Charlie Spoonhour
Encyclopedia
Charlie Spoonhour is a retired high school
and college
basketball
coach.
Spoonhour received an education degree from the University of the Ozarks
. He spent seven seasons as a high school basketball coach, then fourteen seasons bouncing between Division I assistant coaching positions and junior college head coaching positions. This included a four year stretch from 1969 to 1973 as an assistant coach on the staff of head coach Bill Thomas at then-Division II Southwest Missouri State
.
Ten years later, Spoonhour was on the staff of Nebraska
coach Moe Iba
, when he was hired as the head coach of Southwest Missouri State
for the 1983-84 season, a year after the Bears had moved up to Division I. He led the Bears to five NCAA Tournament
appearances in a six-season stretch from 1987 to 1992. His best season was in 1986-87 when the Bears won the Mid-Continent Conference
with a 13-1 mark and finished 28-6. Behind future NBA point guard
Winston Garland
, they made it to the second round of the 1987 NCAA Tournament
as a #13-seed, beating 4th-seeded Clemson
65-60 before losing to 5th-seeded Kansas 67-63.
After the 1991-92 season, he went to Saint Louis University
, where he led the Billikens to three NCAA tournament appearances in seven seasons. In 2001, he went to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
, where he retired from coaching following the 2003-04 season.
In 2010, he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and placed on the recipient list for a lung transplant. He received the lung transplant at Duke University Medical Center in August 2010, and was said to be in good condition, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
. He will spend the next six months recuperating at Duke.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach.
Spoonhour received an education degree from the University of the Ozarks
University of the Ozarks
The University of the Ozarks is a private, four-year liberal arts, comprehensive university located in Clarksville, Arkansas, a community of just over 9,000 people and the county seat of Johnson County. U of O is located at the foot of the Ozark Mountains, about west of Little Rock...
. He spent seven seasons as a high school basketball coach, then fourteen seasons bouncing between Division I assistant coaching positions and junior college head coaching positions. This included a four year stretch from 1969 to 1973 as an assistant coach on the staff of head coach Bill Thomas at then-Division II Southwest Missouri State
Missouri State Bears men's basketball
The Missouri State Bears men's basketball team is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. The Bears compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. They are currently coached by Cuonzo Martin who has been head coach since the 2008–09...
.
Ten years later, Spoonhour was on the staff of Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college basketball. The program saw its first game in 1896 playing 7-on-7 basketball. The first collegiate game was against Nebraska Wesleyan University...
coach Moe Iba
Moe Iba
Henry "Moe" Iba Jr. is an American basketball coach. He coached the University of Memphis from 1966–1970, the University of Nebraska from 1980–1986 and Texas Christian University from 1987-1994....
, when he was hired as the head coach of Southwest Missouri State
Missouri State Bears men's basketball
The Missouri State Bears men's basketball team is the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. The Bears compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. They are currently coached by Cuonzo Martin who has been head coach since the 2008–09...
for the 1983-84 season, a year after the Bears had moved up to Division I. He led the Bears to five NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
appearances in a six-season stretch from 1987 to 1992. His best season was in 1986-87 when the Bears won the Mid-Continent Conference
Mid-Continent Conference
The Summit League is an NCAA Division I college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. On June 1, 2007, the conference changed its name from the Mid-Continent Conference.- Current membership :...
with a 13-1 mark and finished 28-6. Behind future NBA point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
Winston Garland
Winston Garland
Winston Kinnard Garland is an American former professional basketball player on the point guard position. He played collegiately at the Southeastern Community College for two seasons , and then at theMissouri State University for the two following seasons...
, they made it to the second round of the 1987 NCAA Tournament
1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1987, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in New Orleans, Louisiana...
as a #13-seed, beating 4th-seeded Clemson
Clemson Tigers men's basketball
The Clemson Tigers men's basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA Division I. The current head coach is Brad Brownell.-Team history:...
65-60 before losing to 5th-seeded Kansas 67-63.
After the 1991-92 season, he went to Saint Louis University
Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball
The Saint Louis University Billiken's men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Saint Louis University. The school competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Rick Majerus is the current head coach. Chaifetz Arena is home to the Billikens. The Billikens have...
, where he led the Billikens to three NCAA tournament appearances in seven seasons. In 2001, he went to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
, where he retired from coaching following the 2003-04 season.
In 2010, he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and placed on the recipient list for a lung transplant. He received the lung transplant at Duke University Medical Center in August 2010, and was said to be in good condition, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
. He will spend the next six months recuperating at Duke.