NEW HAVEN, Conn. (November 30, 2012) - Philadelphia University men's basketball coach, Herb Magee, and women's basketball coach, Tom Shirley were recently featured in the November edition of College Hoops Illustrated.  The full article by Christopher Granozio for College Hoops Illustrated can be read below.

"Win-Win"

By Christopher Granozio
College Hoops Illustrated© (November, 2012)

When it comes to civic pride and sports passion, Philadelphia takes a back seat to no city in America. Yet tucked deep into the East Falls section of town, beyond the glare of the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, Sixers and Big Five basketball, modestly lies Philadelphia University, a private institution that was founded in 1884 and enrolls 3,500 students. It is also home to two of the greatest basketball coaches ever to have draped a whistle around their necks.

You may have heard of Herb Magee, who begins his 46^th season at the helm of his alma mater and just last year was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame thanks to his NCAA-record 941 victories. But you may not have heard of his "boss" – Tom Shirley, the school's athletic director and women's basketball coach. All Shirley has done is rack up 627 wins of his own, which places him 6^th on the all-time women's list, fronted by the legendary Pat Summit.

Together, these two products of the city's parochial school system boast a win total of 1,568, ranking number one among any coaching tandem at any level of NCAA hoops, grabbing the baton from the University of Connecticut's Geno Auriemma and the now-retired Jim Calhoun.

In the uber-competitive world of collegiate sports, where internal rifts can be as common under the rafters as pulled muscles, you would be hard-pressed to find the faintest hint of envy, bitterness or one-upmanship between these two living legends.

"I'm honored to be associated with Herb," the 58-year-old Shirley admitted. "He's a Hall of Famer and a friend. We ride the same buses and talk the same language. There are times I will pick his brain. We'll talk about situational things, like whether to foul up three in the closing seconds. There's give and take with both parties."

As a result of Division II's smaller budgets, basketball teams are often forced to travel together much more often, especially for conference doubleheaders, during which the women typically play the undercard.

"After a road game, the bus driver drops us off for dinner," Shirley said. "But we eat quickly so we can get back and watch the men play. It's all about team camaraderie."

Magee, a native of Southwest Philadelphia, echoes the sentiments of brotherly love.

"We get along as well as any two people can," he admits. "Tom sets up the practice schedule and the travel times, and I've never had a problem with any of that. We have mutual respect. I like the kids he recruits and he likes mine. Some of his girls will work my camp and others will wear my t-shirts around campus. It's an ideal working situation and a big help to me that they are in our corner. It makes the job so much easier."

An orphan who was raised by a Catholic priest uncle, the Rev. Edwin Gallagher, Magee shined at the game of basketball from an early age, honing his skills at Philadelphia's West Catholic High School. His love affair with the game was in full bloom by 1959, when the freshman first stepped on campus at what was known then as Philadelphia Textile Institute. John F. Kennedy was still a state senator in Massachusetts, "Ben-Hur" was the big hit at the box office and the Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" was spilling out of every jukebox in America. Magee shot the lights out in a Rams uniform, amassing 2,235 points (with no 3-point line, no less) and becoming a two-time All-America, setting the school record with a 29.1 scoring average his junior year and helping the Rams go 75-17 overall.

After serving as an assistant under Bucky Harris for four years, Magee succeeded his mentor and has strung together 42 winning seasons in 45 years, 30 seasons of at least 20 wins, 26 NCAA appearances and a national championship in 1970. There were plenty of DI and NBA offers along the way, but the onetime Boston Celtics draft pick was more than content to keep his roots firmly planted in Philly soil.

"That was my plan all along," Magee admits. "Even when one of my best friends, Jimmy Lynam, was coaching the (Washington) Wizards and wanted me to be his assistant, I didn't even think about it. I've got a car. I've got a nice home, what more do I need? I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

There may not have been NBA offers for Tom Shirley, but the fellow Philadelphia native differs from his colleague in that he did once entertain thoughts of ascending to the sidelines of Division I. After having earned his first 149 wins coaching at his alma mater, DeSales University (formerly Allentown College), Shirley took the reins of the Lady Rams and has guided his troops to 19 consecutive postseason appearances and an average of nearly 21 wins a winter. Three years into his tenure, he accepted the job as athletics director and has struck a successful balance between the two responsibilities.

"I have to hold my kids to a higher standard because I'm the A.D.," Shirley professes. "I call it a 'democratic dictatorship.' I'll discuss things with my kids, but I'll know what conclusion I want them to come to, and will move them in that direction. We're not wearing headbands, for example. I'm a taskmaster, the son of a World War II vet."

His players wouldn't have it any other way.

"He helped me with life challenges," Darlene Hildebrand, a 1,695-point scorer and first-team All-America selection in 1992, said. "You may have only been there four years but not a day goes by that I don't think about something he taught me. He does things out of the kindness of his heart and doesn't expect anything back."

Hildebrand, who is the first female executive of the esteemed, 53-year-old amateur Donofrio Basketball Classic, was also heavily influenced by the Rams' men's basketball coach.

"He was so precise and ran such a tight game," she said. "And wow, could he shoot!"

