GILROY
– The Gilroy High School boys basketball team has a new man to
look up to – literally.
GILROY – The Gilroy High School boys basketball team has a new man to look up to – literally.
Bud Ogden, standing at 6 foot 6 inches tall, was named the new varsity head coach this week for GHS, a team that suffered from a lack of size on the court last year. The former Philadelphia 76er and standout for Santa Clara University hopes to spread his knowledge not only about the game of basketball, but about life.
“I want them to come away with the life lessons of hard work, diligence, teamwork,” he said. “It’d be nice if we win 20 games, but if they take those life lessons, that’s what I want to instill in them.”
The high school picked Ogden out of a group of three finalists to replace Michael Baumgartner, who resigned after the team finished with a 7-16 record last season. According to Athletic Director Jack Daley, the choice was an easy one.
“Obviously, he has a ton of basketball experience,” he said. “He has a wealth of basketball knowledge. It’s not often you get someone with that kind of ability.”
The eighth-generation native Californian, who grew up in the San Jose area, knows a lot about success both on and off the basketball court.
Named to the All-American team while attending Lincoln High School in San Jose in 1964, Ogden was recruited to play for the Santa Clara Broncos on a full-ride scholarship. But basketball wasn’t Ogden’s only forte.
“I did football, basketball, baseball … even water polo,” he said.
Ogden’s basketball success continued at Santa Clara after a slow start. After a 13-13 season while playing center, he moved to power forward and helped lead the Broncos to a 23-4 record during the 1967-68 season and a 27-2 record the following year, and two NCAA tournament berths for the relatively small school and All-American status for himself in 1969.
“This is going to sound better than it was, but we were one win away from the final four,” Ogden said. “But back in the old days, there was just 16 teams, so that means we only won one game.”
Because of the way the tournament was arranged, the Broncos were scheduled to play a mighty UCLA team – featuring all-time NBA leading scorer Kareem Abdul Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) – in the second round both years, losing 87-66 in 1968 and 90-52 the following year.
However, during 1968-69 season, Santa Clara climbed its way to the No.2 ranking in the nation, gaining major exposure for the university – and for Ogden.
“We were just 1,800 kids, but we were ranked number two to UCLA,” Ogden remembers. “Basically, it was all Bay Area kids. Along with that comes things like being on the cover of Sports Illustrated.”
Ogden’s picture graced the cover of the Feb. 10, 1969, issue of the magazine, but he took the honor in stride.
“It was about what the team was doing, not what I was doing so much,” he said.
Ogden was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of the 1969 NBA draft, and found himself playing against players much taller than he was. He moved to a guard position, but his career in the NBA was short-lived.
“It was a great two years,” he said.
After leaving the NBA, Ogden started a family. He had a daughter and a son, both of whom are grown now, but he walked away from the game of basketball to take on several jobs, including a career in the real estate industry.
Ogden returned to the game slowly, at first just to help coach his kids in youth sports, but he started making his way back in to basketball on a more competitive level when his brother asked Ogden to help coach his son in high school.
“All I wanted to do was work with the kids,” said Ogden, who became an assistant coach for Linbrook High School.
After his nephew graduated, Ogden thought he was done coaching. However, he was asked to help coach at Del Mar High School. At a tournament game with Valley Christian High School, Ogden was asked to take on an assistant role there, and he decided it was a good fit.
In 1997, the head coach left Valley Christian, and Ogden finally decided it was time to become a head basketball coach. After three years, Ogden is now hoping to build successful players and people at Gilroy High School. He will meet the players for the first time today.
“All the reports say that they’re good kids,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to meeting them.”
Ogden said he hasn’t seen the talent level of the Gilroy team, but hopes to build a winner based on tenacious play.
“My natural game is a power game, an inside game,” he said. “I like an up-tempo team, aggressive defense. That’s the way I played, and that’s what I expect.”
Ogden, who taught algebra while coaching at Valley Christian, hopes to qualify to act as a full-time substitute teacher at the high school and also may help out as an assistant coach for the football team – although he said he won’t do it if it will be too much of a distraction from the basketball season.
Ogden knows the boys team is coming off a disappointing season, netting just one win in T-CAL, but he hopes a new face will help get things going when the team begins practices in November.
“There is some science to coaching,” he said. “A good coach can contribute a whole lot.”
