Southside boys basketball coach Louis Golden recently confirmed this season was indeed his last.

“I have enjoyed coaching, but I’ve gotten to the point now where it looks like I’m getting a little bit tired, a little bit older and I need to give it up,” said Golden, whose career spans five decades.

Should the Tigers run the proverbial table to repeat as Class 2-A champion, Golden will finish his illustrious career sitting in third place on the S.C. High School League’s all-time career coaching wins’ list with 699.

It’s a position the Claflin University graduate can envision somebody surrendering to his cousin and fellow St. Matthews native Calhoun County boys’ basketball coach Zam Fredrick. On Friday, Fredrick reached the 500-win career milestone when the Saints went on the road and defeated Denmark-Olar 110-58.

While Fredrick was somewhat lowkey about the achievement, his peers could only marvel at the swiftness in which he reached 500 career wins.

What took other coaches like Golden, Union’s Joe Pitt (who also joined the 500-win club on Jan. 2) and Burke’s Earl Brown close to 700 career games to reach 500, Fredrick accomplished in just his 555th game.

“Five hundred is a milestone,” Golden said. “You’re not going to have that many people. You’ve got to stay in there a long time. Zam is the only guy who’s done it that quick because he’s had a couple of undefeated seasons. I only had one undefeated season.”

“That’s one helluva job of coaching,” Brown said. “Some of it has to do with athletes. But then again, it’s athletes and a program. And you’ve got to say when you look at his numbers, it’s great coaching, a great program and great community support.”

Like the 11 other coaches who have reached the 500-win plateau, Fredrick’s success is fueled by an incomparable work ethic and player commitment.

“It takes some good teams ... and I put it this way, it takes a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication from you as a coach and the players,”

Golden said. “A lot of motivation, a lot of hard work. Five hundred is like a coach football coach winning 250 and you don’t have too many of them.”

Staying on top of the game is another key ingredient, according to Brown.

“You take guys like Louie Golden. I met Louie years ago at a coaches’ clinic in Atlanta and every year we would meet at different coaches’ clinics throughout the region and state and in the country. To reach milestones such as this, these are things you’ve got to do. You’ve got to stay up on the game, you can’t let the game pass you by.”

For all the victories, a state-record winning streak and unprecedented seven state titles, one honor somehow still eludes Fredrick. He has yet to receive a Coach of the Year award from S.C. Basketball Coaches Association.

Golden, who also claims not to have ever won the SCBCA Coach of the Year Award, hypothesizes it’s the relentless style of play Fredrick coaches, which often leads to lopsided wins, which has left some coaches with hard feelings.

“I think that a lot of people sort of take it wrong,” he said. “You see, his boys are going to play hard the entire game. That’s his personality and there’s nothing wrong with that. But by playing hard the whole game and staying at it, the score runs up and a lot of people disagree with how bad he beat them. And I don’t know if that’s good or bad and that might be why he hasn’t won Coach of the Year.

‘He plays hard from the start to the end. They’re not going to let up. They’re not going to jump in a zone and just relax. They’re going to come at you for 32 minutes and you’re going to have to play and that’s what type of coach he is.”

Brown believes the reasons for the “snub” are more ulterior.

“I think that’s personal,” Brown said. “It has to be personal when it gets to that because there is no way on God’s Earth that you can overlook somebody with those accomplishments. I look at a man for what he does.”

“For his achievements and accomplishments, to be overlooked and for him not to receive some of the state and national honors, I think it’s just a slap in the face. And to say because of the dislike of ... someone will cause you to cheat him of some of the things he so rightfully deserve, I think it’s wrong to inject personal feelings and I think that’s what it comes down to.”

In the end, success is considered the best revenge. Another state title would give Calhoun County seven in this decade, more than any other state program, and its eighth won since 1996 would be the most in the modern SCHSL ever.

For Fredrick, this speaks more powerfully than any verbal rebuttal in his defense.

“When you look at his hardware, you can’t take that away,” Brown said.

“That’s one thing. And I think he is the better man for not crying and complaining about it. I think he’s the better man and he’ll always be the better man. Just continue to do what he’s doing and those things you can’t take away from him.”

All-time SCHSL

career coaching wins

(As of Jan. 9, 2009)

1. John Smith (Great Falls) --- 800

2. Taft Watson (Terrell’s Bay) -- 742

3. Louis Golden (Riverside, Southside) -- 683

4. Earl Brown (Burke) -- 639

5. Doug Lowe (Spartanburg) -- 600

6. Chip Atk ins (Barnwell, Lower Richland) -- 542

7. Bruce McLin (Gaffney) -- 533

8. Tim Whipple (Irmo) -- 520

9. Barry Tripplet (Pleasant Hill, Carver’s Bay) -- 514

10. Robert B. Jameson (Abbeville) -- 507

11. Joe Pitt (Union) -- 503

12. Zam Fredrick (Calhoun County) -- 500

n -- T&D Senior Sports Writer Thomas Grant Jr. can be reached by e-mail at tgrant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5547.

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