Coaches check in on Coach Ramsey
Having coached basketball in Lake County for 37 years, the last 19 as Warren's head coach, Chuck Ramsey has left an indelible impression on basketball in this area, as well as on his players, his assistants and even those he has coached against. As Ramsey heads into the twilight of his tenure at Warren, his peers share their thoughts and memories of him.
Mundelein coach Dick Knar:#8220;I have been in the North Suburban Conference for only 8 years but I have coached for 25 years now at almost every level from Class A to Class 4A in high school, up to the highest college level (Division 1). I have never seen a more prepared coach in all of my days as a coach. Chuck leaves no stone unturned. When I first started coaching and we were struggling to win, Chuck or his staff was still always there scouting. His teams play hard on every possession and every game. Chuck has elevated not only his team but every team in the conference. He is someone who makes me want to work harder as a coach. I will miss him as a competitor because he made our conference better! Thank you Chuck for making the North Suburban Conference one of the best in the state of Illinois.#8221;
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Carmel coach Tim Bowen, a former Ramsey assistant at Warren:#8220;It was an honor and a privilege to work with chuck and his staff at Warren. The six years that I was there I learned many valuable lessons and got the opportunity to learn how a first-class, well-structured, disciplined program should be run. Chuck is not only a great coach. He is a great mentor and a great friend. He has always been there to share with me and other coaches the knowledge that he has for the game of basketball. He is always willing to help out those who ask for help and he has been the best diplomat for our county and our sport. It will be an adjustment not seeing him on the sidelines or scouting basketball games throughout the county. I am sure we will all miss seeing Chuck on the sideline yelling #8220;Yellow#8221; (for a last shot) as the quarter winds down. But knowing Chuck, I can only imagine he will find something basketball-related to keep himself busy during the winter months. Maybe he could use this time to develop a better method of choosing his fantasy football picks. It's the only thing I know of that he has ever finished in last place. Chuck is a true champion on and off the basketball court and I hope the very best for him and his family as they adjust and enjoy his retirement.#8221;
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Antioch coach Jim White:#8220;I played for Coach Ramsey. He is a true perfectionist. The tight regimen that he keeps his players and program under demands nothing short of an #8220;all in#8221; attitude. I am certainly pretty open with my attempts to emulate many of the program principles I learned in my days at Warren. Coach Ramsey has certainly established a legacy that has left an imprint on many. This being my first year as a head coach, I will not have the opportunity to coach against him. I am perfectly OK with that fact!#8221;
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Lake Zurich coach Billy Pitcher:#8220;An image I will always have ingrained in my mind is Coach Ramsey up in the stands scouting us. It seems every time I glance up he just keeps turning over page after page of notes on his yellow legal pad. He has every play, every player and all their tendencies down and that's why his teams are so well-prepared and so successful. I also like how he never seems content, always expecting more and knowing his kids can perform better.#8221;
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Libertyville coach Scott Bogumil:#8220;Chuck's teams have always played tough man-to-man defense and have always been very disciplined on offense. One of the toughest parts of playing Chuck is that his teams just do what they do, but they do it extremely well. He does not spring surprises on you. It reminds me of the old video of an opposing coach telling his team exactly what Michael Jordan was going to do to you. You just had to try to stop it #8230; and good luck. I am going to miss Chuck's famous #8220;5 passes#8221; and his #8220;Yellow #8211; caution calls#8221; (for a last shot). He is truly an entertaining and very good coach. His teams are fun to watch, but not play against.#8221;
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Vernon Hills coach Matt McCarty:#8220;Coach Ramsey has set the bar extremely high for Lake County basketball. I've coached against him twice in my career. I really respect the way his teams have always defended with passion. They just don't give you an inch.#8221;
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Stevenson coach Pat Ambrose:#8220;Chuck is top notch. I will miss his great coaching and his class act. He is truly a legend in high school coaching in Illinois. Chuck personifies the true coach who cares about the players and most importantly the game of basketball. Warren has been the standard in the conference throughout my time in the league. I always admire how he has remained true to his very sound principles and how he has done it the right way. It will be weird not to have him on the sidelines. He has left a great mark in our county and state. He is one of a kind. Thanks to him and good luck in his next phase of life.#8221;
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Grant coach Wayne Bosworth:#8220;Coach Ramsey is one of the most successful coaches in Lake County history. The defense he is able to put out on the court year after year is impressive. Everyone knows Warren will half-court man you, but the discipline and execution they show with it sets them apart from most teams. In addition to the defense, I've always respected the class his teams have shown during games.#8221;
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Grayslake North coach Todd Grunloh:#8220;Despite never playing Warren, I always follow that program closely because of the success they have had. I can only sit back and admire all that Chuck has accomplished and all that he has meant to Lake County basketball. Before Grayslake North opened I coached at Grayslake High School for Tim Bowen (a former Warren assistant coach), who implemented a lot of Warren's philosophies into that program. I'm sure much of what we try to accomplish in practice (at Grayslake North) comes from Warren. Personally, whenever I think of Warren I think of a program that plays basketball the way it was supposed to be played. Their players are mentally and physically tough and much of that is because of what Coach Ramsey has done and meant to that program.#8221;
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Stevenson assistant coach Paul Swan, who coached many games against Ramsey when he was an underlevel coach at Warren:#8220;I have truly enjoyed competing against Chuck over the years, even back to our days coaching the sophomore basketball teams. We have had many memorable games over the years. More importantly, I have enjoyed the relationship with Chuck off the court, whether it be hanging out before a game, scouting, visiting on a Saturday morning during a freshman game, or during the summer league circuit. I have great respect for Chuck as a coach, teacher, colleague and friend. The Warren-Stevenson games will not be the same without Coach Ramsey, Coach Werly, and Coach Pearce (longtime assistants at Warren who are also in their last season with the team). You will all be missed, my friends!#8221;