Ross Giudice (1924 – July 14, 2017) was an American

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach at the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...

(USF). He is best remembered as the assistant coach for the Dons' 1955 and 1956 NCAA championship teams. Giudice was born in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

and moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

as a child. After graduating from George Washington High School, he joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

on the USS California. Following his time in the service, he enrolled at USF and was a member of the school's basketball team. He played for the Dons from 1945 to 1950 and was a member of the school's

1949 National Invitation Tournament The 1949 National Invitation Tournament was the 1949 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 12 teams selected for the tournament.

championship team, sinking a crucial

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

to clinch the title. When

Phil Woolpert Philipp D. Woolpert (December 15, 1915 – May 5, 1987) was an American basketball coach, best known as the head coach of the University of San Francisco Dons in the 1950s. He led them to consecutive national championships in 1955 Biography Bor ...

was hired as head coach at USF in 1950, Giudice was named his lone assistant and coach of the freshman team. In this capacity, Giudice was responsible for developing incoming freshmen and preparing them for the varsity team the following year. Two of Giudice's notable pupils we future Hall of Fame players K. C. Jones and

Bill Russell William Felton Russell (February 12, 1934 – July 31, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1956 to 1969. A five-time NBA Most Va ...

. These two players served as the foundation for USF's two national championship teams. Years later, Russell would credit Giudice with playing a crucial role in his development as a player. When Woolpert resigned in 1959, Giudice took over as head coach of the Dons. However, he was not interested in the head job and after one season he left coaching for good to go into the furniture business. Giudice died on July 14, 2017 at an assisted-living facility in Sonoma County, California.

Head coaching record

References

External links

Coaching record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giudice, Ross 1924 births 2017 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Michigan Basketball players from Michigan College men's basketball head coaches in the United States San Francisco Dons men's basketball coaches San Francisco Dons men's basketball players Sportspeople from Detroit Shooting guards Small forwards United States Navy personnel of World War II Basketball players from Detroit