D'Antoni's influence went beyond his own family

He once said that sports were what allowed him to live a life that spanned over a century. And the one sport with which he became synonymous was basketball.

In a county rich in hoops tradition, he was the king. Lewis D’Antoni was the patriarch and everyone knew it.

He may have shown signs of slowing down, but he still kept going. He spent several years on the road watching sons Mike and Dan coach the game at the world’s highest level. Recently, he kept his travels closer to home, frequenting the Cam Henderson Center to watch Dan — the oldest of three sons, a group that includes Charleston attorney Mark — bring excitement back to Marshall basketball.

He was never away from the game he knew better than most. He even coached in a game not seven months ago, serving as an assistant to Derek Brooks and his dad Herbie at the annual Scott Brown Memorial Classic the first weekend of April. It hasn’t been confirmed, but belief is that D’Antoni must be the oldest person to ever coach in a basketball game.

Saturday night, the sad news began to trickle in — Lewis D’Antoni passed away at the age of 103. The news was first reported by Houston Rockets play-by-play announcer Craig Ackerman but had spread throughout the night.

Kathy was very close to her father and always made sure he was taken care of. She was there when he celebrated birthday No. 103 last December at the Henderson Center.

In 2012, she attempted to surprise him with a party when he turned 99, but he caught on.

“It was supposed to have been a surprise, but it didn’t work out that way,” Lewis said that day. “I really know my daughter and I knew she was going to do something. I sort of figured it out because she was out here at the church a lot of the time.”

He was right — a father does know his daughter. And Kathy, in turn, knew her dad.

“I know he was my father, but our world just lost an outstanding man,” Kathy wrote in a text.

Born Dec. 31, 1913, D’Antoni was the son of an Italian immigrant. He later became the patriarch of Wyoming County basketball royalty.

D’Antoni is a West Virginia Sports Hall of Famer thanks to a decorated career in both West Virginia and Ohio. He led Mullens to the 1955 state championship — they played single class back then, and the Rebels beat Huntington for the title. That season he became the first-ever West Virginia High School Coach of the Year Award winner.

He later coached at Chesapeake (Ohio) High from 1971-82 and led the team to six conference championships. He was also Ohio’s coach of the year six times.

Both Dan and Mike went on to become Marshall Athletics Hall of Famers, and Mike’s No. 10 jersey was retired. Mike has had several coaching stops in the NBA, most of them with Dan on staff as an assistant. Mike is currently with the Houston Rockets, where he was named NBA Coach of the Year last season.

“There was just so many (lessons),” D’Antoni told The Houston Chronicle on New Year’s Eve — Lewis’ 103rd birthday. “He was a coach back in high school when I was coming through. He didn’t coach us. Just the way he approached life was remarkable.”

A moment of silence was observed before Marshall’s exhibition game against WVU Tech on Sunday. Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick reached out to the family on Twitter.