SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (CBS) – With Philadelphia University men’s basketball coach Herb Magee set to be enshrined tonight into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts (see related story), another Philadelphia coaching legend and Hall of Famer, Dr. Jack Ramsay, will be the man presenting Magee at the ceremonies.

KYW’s Matt Leon spoke with Ramsay about Magee and what he’s meant to the game and Philadelphia.

Magee arrived at what was then Philadelphia Textile as a player in 1959, after starring at West Catholic High School.  It was in high school that Ramsay, then coaching at St. Joe’s, first crossed paths with Magee.

“I went to see Jim Lynam play, and was interested when I saw Herb knock down shot after shot after shot,” Ramsay recalls.   “I made a big mistake — I should have taken both players, I should have taken Herb as well as Jim.  But I didn’t think I could take two small backcourt guys.  But that was a mistake on my part.  Herb would’ve had a great career at St. Joe’s, playing.”

Magee ended up at Textile and, needless to say, ended up doing pretty well for himself, starring as a player, then becoming an assistant coach and finally taking over the program in 1967.

“He is a very fundamental coach,” Ramsay says of Magee.  “There is no part of the game that he overlooks.  He is a great teacher of the game. He has great focus in coaching the game, prepares his teams very well.  The record speaks for itself: he’s won more games than any coach in NCAA history (922).”

Ramsay, who went on to a great NBA coaching career after St. Joe’s, was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in 1992.

Hear Matt Leon’s full interview with Jack Ramsay in this CBS Philly SportsPod…

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Reported by Matt Leon, KYW Newsradio 1060

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