Don Maestri (2012) - Hall of Fame - Troy University Athletics

Don Maestri

Induction:
2012

Don Maestri is Troy basketball. Over three decades he guided the Troy men’s basketball program from a fledgling Division II program to seven conference championships, including six in three different Division I leagues. The most recent championship came in 2009-10 when Maestri led the Trojans to their first-ever Sun Belt regular season title.

Along the way he racked up 500 victories, eight 20-win seasons and eight Coach of the Year honors. Five different conferences called Maestri its coach of the year throughout his 31-year stint on the Troy sideline.

The New Orleans, La., native also made his mark on the state of Alabama, retiring as the winningest coach in state history. Maestri’s 500 wins at Troy are more than any other head coach has accumulated at an Alabama NCAA school, topping coaches such as Gene Bartow, Wimp Sanderson and Joel Eaves.

Just as impressive as the winning is the way in which Maestri’s teams won. Time and time again the Trojans lit up scoreboards around the nation as Troy led the country in scoring three times (1991, 1992 and 1996).

In fact, on Jan. 12, 1992, the Trojans put the Sartain Hall scoreboard to the test as Troy State became the first team to score 200 points in an NCAA basketball game, defeating DeVry, 258-141. Troy State hit 51 three-pointers during the game, still a NCAA record, while only one other team at all NCAA levels has scored 200 points since. Troy State’s record 258 points still stands over 20 years later.

The Trojans had the 3-point shot to thank for most of their scoring during Maestri’s tenure as Troy ed the nation in 3-pointers seven times (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2006). That feat is impressive considering Maestri began his tenure at Troy before the 3-point shot was even around (introduced in 1986).

It’s that longevity that was the key for Maestri. Before he retired following the 2012-13 season, he was one of just four active NCAA Division I coaches with 30 years under their belt at their current school, joining Duke’s Mike Kryzewski, Sacred Heart’s Dave Bike and Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim.

While players come and went, including 39 All-Conference players, four Conference Player of the Year winners, five All-Americans and 14 1,000-point scorers, one thing has been constant. By Maestri’s side for all three decades was the nation’s longest tenured assistant coach in David Felix, who himself had been on the Trojan bench for 35 years as a coach and player, but it’s more than the accolades and years on the bench that make their bond special.

“I think it goes way beyond coaching,” said Felix. “We’ve watched our families grow up together. He’s seen my kids graduate from high school, then college, then get married and start families, and now we’re watching his do the same.

“I couldn’t have asked for anybody better to work with than Don.”

Maestri came to Troy in 1982 after spending two seasons as an assistant coach under Sanderson at Alabama. Maestri began his coaching career at Holy Cross High School in New Orleans, La., in 1970 and spent one season as an assistant at Mississippi State before moving on to Alabama.

Maestri and his wife Sharon reside in Troy and have two children, Julea and Michael.