CARDS EXTRAS

Basketball legend D.C. Wilcutt dies at 92

2015-10-19T23:00:00Z 2015-10-20T12:53:06Z Basketball legend D.C. Wilcutt dies at 92By Stu Durando St. Louis Post-Dispatch stltoday.com

D.C. Wilcutt, a former St. Louis University standout and longtime CBC basketball coach and administrator, died Monday morning at the age of 92.

Wilcutt was a member of the 1948 St. Louis University team that won the National Invitation Tournament championship. He was drafted by the St. Louis Bombers of the Basketball Association of America and played two seasons, the second coming after a merger formed the National Basketball Association.

He coached at CBC for 35 seasons, finishing with a record of 570-331 with three state championships before retiring in 1987.

"He was married for 64 years to my mom and that's probably his greatest feat when you think about it," said his son, Steve. "A classy gentleman. He treated everyone the same and people loved him. It was a hell of a life and a hell of a run."

Vivian Wilcutt died on July 13 at 85. The two were married in 1951 and had seven children.

The gym at CBC is named after Wilcutt, as it was at the school's previous location.

"He's just been such an institution, not only in Missouri basketball but high school basketball in general," said Bobby McCormack, who played for Wilcutt before coaching at CBC and Priory. "He was so well respected because of how he went about his business. He was so respectful of his players and fellow caoches and referees. Everybody who came in touch with him wanted to be like him."

Local attorney John Kilo remained lifelong friends with the Wilcutts after playing at CBC in the late 1950s and early '60s and noted: "I think coach Wilcutt died of a broken heart."

Kilo recalled a coach who prepared his teams for the end of the season. He said Wilcutt was willing to accept early losses in order to teach his players lessons they could use later when games and championships were on the line.

"He was no nonsense," Kilo said. "He believed in tough love. What you came to appreciate was his vast knowledge of the game. He was able to transfer his knowledge to the players, and he had his own way of motivating. And in the clutch, in the big games, there was no better coach in the country."

 
Stu Durando
@studurando on Twitter
sdurando@post-dispatch.com

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