.
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