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Username Post: Ray Carazo '64, 1942-2018        (Topic#21822)
Stuart Suss 
PhD Student
Posts: 1439

Loc: Chester County, Pennsylva...
Reg: 11-21-04
09-03-18 02:14 AM - Post#260905    

Played at Penn, assistant coach under Dick Harter, retained by Chuck Daly in 1971, head coach of Yale from 1975-1982.

In Carazo's first return to the Palestra, his Yale squad upset Penn, leading to one of the great post-game quotes of all time: "There isn't enough Schmidt's in all of Philly for me, tonight."

A brief announcement, here.


 
SteveChop 
PhD Student
Posts: 1150

Reg: 07-28-07
09-03-18 01:24 PM - Post#260910    
    In response to Stuart Suss

Sorry to hear this news. He made a contribution to the great Penn teams of that era. RIP Ray.

 
Stuart Suss 
PhD Student
Posts: 1439

Loc: Chester County, Pennsylva...
Reg: 11-21-04
09-03-18 01:53 PM - Post#260911    
    In response to SteveChop

In 1971, as a sophomore, I wrote a letter to the new Penn basketball coach, Chuck Daly, asking to do statistics. I went to the basketball office to drop off the letter. Daly was away from the office, and I was sent in to see the two assistant coaches, the holdover from the prior staff, Ray Carazo, and the rookie, Rollie Massimino. In a short time, Carazo decided he knew all about me. "I know your type. You are just trying to get into the games for free." Carazo threw me out of the office while Massimino watched silently.

Daly would return to the office and read my letter. He had no idea what had happened with his assistant coaches. Being polite, he invited me to the intrasquad scrimmage to show what statistics I could do. After the scrimmage, Daly showed me an article, by a man named Paul Keller, in Scholastic Coach magazine, about a concept called the offensive efficiency rating. He asked me if I could build a statistical system based on that article. The rest is history.

Years later I would hear from people that Chuck Daly was telling a story about how he hired me after I was thrown out of the office by Rollie Massimino. I told Chuck that it was Ray Carazo, not Rollie who had thrown me out. Chuck thought briefly, then decided not to change anything. "Better story with Rollie," he explained to me.

Chuck Daly died in 2009. Rollie Massimino died one year ago, August 30, 2017. Ray Carazo died August 28, 2018. They're all gone.


 
Penndemonium 
PhD Student
Posts: 1877

Reg: 11-29-04
09-03-18 02:19 PM - Post#260913    
    In response to Stuart Suss

Great story. Reading stories like this makes me appreciate the Penn hoops tradition even more.

  • Stuart Suss Said:
In 1971, as a sophomore, I wrote a letter to the new Penn basketball coach, Chuck Daly, asking to do statistics. I went to the basketball office to drop off the letter. Daly was away from the office, and I was sent in to see the two assistant coaches, the holdover from the prior staff, Ray Carazo, and the rookie, Rollie Massimino. In a short time, Carazo decided he knew all about me. "I know your type. You are just trying to get into the games for free." Carazo threw me out of the office while Massimino watched silently.

Daly would return to the office and read my letter. He had no idea what had happened with his assistant coaches. Being polite, he invited me to the intrasquad scrimmage to show what statistics I could do. After the scrimmage, Daly showed me an article, by a man named Paul Keller, in Scholastic Coach magazine, about a concept called the offensive efficiency rating. He asked me if I could build a statistical system based on that article. The rest is history.

Years later I would hear from people that Chuck Daly was telling a story about how he hired me after I was thrown out of the office by Rollie Massimino. I told Chuck that it was Ray Carazo, not Rollie who had thrown me out. Chuck thought briefly, then decided not to change anything. "Better story with Rollie," he explained to me.

Chuck Daly died in 2009. Rollie Massimino died one year ago, August 30, 2017. Ray Carazo died August 28, 2018. They're all gone.





 
palestra38 
Professor
Posts: 32680

Reg: 11-21-04
09-03-18 02:39 PM - Post#260914    
    In response to Stuart Suss

But, like Cher, you're still here, Stu.

 
73Quaker 
Freshman
Posts: 61

Loc: NC
Reg: 03-12-09
09-03-18 03:00 PM - Post#260915    
    In response to Stuart Suss

Stuart, great story. Here's a little color. Ray was from my hometown, Palmerton, PA, which was also home for Bob Mlkvy, class of '61, former Penn captain. Mlkvy and Carazo grew up living next to each other in a double house, which also produced Bob's older brother Bill, the OWL without a Vowel. Finally, FWIW Ray's younger brother, Joe, played football at Wake Forest in the late 60s and spent several years as a DB with the Denver Broncos.

 
UPIA1968 
PhD Student
Posts: 1116
UPIA1968
Loc: Cornwall, PA
Reg: 11-20-06
Re: Ray Carazo
09-03-18 08:38 PM - Post#260917    
    In response to 73Quaker

Ray was a good player for Penn under Jack Mccloskey who was a favorite of my stepfather, Mike Nazarok, the longtime equipment manager. I saw him play.

 
Ancient Quaker 
Masters Student
Posts: 647
Ancient Quaker
Reg: 11-21-04
09-04-18 07:30 AM - Post#260919    
    In response to 73Quaker

73, if you're going to tout Palmerton refugees, don't forget Steve Honzo.

 
SteveChop 
PhD Student
Posts: 1150

Reg: 07-28-07
09-04-18 04:40 PM - Post#260932    
    In response to Ancient Quaker

I remember fondly both Mike Nazarock and especially Steve Honzo, my all time favorite referee along with Allentown's Hal Grossman.

 
Stuart Suss 
PhD Student
Posts: 1439

Loc: Chester County, Pennsylva...
Reg: 11-21-04
09-04-18 05:02 PM - Post#260933    
    In response to SteveChop

To complete the Penn/Ivy connection:

Hal Grossman died in 1998. His daughter, Sandy, went to Penn. Sandy married the former George Washington basketball coach, the late Gerry Gimelstob.

Gimelstob was the head coach of the American basketball team at the 1985 Maccabiah games in Israel. One of his assistant coaches was Scott Beeten, then at Penn. Among the players on that team were Bruce Lefkowitz and Neil Bernstein from Penn and Josh Wexler from Cornell.


 
penn nation 
Professor
Posts: 21081

Reg: 12-02-04
09-04-18 07:24 PM - Post#260937    
    In response to Stuart Suss

Wexler and I are from the same hometown.

One of my only pieces of basketball glory came during a BBYO tournament. I was a late addition to a horribly overmatched second tier team (not even part of my primary parochial school team), while Wexler was basically on an All Star team comprised primarily from his high school (Highland Park).

Well, at one point I was guarding him at the point, and flat out stripped him. Raced downcourt and got fouled in the act (I missed the FTs, but why ruin a good story).

I later became good friends with Josh's sister (we worked together in the Chicago Jewish community). But to this day, my brother will bring up that one highlight of my basketball career to anyone who will listen.

 
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