Lester Rowe

Lester Rowe (born January 11, 1963[1][2]) is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player who last served on the staff of Xavier Musketeers women's basketball. He has played professionally in several leagues. Since retiring as a player, he has worked in business and coached both men's and women's college basketball. As an assistant coach, his teams have earned 2017 Big 12 women's tournament and the 2013–14 Big 12 women's regular season championships. He has been an assistant coach for both West Virginia men's and West Virginia women's basketball as well as Northern Kentucky women's.

Lester Rowe
Personal information
Born (1963-01-11) January 11, 1963
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High schoolLafayette (Buffalo, New York)
CollegeWest Virginia (1981–1985)
NBA draft1985 / Undrafted
Playing career1985–1993
PositionSmall forward
Number24
Coaching career1997–present
Career history
As player:
1985Shell Azodrin Bugbusters
1987Long Island Knights
1987–1988Savannah Spirits
1988Youngstown Pride
1988Vancouver Nighthawks
As coach:
1997–2002West Virginia (men's assistant)
2011–2019West Virginia (women's assistant)
2019–2020Northern Kentucky (women's assistant)
2020–2023Xavier (women's assistant)
Career highlights and awards

He played four seasons for West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball where he led the team in scoring twice and rebounds three times. His teams either won the Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament (1983 & 1984) or the Atlantic 10 Conference (known as Eastern Athletic Association until 1982) regular season (1982 & 1985) championship every year that he played. He served as co-captain for two seasons and totaled 1,524 points and 787 rebounds. Rowe once held several West Virginia career records, including career field goal percentage. His school Iron man record (114 consecutive starts) stood for over 20 years.

Prior to his time at West Virginia, he played basketball for Lafayette High School where he was named 1981 Western New York co-player of the year by The Buffalo News. He is the uncle of former professional basketball player Jason Rowe.

High school

Growing up Rowe played pickup games at the YMCA, the Boys Club and other venues.[2] As a senior at Lafayette, Rowe averaged 28.2 points and 13.0 rebounds. He chose West Virginia over offers from Duke, North Carolina and others.[3] Rowe was named 1981 Western New York boy's basketball co-player of the year (with Ray Hall) by The Buffalo News.[4] Rowe also competed in the high jump in high school.[2]

College

As a freshman, Rowe led the 1981–82 West Virginia Mountaineers, which was the Eastern Athletic Association regular season champion in rebounding (5.5 rpg).[5]

When West Virginia won the 1983 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament, Rowe was on the All-tournament team.[6] Rowe was selected along with Terence Stansbury, Mike Brown and Barry Mungar, among others, to a 12-man Atlantic 10 Conference all-star team to tour Spain for a 12-day, 8-game tour to play against Spain, Panama and Soviet Union national teams in Santiago de Compostela, Palma de Mallorca and Madrid from May 12 to May 22, 1983.[7] Rowe was the leading scorer on the tour with a 19.9 average.[8]

For the 1983 Pre-season All-Atlantic 10 first team, Rowe was joined by Tony Costner, Bob Lojewski, Stansbury, and Brown.[9] Rowe was selected as co-captain along with Tim Kearney.[5] When the team lost Greg Jones following the 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season,[10] Rowe was the leading scorer (15.6 ppg) and rebounder (6.9 rpg) for the 1983–84 team.[5] When West Virginia won the 1984 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament, Rowe was the tournament MOP.[5] Rowe was named to the 1984 All-Atlantic 10 second team.[11]

For the 1984 Pre-season All-Atlantic 10 first team, Rowe, who was known for his leaping ability, was joined by Brown, Maurice Martin, John Battle and Granger Hall.[12] Rowe was selected as co-captain along with Dale Blaney.[5] On January 5, 1985, Rowe dunked what seemed to be a timely game-winning basket against the Saint Joseph's. However, after both teams returned to their locker rooms, warmups had begun for the next game of the doubleheader and the referees returned to their locker room, they decided that the dunk came after the buzzer.[13] By some accounts, seven minutes after the game, West Virginia had already left the Palestra to catch a plane.[14] However, Atlantic 10 basketball commissioner Charlie Theokas restored West Virginia's victory two days later noting that "When the referees signaled Rowe's field goal was good, and subsequently left the floor, the game was over."[15] Rowe again led the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.0 rpg) and earned second-team All-Atlantic 10.[5] West Virginia won the Atlantic 10 regular season championship.[11]

