European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 20, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                August 1985 the stars and stripes Page 25 bar Tow finds coaching Niche at Alabam Birmingham by Dave Walczak staff writer Rhei main Germany it once was California Here i today its Sweet Home Gene Bartow has been living that re Frain these last seven seasons since Assum ing the head coaching Job at Alabama Blazer basketball teams have kept in Bartow has been tabs Only conductor of basketball and his compositions have brought music to the ears of Blazer in his seven the native has compiled a 14885 including five straight appearances in the Mcaa with that its no wonder he sings the praises of his current i have a Lon term contract and i work for great he the Only pressure we have is what we put on but things we rent always so upbeat for the 23year Veteran of the College hard Wood prior to his appearance at lab to build a basketball program from he toiled at despite a stunning two year record and a final four his tenure at the California school received anything but rave at every time we lost a it seemed like the world was coming to an he Ive always been relaxed and it was difficult to be that Way follow ing John wooden at it was taking the fun out of the Here to begin a we Klong swing through Europe As part of the annual Safe basketball clinic has had eight years to Ponder his past As Bruin head i just Felt that anyone who was offered the Urcla Job at that if you didst take youd always be second guessing i knew it was going to be a difficult he following who won 10 Mcaa titles in 12 proved too much for reflecting Back on i probably Over said the thing that probably bothers me More than anything else is we were 284 my first third in the recruited four three of them High school there were critics that were Able to affect the Media in Woodens last two i believe he was we were 549 my two years a few people created a lot of Barlows troubles ended when lab came i tripled my said i went to a Job As athletic director and head and no other head coach has had that Bartow noted that his former Job has left no one Gary Cunningham stayed two years after me and Larry Brown stayed two years after him and Larry Farmer three years after its Walt its an unusual it just has not been a fun situation the last 1215 i dont think it was a fun situation for wooden his last two the former Memphis state head coach int quite ready to claim that Happy times Are Here despite three Sun Belt conference bar tows Blaz ers have yet to win a National Champi that one of our goals before we Start the season every that goal evaporated last season in the second round of the Mcaa tournament when Memphis which Bartow guided to the Mcaa final in downed the blazers 6766 in we could have done some things Dif Ferent in the last six said bar we had our chances to i was very upset because i thought my player was fouled and it want that game ended in a very Peculiar Fash we got the Ball where we wanted and we got the shot we id say it was my most frustrating loss As a coach in my 29 six in High school coaching and 23 As a College bar tows problems have broadened beyond the basketball As athletic i practically every move i i photo by Gus Schuelter Gene Bartow lab program from scratch give thought to what kind of financial Deal it is for the lab he it Hast been announced but it will be announced soon that weve agreed to play Michigan in Michigan in feb it will a National to game on the reason that i said we had to do it was the financial i dont How much Money it will but it will be a pretty Good predicting that this year should be our Best year because we have everybody Bartow remained hazy about his Lon term you never know in this to say that ill end my career at lab i May or i May t against Thompson would have Given him title game Call he didst make Cost Vacca dearly Bubuc Syfox staff writer Rhei main Germany ref Eree Charlie Vacca Felt the he stood by the scorers table at half time of last Springs Mcaa basketball semifinal Between Georgetown and Johns while Hoya coach John Thompson yelled at who had just avoided calling a foul against tried to Calm Thompson then walked toward the dressing Thompson  the big coach continued then disgustedly underhanded the Ball toward the when he came Down to the i Coul Dve to Vacca but i did not want a game of that magnitude teetering on a Call like the Mcaa com Mittee i was the final four is differ ent from the regular its so big now with All the Media the Mcaa Doest want coaches out of control in the Mcaa because of Vacca missed what could have been the biggest assignment of his 15year officiating one committee member told me the next morning if i had called a techno my Crew woul Dve called the Vacca the Thompson tirade was one of Many photo by Gus Schuelter referee Charlie Vacca Felt the heat hot times in the refereeing life of Charlie who is in Europe for the air Force basketball clinics this he says two of the most obnoxious coaches Are Bob Knight of Indiana and Dana Kirk of Memphis Knight just loses control of Vacca Kirks not As wild As coach perhaps a Little More Subtle but everyone has a problem with talk with anyone and  Tell you How does Vacca stand up to this Wrath ill Tell them they cant go any fur he if they i give them a normally  Back they cant afford a that can turn a tight game into a fou Point and that too much to make is Vacca Ever intimidated he Points to his tells about his survival against cancer and you really think a coach can intimidate me in a Damn basketball game Learned to play basketball in his native new York he grew to 6 and Frank Mcguire recruited him As a swing Man at the univer sity of South i got to see the master in action against said who mostly sat on the Bench next to it helped me Vacca admits when i i was one of the worst at getting on offi when he was offered an officiating Job one year after graduating in he figured hed give it a its not easy for players to make the Vacca when a player is used to taking Huzzah from he wont want the Boos As an but it was my Way of excelling in the i  do it As a i wanted to stay in the and i knew coaching want my Vacca refereed a decade in the Atlantic coast conference before leaving in now he referees in the Sun Southwest and Ohio Valley Confer As Well no conference he says the toughest games to officiate Are defensive youve got to be aware of every every play is con he the Best of the defensive said Are Tennessee Don Devoe and Georgetown the National scoring average might be 70 Points and it keeps the score Down to Devoe is known around the coun no one will play for him unless he plays Vacca Thompsons Vacca Are one of the most difficult teams to talk about defense swarming defense they have who spends his Days banking in said of Guys like Thomp coaching is a livelihood dependent on is and ours is so we have to have a certain amount of compassion for but that kept me from a Job the Mcaa final last teams outnumbered in la world series up five teams from foreign countries and three from the United states will compete this week in the 39th Little league baseball world series for for 11and 12yearold it is the first time foreign entries have outnumbered which competes in the West Defeated to win a berth in the eight team series and give foreign teams the the american teams Are Staten champions of the East Region mor of the South Region and of the Central rounding out the Field Are last years South the far East the latin America Winner Al saudi the european champions and bin the arabian team is composed of Ameri can players whose parents work in tuesdays opening Seoul plays Maracaibo and Mexicali plays Staten on Al Khobiar will play Binbrook and Morristown will meet