University of Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp was hospitalized last season for a month with an Infected foot and many observers found it hard to believe that college basketball's winningest coach would really be appearing at the Adolph Rupp-Dan IsseI-Mike Pratt camp this summer at Bellarmine-Ursuline College. But the 70-year-oId Rupp made frequent appearances at Bellarmine, taking an active part in coaching the youths attendIng the camp. In this diary, camp counselor Rick Bolus, a Boston College player from Louisville, tells what it's like to live and work with Adolph Rupp. These excerpts are reprinted from the Louisville Courier Journal & Times.

Published in Street & Smith's Basketball Magazine, 1972, pp. 78, 138.

by RICK BOLUS

First week

SUNDAY - - Shortly after reporting to camp at 6 p.m., I went over to the Bellarmine cafeteria for supper. Coach Rupp was right in front of me in the cafeteria line. He ordered hot dogs and spaghetti. When I told the lady that I also wanted hot dogs and spaghetti, she replied, "I'm sorry, but only one. You'll have to make a choice." I took hot dogs.

After dinner, we all went over to Knights Hall and coach Rupp talked to the boys. There are 93 here this week, from all over this part of the country. Among other things, coach Rupp told the boys not to throw behind-the-back passes. I decided then that it'd be best if I didn't throw a single behind-the-back pass at the camp.

MONDAY-We started work with the kids at 9 o'clock. There are five stations set up-offense, rebounding, shooting, ball-handling and defense. Coach Rupp and I worked together at the defensive station.

"Defense is a dirty word," coach Rupp told the group. "I know you boys are having fun here and don't like to do this. This is the worst part. Defense is worse than cleaning out the barn."

Coach Rupp singled out one boy to me, Joe Holland Jr. He's from West Virginia. His father played in the days of the Fabulous Five at UK. "His dad was one of the best defensive players I ever had," coach Rupp said.

I then put the kids through a defensive drill and I swear I thought I overheard coach Rupp say, "Now you boys listen to your counselor. He knows more basketball than I do." Tonight, coach Rupp narrated a film of a game between Georgia and Kentucky. "I've got a film to show you with a pretty great player in it-Dan Issel," coach Rupp said. Dan, standing next to coach Rupp, said with a big smile, "Coach, every film you've got on me is great." Coach Rupp replied: "I can't argue with you on that."

Claude Vaughan, the trainer at UK, is here at the camp, working with the boys and watching over coach Rupp. He's a great admirer of coach Rupp and can tell you a hundred stories about him. One he told tonight was really funny.

"Last season when coach Rupp was having trouble with his foot and Joe Hall was sharing head coaching duties with him against Tennessee, we called a timeout," Vaughan said. "Hall told the players, 'Casey, you switch here. Payne, you switch here. Parker, you switch here. . .' He had ALL FIVE players switching. Finally, coach Rupp got up and said 'Joe, you've made more switches than Houdini could make."

TUESDAY -- My roommate is Mike Casey. He's trying out with the Kentucky Colonels at their rookie camp for the next few days. As he left this morning to work out with the Colonels, coach Rupp told him: "Be sure and tell the Colonels you can play guard and forward. . . I know you're just as good as any of those players. Just go out there and show 'em."

Mike said coach Rupp had talked to Frank Ramsey on his behalf and things would have been looking a lot better for him if Ramsey had stayed on as the Colonels' coach.

Some of the camp's counselors and a few college players from around town scrimmaged the Kentucky All-Stars tonight in Knights Hall. We beat them and afterward coach Rupp didn't have anything nice to say about the All-Stars. "They're a poor basketball team," he said. "Poor fundamentally. Why, we had them down 18-4 and got their first one. The only way they can beat Indiana Saturday is with the Lord on their side." (NOTE: The Kentucky stars obviously had something going for them because they put it to Indiana 110-91.)

WEDNESDAY -- Coach Rupp asked me if he could see the newspaper I had at breakfast this morning. I said sure, but told him all I had was the sports section. "Why, the sports is the only part of the paper," he said.

Coach Rupp, noticing my dark complexion and mustache and beard I've grown this summer, frequently refers to me as Haile Selassie. I really don't think he knows my name.

