1,000 and counting

One of his guys would let a 3-pointer go from the fingertips, and Herb Magee would lean to his side like he was trying to will a five-iron toward a pin on a golf course. He kept bending, but these shots didn’t need his body English. The result became inevitable after five straight Philadelphia University 3-pointers fell in 141 seconds, a festival of second-half jumpers.

Another banner was unfurled from above Philly U’s scoreboard. Magee gave it a long look, no doubt at that number “1,000” on top of his name, and the 48th-year coach kind of nodded. That’s what a mountaintop looks like.

“One thousand wins is a lot – even 999,” Magee said after Saturday afternoon’s 80-60 victory over Post University of Waterbury, Conn. “But 1,000 is a lot different than 999.”

The number of men who have coached college basketball teams reaches well into the thousands. Exactly 60 men’s college coaches have been enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame – 58 of them aren’t on this 1,000-win peak. It’s just Magee, enshrined in 2011, and Mike Krzyzewski, who made it to 1,000 13 days ahead of Magee. Another Hall of Famer, Pat Summitt, the retired Tennessee legend, is the only women’s NCAA coach to get 1,000.

“Three years ago, any part of my ego that wasn’t satisfied, it was satisfied,” Magee said of his Hall of Fame induction.

On Tuesday, Philly U. lost a home game for the first time this season, in the first attempt at 1,000. The spotlight stayed on. “The time did drag – just waiting to get to this moment,” Magee said, mentioning that his mother-in-law had said a rosary for him after the loss.

Right from the start, Magee coached this one like it was an NCAA tournament game. “He’s going left. He’s going left. Why have a scouting report? Not bad. Not bad. Ball screen. Ball screen.”

The scene was the right scale. Students painted “H-E-R-B” on their chests. Top assistant coach Jimmy Reilly’s cousin brought the Deptford Thunder, third- and fourth-grade girls, who sat right behind the bench. Across the way, Palestra regulars Ed Rendell and Dave Montgomery, legit hoops fans, showed they were gamers, back to see Magee get it done.

A man from Maryland, with no ties to the school, brought his son to see history. Another legendary coach, Dan Dougherty, from Episcopal Academy – who figures he first met up with Magee on a playground at A Street and Champlost Avenue in the city’s Olney section in a summer league 55 years ago – sat a few rows behind the Deptford Thunder.

Someone walked up afterward toward the celebratory throng and pointed out another impressive part of the win, that Philly U. had been trailing in this game, 22-11. The man, Mike Kleiner, had that margin right. He was Magee’s sports information director when Magee won his 500th game. There were players here from that game, too.

Magee’s place in this city’s sports lore was established long ago. Stop in a restaurant in Delaware County on the way to a Philly U. game, tell the owner where you’re going, and he’ll say: “I was 8, at a clinic. He made 30 in a row blindfolded. I’ll never forget it.”

Afterward, Magee, asked to reminiscence a bit, talked about how Bucky Harris, who had recruited him here to Henry Avenue out of West Catholic, “let me shoot any time I wanted, from the moment I got on campus.”

A two-time all-American, Magee didn’t think about coaching until his eligibility ran out. He sought out his coach to talk about it as a job, and Harris added him to his own staff. “I was to coach, teach phys. ed., coach the cross-country team,” Magee said. “They threw in the tennis team.”

Magee’s family and former players mingled with current stars. The Rams improved to 15-6, and 9-3 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. The five starters all hit double figures, going the whole way, in Magee fashion, until he cleared his bench at the end. Derek Johnson can remember how he scored 20 points in this one. Nick Schlitzer did a great imitation of his coach, nailing 5 of 6 3-pointers. T.J. Huggins had eight assists and no turnovers. Center Peter Alexis put in 7 of 11 shots. Guard Andre Gibbs was good for 6 of 9. Shooting 56.4 percent, the Rams had 23 assists and a mere five turnovers.

A memorable performance on the biggest milestone day yet. Magee used to joke to his brother Chaz about passing coaches on the career victories list, “I’m whizzing past the dead guys.”

Other than Coach K, there’s nobody else around on this mountain, but Magee isn’t stopping.

“See you in a few years, fellas,” were Magee’s last words to reporters.