Following his career, Rowe held the West Virginia career Field goal percentage (593/1,095 54.2%) record for 4 seasons and the career games started record (114) for 6 seasons. He also held less auspicious career records for turnovers and fouls.[5] Rowe's record for consecutive starts (114) lasted until 2006 (Johannes Herber).[16] Rowe was a 4-time Conference player of the week.[5] Rowe is remembered for his dunking ability and his 42-inch (110 cm) vertical jump.[17][3] He described his greatest memory as the February 27, 1983 upset of number 1 ranked UNLV.[3] It would be almost 33 years before West Virginia defeated another number 1 ranked team.[18]

Professional career

Player

In 1985, Rowe joined the Shell Azodrin Bugbusters of the Philippine Basketball Association. Rowe was teammates with Nancy Lieberman on the Long Island Knights of the United States Basketball League in 1987.[19] Rowe played 5 games with the Savannah Spirits during the 1987–88. On December 8, 1987, the International Basketball Association conducted its draft with Lester Rowe being selected in the first round with the fourth pick by Ohio.[20] When four of the ten IBA teams wanted to delay commencement of the league until 1989, the other six formed the World Basketball League (WBL) for players listed at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) or less.[21] On April 15, 1988 he signed with the Youngstown Pride of the WBL, where he was teammates with his former Co-Player of the Year Hall.[22] In July, Rowe, who was listed as a center in this league for short players, was traded to the Vancouver Nighthawks.[23]

Rowe was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.[24]

Coach

Rowe was hired as an assistant coach for Gale Catlett and West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball in September 1997. He performed coaching, recruiting, scouting and administrative duties. He served on the staff for five seasons, highlighted by a Sweet Sixteen run by the 1997–98 team in the 1998 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[25][26] With 5 games remaining for West Virginia in the 2001–02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season Catlett resigned during his 24th season as head coach.[27] At first, Dan Dakich was announced as Catlett's replacement after Bob Huggins rejected the job.[28] Eventually, incoming head coach, John Beilein brought all three of his assistants from Richmond to fill out his staff.[29]

Rowe had coaching offeres, but did not want to move from Morgantown, West Virginia at that stage of his life.[3] From 2002 to 2010, Rowe served as a commercial property manager and sales executive.[25][2] Rowe became an assistant coach for Mike Carey and West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball in 2011.[25][26] In 2013, he was reprimanded by Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby for his involvement in a post-game melee at the Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center on November 17, 2013.[30] His tenure lasted until 2019 with the team earning both a regular season Big 12 Conference championship (2014) and a Big 12 Conference Tournament championship (2017) with Rowe.[25][26] In July 2019, Rowe was hired by the Northern Kentucky Norse women's basketball.[31] On July 1, 2020, Rowe joined the Xavier Musketeers women's basketball staff under head coach Melanie Moore.[26] Moore and her staff was fired following the 2022–23 season.[32]

Personal

Rowe has two daughters: Monalisa and Monique;[25] As of March 18, 2013 his daughters were aged 21 and 19, respectively.[2] Mona was all-state basketball player as a junior, but she had an anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2008–09 senior season.[33] He met his wife, Lisa, in Morgantown.[3]

