John Castellani

{{Short description|American basketball player and coach (1926–2021)}} {{for|the American public affairs executive|John J. Castellani}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}} {{Infobox college coach | name = John Castellani | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1926|8|23}} | birth_place = New Britain, Connecticut, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2021|5|11|1926|8|23}} | death_place = New Britain, Connecticut, U.S. | alma_mater = University of Notre Dame<br>Marquette University (J.D.) | player_years1 = | player_team1 = | player_positions =  | coach_years1 = 195x–1956 | coach_team1 = Notre Dame (asst.) | coach_years2 = 1956–1958 | coach_team2 = Seattle | coach_years3 = 1959–1960 | coach_team3 = Minneapolis Lakers | admin_years1 = 1956–1959 | admin_team1 = Seattle | overall_record = | championships = NCAA Regional – Final Four (1958) | coaching_records = }} '''John Louis Castellani''' (August 23, 1926 – May 11, 2021) was an American attorney and a former basketball coach. He coached the Minneapolis Lakers in the NBA during the 1959–1960 season, their last before relocating to Los Angeles. Prior to his short coaching stint with the Lakers, Castellani was the head coach at Seattle University from 1956 to 1958, and took the Chieftains to the 12-team National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in his first year. With Elgin Baylor starring in his lineup, Castellani led the 1958 team to the NCAA title game in Louisville, Kentucky,<ref name=srgnfnl>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GAJYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BPcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7024%2C5480335 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Seattle gains NCAA finals; to battle Kentucky tonight |date=March 22, 1958 |page=8}}</ref> but lost {{nowrap|84–72}} to the Kentucky Wildcats, led by head coach {{nowrap|Adolph Rupp.<ref name=sibtinf>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GQJYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BPcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7081%2C5654468 |work=Spokane Daily Chronicle |location=Washington |agency=Associated Press |title="Nothing wrong with 2d;" Seattle is beaten in finals |date=March 24, 1958 |page=18}}</ref>}} At the age of 31 he is the youngest head coach to lead a team to the national championship game.

Only a month after the championship game, NCAA violations came to light concerning airfare bought for recruits Ben Warley and George Finley. The result was that Castellani resigned under fire on April 21,<ref name=casqu>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rS9WAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ouYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6947%2C1621129 |work=Spokesman-Review |location=Spokane, Washington |agency=Associated Press |title=Castellani quits at SU after penalty |date=April 22, 1958 |page=14}}</ref> Baylor left for the NBA, and Seattle was given a two-year postseason ban.<ref>[http://www.seattlepi.com/cbasketball/309276_where28.html Where Are They Now? John Castellani, Seattle U basketball coach]</ref> Castellani returned to coaching for one year as head coach for the Lakers in the 1959–60 NBA season and again coached Baylor.

After he was released by the Lakers, he attended law school at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For over half a century, he practiced as an attorney in Milwaukee and was frequently seen at Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette Golden Eagles basketball games.<ref name=mjsdamt>{{cite news |url=http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/badgers/john-castellani-prefers-to-live-in-the-present-b99472213z1-298242801.html/ |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |last=D'Amato |first=Gary |title='Coach' John Castellani prefers to live in the present |date=March 31, 2015 |accessdate=July 16, 2018}}</ref>

Castellani died of natural causes at his home in New Britain, Connecticut, on May 11, 2021, at the age of 94.<ref>{{cite web |title=John Castellani |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/jsonline/name/john-castellani-obituary?id=5584644 |publisher=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |access-date=3 June 2021}}</ref>

==Head coaching record==

===College=== {{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason = | poll = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Seattle Chieftains | conference = Independent | startyear = 1956 | endyear = 1958 }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = 1956–57 | name = Seattle | overall = 22–3 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = NIT Quarterfinal }} {{CBB Yearly Record Entry | season = 1957–58 | name = Seattle | overall = 23–6 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = NCAA University Division Runner-up }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Seattle | overall = {{Winning percentage|45|9|record=y}} }} {{CBB Yearly Record End | overall = {{Winning percentage|45|9|record=y}} | legend = no }}

==NBA== {{NBA coach statistics start}} |- | style="text-align:left;"|Minneapolis | style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1959}} | 36||11||25||{{Winning percentage|11|25}}|| style="text-align:center;"|(didn't finish the season)||—||—||—||— | style="text-align:center;"|— |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 36||11||25||{{Winning percentage|11|25}}|| ||0||0||0||{{Winning percentage|0|0}}||  {{s-end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/MNL/1960.html BasketballReference.com: John Castellani]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castellani, John}} Category:1926 births Category:2021 deaths Category:American men's basketball coaches Category:Basketball coaches from Connecticut Category:College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Category:Marquette University Law School alumni Category:Minneapolis Lakers head coaches Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball coaches Category:Seattle Redhawks athletic directors Category:Seattle Redhawks men's basketball coaches Category:Sportspeople from New Britain, Connecticut Category:Basketball players from Hartford County, Connecticut Category:University of Notre Dame alumni