Coach (1975-1986) Bobby Paschal

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Postseason play became a frequent occurrence for the University of Louisiana when Bobby Paschal was its head basketball coach from 1978-86.

The Ragin' Cajuns of then-USL won 153 games under Paschal and lost 85, competing in the NCAA Tournament twice and three times playing in the National Invitation Tournament.

That was a far cry from 1975, when Paschal arrived on campus as an assistant under Jim Hatfield.

The Cajun program had been dismantled for two years for NCAA infractions, and it was the task of Hatfield and Paschal to get it back on its feet as quickly as possible.

Hatfield stayed for three seasons, then turned the reins over to Paschal, whose 1979-80 squad reached the quarterfinals of the NIT.

"I think the very first time we got back in postseason play after we re-started the program will always be a special moment," said Paschal, who will join the 2005 induction class in the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.

"We were able to get into the NIT, then beat Alabama-Birmingham and Texas to reach the quarterfinals against Minnesota. That was a big moment."

Future Philadelphia 76ers star Andrew Toney led that team, along with fellow seniors Dion Rainey and Carl Jordan.

Paschal's 1981-82 team stunned No. 1 Georgetown, beat Washington State and then Marquette in the finals to open with a title in the Great Alaska Shootout on the way to a 24-8 record, a Southland Conference title and an NCAA Tournament berth.

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

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PASCHAL HONORED: Former USF men's basketball coach Bobby Paschal, who coached at Louisiana-La. from 1978-86 before coming to Tampa, will be inducted into the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame on Saturday.

"That was a really special time for me," said Paschal, who made the postseason in five of his eight years as head coach. "We had some very good players and some very good teams because of that."

Paschal's fellow inductees include longtime LSU coach Dale Brown, and they'll enter a Hall that includes players such as Pete Maravich, Shaquille O'Neal, Joe Dumars and Karl Malone.

"I wouldn't dare put myself at their level," said Paschal, who coached the Bulls from 1986-96 and retired from USF's athletic department last year. "Their playing ability far exceeds my coaching, but it shows there's been a lot of great basketball in Louisiana."

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Paschal honored for UL success
BATON ROUGE - Former University of Louisiana coach Bobby Paschal was honored with the state's highest basketball coaching honor here Saturday night, being inducted into the Louisiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Paschal, who guided then-USL to two NCAA Tournaments and three NIT appearances in eight seasons as the Ragin' Cajun mentor, was honored along with former LSU coach Dale Brown and ex-LSU player Dick Maile at the Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches' 31st annual Awards Banquet.

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