Jud Heathcote

George Melvin "Jud" Heathcote (May 27, 1927 – August 28, 2017) was an American basketball player and coach. He was a college basketball head coach for 24 seasons: five at the University of Montana (1971–1976) and nineteen at Michigan State University (1976–1995). Heathcote coached Magic Johnson during his two years at Michigan State, concluding with the 1979 national championship season.

Early years

Born in Harvey, North Dakota, to Marion Grant Heathcote and Fawn (Walsh) Heathcote; his father was a coach, but died in a 1930 diphtheria epidemic. His mother was a teacher and moved to live with her parents in Manchester, Washington, west of Seattle.

Heathcote developed into a fine three-sport athlete at South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, and after a year in the Navy V-5 program as World War II ended, he enrolled at Washington State College in Pullman and played basketball for the Cougars under head coach Jack Friel.

Coaching career

At age 44, Montana was the first for Heathcote as head coach of a college varsity program. Out of college, he coached for fourteen seasons at West Valley High School in Spokane, Washington, then at alma mater Washington State for seven years; five as freshman coach and two as frosh-varsity coach.

Montana had little historic success in the sport, but in his fourth season at Missoula in 1974–75, Heatcote led the Grizzlies to their first Big Sky Conference championship. They advanced to the NCAA Regionals, but lost by three in Portland in the Sweet Sixteen to eventual champion UCLA.

Heathcote was hired by Joseph Kearney in 1976 at Michigan State and began the most successful phase of his coaching career. In his third season in East Lansing, he guided the Spartans to the NCAA championship. Led on the court by sophomore Magic Johnson, MSU defeated the Larry Bird-led Indiana State Sycamores in the title game in Salt Lake City.

In his nineteen years at Michigan State, the Spartans made nine NCAA Tournament appearances and three National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearances. As a coach, Heathcote was particularly noted for his excellent defensive strategies on the court and was second to none in blocking the opposing team from penetrating to the hoop. Heathcote retired after the 1994–95 season, having won 418 games and lost 275, for a .603 winning percentage. He was succeeded by Tom Izzo, a thirteen-year assistant coach and associate head coach for Heathcote's final five seasons.

Retirement

After retiring from coaching, Heathcote returned to Spokane, where he lived until his death. He played handball until well into his seventies, and continued to play recreational golf. While Heathcote continued to follow Michigan State during the college season, his primary basketball interest in his final years was the local Gonzaga University; he attended all Bulldogs home games, and had a monthly lunch with head coach Mark Few.

On August 28, 2017, Heathcote passed away at the age of 90. "Michigan State has lost one of its icons today," current MSU Tom Izzo said in a statement. "And yet, nothing can erase his impact on the program, the players he coached and the coaches he mentored. Spartan basketball is what it is today because of Jud Heathcote."

Coaching tree

Several of Heathcote's former assistants and players went on to successful head coaching jobs including:

• Jim Brandenburg: Montana, Wyoming, San Diego State
• Don Monson: Idaho, Oregon
• Mike Deane: Siena, Marquette, Lamar, Wagner
• Tom Izzo: Michigan State
• Scott Skiles: Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Orlando Magic
• Stan Joplin: Toledo
• Mark Montgomery: Northern Illinois
• Brian Gregory: Dayton, Georgia Tech
• Tom Crean: Marquette, Indiana
• Bill Berry, San Jose State
• Kelvin Sampson, Washington State, Oklahona, Indiana
• Jim Boylen, associate head coach, Chicago Bulls
• Jim Boylan, assistant, Cleveland Cavaliers
• Dwayne Stephens, associate head coach, Michigan State