At practice this morning, coach Rupp was trying to get out of the way of a couple of players chasing a loose ball in a defensive drill and he lost his balance and fell backward. He hit his head on the floor and, at first, it looked like it hurt him. Issel, Vaughan and I ran over to help him up, but as soon as coach Rupp got to his feet, he immediately started talking to the youngsters-and it wasn't about his head. . . it was about defense.

Coach Rupp left camp this afternoon, returning to his home in Lexington. As he was walking out of the dorm, he told everybody, "Work hard and I'll see you boys next week."

Second week

THURSDAY -Coach Rupp returned to camp tonight at 7:30 after spending the early part of the week at the National Association of Basketball Coaches meeting at Myrtle Beach, S.C.

We looked at a film on Kentucky fundamentals. "If you boys do what the film shows," coach Rupp said, 'You'll always be on the right track."

FRIDAY-"Basketball is the greatest sport," coach Rupp told the assembled youngsters in the gym this morning. "Some people will say baseball is, but there's more action in basketball."

Coach Rupp then imitated a pitcher at the mound. Reaching down for the resin bag. Calling the catcher out for a conference. Walking around the mound. Shaking off a couple of signs from the catcher. And, finally, throwing,the pitch. Coach Rupp was really funny during his act -- and the boys loved every second of it. "And after all this time," coach Rupp summed up, "guess what the batter did? Why, he hit a foul ball, that's what he did. Hit a foul ball."

This afternoon, we had a tournament for the camp's youngsters. The team I was coaching was down by 20 points after three quarters and I asked coacn Rupp if he had any suggestions. "Well, son," he said, "your team is going to have to shoot better, jump higher and play better defense," The advice didn't help. We still got beat by 20 points.

Third week

MONDAY -- Coach Rupp arrived at camp at 5:30 and talked basketball to the boys from 7 to 7:30. "I've passed up a lot of camps before, and thousands of dollars, but I couldn't pass up a chance to work at this one -- to work with men like Issei and Pratt and Casey," he said. Coach Rupp told about his boyhood days in Kansas. "When I first started playing," he said, "we put a metal rim on a barn and used a sack filled with hay for a basketball. We learned how to pass and shoot all right, but that ball wasn't much for dribbling."

TUESDAY -- The announcement that T.L. Plain is leaving UK as an assistant to become head coach at Utah State was made in today's paper. Coach Rupp said he's going to miss Plain. "He did most of our recruiting. He's a good man," Tonight, coach Rupp, Vaughan and I watched the telecast of the AII-Star baseball game from coach Rupp's room. TV started its telecast at 7:30, but the game didn't get under way until a little after 8. Coach Rupp got a little impatient waiting.

"What are we waiting for?" he complained . . . "Throw out the damned ball. . . What's the delay? . . . Come on, throw the ball out. . . What's the delay? . . . Come on, throw the ball out. . . Play ball!"

When the game finally started, coach Rupp predicted a victory for the American League. (He was right. The Americans won 6-4).

A pretty strong rain storm then hit the Louisville area and, although coach Rupp assured us that it was nothing compared to the storms he used to experience in Kansas, he still telephoned his wife in Lexington to make sure everything was all right.

Coach Rupp started pulling for American League pitcher Vida Blue at the very start. "Come on, fire that ball in there," he said as he stretched out in bed. Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox came to the plate early in the game. "He's overpaid," coach Rupp declared. "if I owned the Red Sox, I'd cut his salary in half."

After listening to Curt Gowdy announce a few innings, coach Rupp told Vaughan: "Claude, get on the phone and send him a telegram. . . and tell him he's talking too much."

Late in the game, one hitter didn't take the bat off his shoulder in one appearance at the plate, bringing this comment from coach Rupp: "Why, I'm doing more than that batter is, and I'm sitting here on my big fanny."

WEDNESDAY -- Coach Rupp put In a full 2-1/2 hours this morning in the gym -- giving individual Instruction, offering encouragement and seeming to be having a lot of fun-before he left camp for his home in Lexington.

"I've enjoyed this week more than any other," he said as he departed.

And as he walked out of the gym, I couldn't help but remember what my coach at Boston College, Chuck Daly, has frequently said about coach Rupp: "Nobody loves the game of basketball any more than Adolph Rupp."

After working closely with coach Rupp at the camp this summer, I now know what my coach at Boston College means about the man.

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