By TONY TAGLAVORE, Journal Sports
Having come within 20 minutes of taking tiny Centenary College to its first-ever big-boy basketball party — the NCAA Tournament — Tommy Canterbury had a decision to make.
“The hardest decision, by far, of my life.”
There he stood in front of Jim Elrod, “a very powerful man in Shreveport,” who was President and Chief Executive Officer of Willis-Knighton Health System.
“He made me a helluva good offer,” Canterbury remembers. Elrod was willing to help Canterbury build upon his idea of setting up and managing sports medicine programs for hospitals.
“I said ‘Mr. Elrod, you’re so kind, and I’m extremely interested. But we just got beat in the game to get to the NCAA’s. I’ve got four of (the five starters) back. So, I would like to stay one more year.’ ”
Mr. Elrod stared down Canterbury, as if ready to give him a technical foul.
“He looked right at me — I will never forget this to the day I die — he said, ‘Nope, here’s the offer…For two years, I will introduce you to these hospital friends I have.’”
It was take-it-or-leave-it. Canterbury took it.
“And he did. We got eight (hospitals) as our clients two years later.”
More than 30 years later, Canterbury — who lives in Frisco, Texas — is semi-retired and has grown SportsCare USA into a business with more than 160 clients in 17 states.
Despite his post-coaching business success, the 74-year-old from “little ol’ Simsboro” has good memories of leading Centenary from 1977-89.
There was the time he took the Gentlemen — with players “from Saline, Louisiana, who had been playing in front of 250 people” — to tangle with Arkansas in 9,000-seat Barnhill Arena.
“It was crazy,” Canterbury said. “There were some names 80-year-old women were calling me; I said, ‘How do you know that word?’”
Then there was the time Canterbury scheduled the University of Oklahoma. His team was treated like anything but Gentlemen. The Gents didn’t help themselves with 54 turnovers, and lost by 68 points.
“I remember the first play of the game, we had a trick play — a little back screen — because we knew they were going to press…We ended up with a 50-foot pass, and dunk it on the other end. There were some (Centenary) boosters behind me. I said ‘Enjoy this while you can.’”
But better days were ahead. In Canterbury’s second full season (Canterbury took over for Riley Wallace 12 games into the 1977-78 season), he led the Gents to the Trans America Athletic Conference tournament championship, which lacked an automatic NCAA invitation.
“I remember Tommy making it fun,” said Steve Burkhalter of his time (1978-82) playing for Canterbury. “There are all kinds of things about playing athletics sometimes that are a grind, but he was a coach that was fun to play for.”
Canterbury’s job was not easy. He was at the smallest school in NCAA Division 1, a school which did not have a conference home until Canterbury helped form the TAAC.
“That was one thing I was really, really proud of.”
He also worked to get people excited about Centenary basketball.
“I come to Centenary, and everything is so liberal artsy. I get there, and it’s like if you dunk it, they say ‘Would you get me another glass of Chablis?’”
These days, Canterbury goes to his grandchildren’s soccer and baseball games. He spends six weeks a year at timeshares in Aruba and Lake Tahoe. And he is forever grateful for his career. Make that both careers.
“I feel like God has blessed me with two professions that I wouldn’t trade for the world — coaching, and the business sports world. I wouldn’t trade them with anyone.”