How Gregg Popovich’s worst loss became a win

The first piece I wrote for Pounding the Rock in October 2014 began with this quote:

“When asked about his most intense experience as a coach, Gregg Popovich answered, ‘Hands down, Pomona-Pitzer vs. Claremont McKenna in Ducey Gymnasium.’ “

As explained in that first piece, when I began coaching as an assistant coach with Claremont McKenna, Pop was the head coach at Pomona-Pitzer. Ducey Gymnasium was our home gym.

The two Southern California Division III teams share the same five-college campus, players from the two teams occasionally took classes together, and they certainly attended the same parties. When I started in 1985, Pop had been coaching Pomona-Pitzer since 1980. That was his first…