Robic not singing blues in Memphis

By Joe Scalzo

The former YSU coach is an assistant for the Tigers, who are eyeing a national title.

John Robic loves being in Memphis. His family loves it even more.

“They don’t miss the snow at all,” said Robic, the former YSU men’s basketball coach who is now an assistant at the University of Memphis. “We haven’t seen snow since we’ve moved here. We love living in the south and we love living in a bigger city with big-time basketball.

“We are true Southerners now.”

Robic, a Pittsburgh native, went 58-113 in six seasons with the Penguins, then joined John Calipari’s staff at Memphis in March of 2005 after YSU declined to renew his contract. The Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight his first two seasons at Memphis and will play UCLA in a national semifinal tonight in San Antonio.

It will be Robic’s third trip to the national semifinals, having served as an assistant on Calipari’s UMass squad that advanced to the Final Four in 1996 (losing to eventual champion Kentucky) and as a graduate assistant on the 1988 Kansas team that won a national title with Danny Manning.

“It’s a neat thing to be a coach that’s been to three Final Fours with three different teams,” said Robic. “I don’t think there’s too many coaches out there that can say that. I’m glad I’m one of them.”

This year’s Memphis team won its first 26 games before falling to Tennessee on Feb. 23. The Tigers have won 11 straight since then — tying the NCAA record for wins in a season — while advancing to the school’s first Final Four since 1985 and third overall.

Despite their success, the Tigers were a popular pick to be the first No. 1 seed to fall in the tournament, something they used as motivation, Robic said.

“Everybody picked us to lose, starting with Mississippi State in the second round, then Michigan State in the regionals and everybody had us losing to Texas in Houston,” he said. “I think they used that to their advantage. There were about 33,000 fans rooting for Texas and we had about 2,000, but we played really well.

“We had a relatively easy ride to get here.”

Told the tournament could have used a little more drama this year, Robic chuckled and said, “You know us coaches, we don’t like close games.”

Robic said this year’s Memphis team is “a lot better” than the ’88 Kansas team that won it all — “We just had the best player in the country that year,” he said of Manning — and has been impressed with the Tigers’ chemistry and consistency.

“They’ve played really well all year,” he said. “We’ve got a good group of kids on the team and they really enjoy playing with one another.

“They know they have a chance to win the whole thing, but they’ve thought that way the whole year.”

Although some coaches have trouble adjusting to being an assistant after serving as a head coach for several years, Robic said it’s been an easy transition.

“For me, it’s been really easy,” he said. “I was fortunate to get a job the day after I got fired at Youngstown and I’m working for a heckuva loyal guy [Calipari]. I like the other coaches, I have a lot of responsibility and I love coaching great players who want to get better.

“I work as if I’m still a head coach.”

Asked if he would like to eventually become a head coach again, Robic said it would have to be a great situation for him to consider it.

“I’m in an unbelievable situation,” he said. “Personally, I think I have the best job in the country. Everything about it is great. The lifestyle is great. The financial part is great. And I’m coaching future NBA players.

“There’s a lot of people who would love to change jobs with me.”

Robic, who is married with three daughters, said he still keeps in touch with his friends and neighbors from the Youngstown area.

“A bunch of my friends came down for the [Conference USA] tournament,” he said. “It’s a good place to visit. If you want good barbecue and good music, Memphis is the place.”

And while things didn’t work out at YSU, he holds no grudges.

“They gave me a chance and I got to take a stab at it,” he said. “I developed some great relationships in my six years there. It was a good time for me.

“Things didn’t work out, but I certainly tried as hard as I could. I wish everyone nothing but the best and hopefully they do some good things there.”

scalzo@vindy.com