Obituary: High school basketball mourns the loss of Ted Cusick, who coached for nearly 50 seasons

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Ted Cusick called it The Circus Play.

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He used it mostly when he was coaching the Point Gray Greyhounds High School boys’ basketball team in the 1970s. The ball would hit a player standing at the opponents’ free throw line. His four teammates would surround him at high speed. The defense would eventually lose out on who to control, and one of Cusick’s charges would be opened for an easy layup.

It was wonderful fun. It was empowering for the players, it was very different from the regular rate. It embodied much of what Cusick was about.

Cusick, who coached 47 high school basketball seasons in BC, died Nov. 1 after a brief illness. He was 78 years old.

“They were totally Globetrotters,” said Doug Kelsey, who played three seasons for Cusick at Point Gray. “It was something you would think only Ted could do.

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“He always kept it fun. He was a fun-loving boy. He let us go, he freed us as players. He gave us the canvas to paint on in an athletic way. “

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Kelsey and his older brother, Howard, were among the notable players Cusick had in his time with the Greyhounds. Point Gray was known as a rugby school before Cusick’s arrival in 1973. By ’75, he was guiding the Greyhounds to fifth place in the basketball provinces. Howard Kelsey was named tournament MVP after setting a scoring record with 31.25 points per game.

Howard would play college, professionally abroad and represent Canada at two Olympics (1980, 1984) as part of an 11-year career with the national team. He is in the BC Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame. He maintains that he is in debt to Cusick.

“His style was very different,” Howard said. “He allowed my brother and I to have special freedom on the court. Made playing fun. He was never a screamer. He would empower and encourage. “

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Doug added: “He was very good at reading player dynamics, games and abilities, and he always treated everyone very well. He was a very decent man. Our family will always be grateful to him ”.

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Cusick would continue as coach in Killarney, Windermere, Port Moody, Riverside and New Westminster. He and his close friend Tom Tagami, with whom he trained in Killarney, were instrumental in getting the BC high school men’s basketball website up and running.

“He trained where he was needed. New Westminster was his home community. They needed a coach. He knew (then-Riverside principal) Chris Kennedy from working with Chris’s father in Killarney, and Riverside needed a coach, ”said coach and high school organizer Paul Eberhardt. “He was not chasing victories. It was where people needed help.

“Ted was one of the best human beings you ever wanted to meet. I don’t know of anyone who has had a bad word to say about him. “

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Added Doug Kelsey, “He’s a guy who gave back a lot more than he took.”

Cusick retired from teaching in 2001, but continued training after that. He coached his last game in February 2020, coming off the losing side of an 87-77 overtime decision against the Maple Ridge Ramblers in a regional playoff game. Veteran coach Ken Dockendorf was in command of Maple Ridge that night.

“I’ll miss training, but God, I’m old,” Cusick told Dan Olson of the New Westminster Record newspaper after that game.

Howard Kelsey added: “Those guys like Ted who trained for 40 years deserve your support. They not only influence their school, but they also influence the community in which the school is located. In this day and age, I’m not sure we’ll see people training for 40 more years. “

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