Notes
  1. "24 Lester Rowe". West Virginia Mountaineers. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  2. Furfari, Mickey (March 18, 2013). "FURFARI COLUMN- 'Lester Rowe from Buffalo' outstanding in early 1980s". Times West Virginian. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  3. "Morgantown still home to Rowe". Charleston Daily Mail. February 17, 2004. p. 4B. ProQuest 332011938. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  4. "WNY's Top Players, ScorersOP". The Buffalo News. April 8, 1989. p. B4. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  5. "2021–22 West Virginia Men's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). West Virginia Mountaineers. 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  6. "WEST VA. WINNER IN FINAL". The New York Times. March 13, 1983. ProQuest 424581414. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  7. "STANSBURY, LOJEWSKI JOIN ATLANTIC 10 TOUR". Philadelphia Daily News. April 26, 1983. p. 63. ProQuest 1814250507. Retrieved April 6, 2023. Temple junior Terence Stansbury and St. Joseph's sophomore Bob Lojewski will join...juniors Tim Kearney of West Virginia, Edwin Green of Massachusetts and Andy Sisinni of Duquesne; sophomores Mike Brown of George Washington, Chris Remley of Rutgers, Lester Rowe of West Virginia and Donald Russell of Massachusetts and freshmen Troy Webster of George Washington, Rusty Cordua of Rhode Island and Barry Mungar of St. Bonaventure.
  8. Fleischman, Bill (June 16, 1983). "SPORTS PEOPLE". Philadelphia Daily News. p. B4. ProQuest 1814263851. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  9. Newman, Chuck (November 18, 1983). "ATLANTIC 10 HAS HIGH HOPES FOR SECOND SEASON". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. C.3. ProQuest 1822246911. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  10. Weiss, Dick (November 18, 1983). "CHARTING THE ATLANTIC 10". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 124. ProQuest 1814295512. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  11. "2019–20 Media Guide". Atlantic 10 Conference. Fall 2019. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  12. Newman, Chuck (November 9, 1984). "NEW LEADERSHIP GIVES ATLANTIC 10 A NEW OUTLOOK". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. E.3. ProQuest 1820045508. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  13. "College Basketball Roundup West Virginia `Wins' Game, 51-50, but Then Loses It, 50-49: [Home Edition]". Los Angeles Times. January 6, 1985. p. 11. ProQuest 292047442. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  14. Vetrone, Bob, Jr. (January 31, 2006). "BIG 5 MEMORY: JAN. 5, 1985". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 54. ProQuest 1908865344. Retrieved April 6, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. "W. VIRGINIA WINS--2 DAYS AFTER GAME: [FINAL, C Edition]". Chicago Tribune. January 8, 1985. p. 3. ProQuest 290816184. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  16. Hickman, Dave (January 29, 2006). "Different Garden party today for WVU". Sunday Gazette - Mail. p. 1D. ProQuest 332392164. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  17. "Coliseum's reopening easing life: Basketball team, walkers among those affected by closing". Charleston Daily Mail. October 31, 2000. p. 1A. ProQuest 331804916. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  18. Statman, David (January 16, 2016). "WVU eyes historic feat vs. Oklahoma; After a convincing victory over No. 1 Kansas on Tuesday night, West Virginia has a chance to achieve a rare feat Saturday: The Mountaineers can knock off the Nos. 1 and 2 teams in the country in the same week. [Derived Headline]". Pittsburgh Tribune - Review. ProQuest 1757503761. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  19. Cimini, Rich (June 4, 1987). "Lieberman Returns and Contributes: [NASSAU AND SUFFOLK Edition]". Newsday. p. 149. ProQuest 277867756. Retrieved April 7, 2023. Lieberman played a total of 14 minutes - six more than her average - and scored two points. She had four assists, including a behind-the-back pass on a break that resulted in a layup by Lester Rowe (20 points).
  20. "BASKETBALL: [FINAL Edition]". USA Today. December 9, 1987. p. 11C. ProQuest 305967304. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  21. Bonkowski, Jerry. (May 18, 1988). "Little-man's league has big plans on drawing board: [FINAL Edition]". USA Today. p. 08C. ProQuest 306063834. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  22. "Transactions: [List]". The New York Times. April 15, 1988. p. D22. ProQuest 426803949. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  23. "DEALS: [FIRST Edition]". Seattle Times. July 23, 1988. p. D5. ProQuest 384736648. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  24. "WVU adds 8 to Sports Hall of Fame". Charleston Gazette-Mail. May 25, 2014. p. D4. ProQuest 1529419634. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  25. "LESTER ROWE". West Virginia Mountaineers. 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  26. "Lester Rowe Named Assistant Women's Basketball Coach". GoXavier.com. July 1, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  27. "END OF AN ERA: WHAT'S NEXT FOR MOUNTAINEER BASKETBALL ?: ; It's Drew's baby for rest of season". The Charleston Gazette. February 15, 2002. p. 1B. ProQuest 331318509. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  28. "Dakich promises no-nonsense approach to Mountaineers". The Charleston Gazette. April 5, 2002. p. 1B. ProQuest 331054920. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  29. "Assistants follow Beilein from Richmond". The Charleston Gazette. April 19, 2002. p. 5B. ProQuest 331161000. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  30. Lewis, Ferd (November 21, 2013). "West Virginia coach reprimanded over Hawaii melee". Honolulu Star - Advertiser. ProQuest 1460427089. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  31. "Lester Rowe". NKUnorse.com. July 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  32. "Moore Tenure Wraps Up for Xavier Women's Basketball". GoXavier.com. March 6, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  33. Hanlon, Eric (February 2, 2009). "UHS hanging tough despite loss of Rowe". The Dominion Post McClatchy - Tribune Business News. ProQuest 456272822. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
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