Magee, also known as "The Shot Doctor" due to his outside enterprise of instructional shooting videos, is in demand nationally as a speaker and teacher, offering his expertise to NBA stars such as Charles Barkley and Sebastian Telfair across the decades. His coaching philosophy is more aligned with the Golden Rule.

"I always said I'd coach my team the way I'd want to be coached," Magee admits. "Do unto others. Still, you need to know which kids need to be chastised verbally and which ones need a different approach to get the same result."

If he had to pinpoint a reason behind the record number of victories, Magee attributes a great deal of it to outwitting the opponent on restarts and out-of-bounds plays.

Eldest daughter Kay Magee, who serves as director of men's basketball operations and teaches math at the university, says here dad can still knock 'em down.

"Dad would bet his two daughters he could make half-court shots," Magee said. "We'd stupidly bet him and lose. But he's a great dad… an interesting guy."

Interesting is an understatement. The man Villanova head coach Jay Wright calls "the crown of our city" is blessed with a "Rain Man" memory that allows him to retain and rattle off facts about every game he has ever coached. Whatever hobby or interest he cultivates seems to consume him, like his obsession with the syndicated TV show "Seinfeld." It may surprise many of his fans to know that Magee can recite storylines and dialogue from all 180 episodes. He's also a fan of HBO staples "The Sopranos" and "Entourage."

Herb Magee's quasi-celebrity status not only helps him sign standout student-athletes, it also helps Tom Shirley in the recruiting process.

"I'm often asked by parents, 'do you know Herb Magee?' Shirley says. "It helps me from a credibility standpoint. They think, if he coaches with Herb, he must know what he's doing. The kids aren't necessarily impressed but the parents are really impressed"

Both coaches are not content to rest on their impressive laurels. Though winning is undoubtedly a priority, both men admit the process is just as rewarding as the result.

"I don't dwell on these records," Magee notes. "We've been around a long time and do what we love most… interacting with young people, watching them mature, grow up, have children and handle themselves well. There have been no scandals here. We're just as proud of that as anything else."

University President, Dr. Steven Spinelli concurs, stating that "education is a about lifelong contributions to society, and these coaches are great educators."

Hildebrand says it's the kind of kids that Magee and Shirley recruit that are a testament to their success.

"Tom will recruit you because you're a good basketball player, but also because you're a good person."

Christian Burns, who was named Daktronics Division II National Player of the Year with Magee's Rams in 2007, was filled with similar praise. "He's more than a coach. He's a father figure who will help his players with anything they need."

Yet finding the right kids becomes more challenging with each successive year.

"There are more kids now who want less structure," Shirley says. "We are both structured. Winning 11^th-place medals when they're five years old is ruining a generation. It's hard to find a second-tier player who wants to be the ninth man in a successful program. Someone has to be the janitor at Xerox."

Even though he says he's very happy with his situation, working two blocks from where he grew up, Shirley would hardly mind one day shedding his administrative hat and concentrating on coaching full-time. Or, as he puts it, "be another Magee."

Of all his accomplishments, Shirley singles out coaching his daughter, Kristen, as well as 1994 National Player of the Year Tammy Greene, whose 2,490 points is a school record for both programs. However, he is proudest of the fact that his teams are a perfect 23-0 on Senior Day, including a three-overtime thriller vs. Dominican College in 2010 that the coach calls his favorite game of all-time. It featured an intentionally missed foul shot-tip-in play, as well as a tying, buzzer-beating 3-pointer from a player, Kate Brennan, who had been 0-for-6 from deep until that point.

"If I ever get Alzheimer's, I'll always remember that day," Shirley proclaims.

For Magee, the 1970 national championship game win vs. Tennessee State looms largest in his voluminous memory bank. It was a 76-65 victory played before over 16,000 fans in Evansville, Indiana. The Tigers' formidable lineup featured two future ABA players and Lloyd Neal, who would go on to star for the Portland Trailblazers, winning an NBA title in 1977. However, the resilient Rams were hardly slouches. Three players averaged double figures in scoring and rebounds, while the backcourt was tough and tenacious.

"We built a 15-point lead, and they came back on us," Magee recalls. "They got it to four, but there was no shot clock so we held the ball and hit enough backdoor cuts and foul shots to win going away."

That was the first DII championship game televised nationally. Over forty years later, the coach of that team was humbled to be immortalized in Springfield.

"You can't even imagine being up there with Chris Mullin and Artis Gilmore," he recalls. "It was just unbelievable, the feeling."

Despite being well past the conventional retirement age, Magee has no desire to depart the hardwood anytime soon. He credits health as the primary factor for his longevity (he is an avid golfer). And he does not underestimate the value of his loyal wife, Jeri, who attends the majority of the games, and is an "incredible" fan.

"I don't like losing games," says Magee, who owns a .715 lifetime winning percentage. "But I don't let it carry over. Let's work toward the next game, the next practice."

For the 46^th consecutive fall, Magee's practices are underway on a beautiful new court that bears his name. Meantime, Shirley readies his troops for a 23^rd straight season of Lady Rams basketball. Two remarkable Philly success stories under one roof.

1,568 and counting.