Bernard Sarachek
Bernard "Red" Sarachek (born October 19, 1912, Bronx, New York; died November 14, 2005, Deerfield Beach, Florida) was a basketball coach at Yeshiva University in New York City from 1940 to 1969 and a mentor of such famous coaches as Red Holzman of the New York Knicks and Lou Carnesecca of St. John's University. Yeshiva, under Sarachek, has been called "the birthplace of modern basketball" due to Sarachek's innovative ball-handling schemes.
Sarachek designed and implemented motion offenses, trapping defenses, plays to beat zone defenses and creative in-bound plays. His schemes were admired and copied by coaches around the country.
His story is featured in The First Basket, the first and most comprehensive documentary on the history of Jews and Basketball.
References
- “Red Sarachek, 93, Longtime Basketball Coach at Yeshiva,” New York Sun, November 18, 2005
- Red “Sarachek, Innovator as Yeshiva Basketball Coach, Dies at 93,” The New York Times, November 19, 2005 Red Sarachek, Innovator as Yeshiva Basketball Coach, Dies at 93,” The New York Times, November 19, 2005]
- Jewish Virtual Library