Lonnie Porter was the coach right up to the end.
With the game clock working its way down to the final buzzer Saturday night, Porter’s Regis University men’s basketball team was trying desperately to overtake CSU-Pueblo. The Rangers had cut their deficit to two points with a sizzling rally at the Regis Fieldhouse, but they just couldn’t gain the lead.
Porter was on the sideline, his coat off, and doing everything in his power to will his team to a win. But the ThunderWolves (20-8, 16-6 RMAC) held on for an 85-75 victory that ended Porter’s 38-year term as the Regis coach.
The record will suggest that Porter’s final Regis team (5-21, 3-19) didn’t play well, but it doesn’t tell the whole story.
Porter would have liked to win his final game. He admitted that, but he knew his team went out with all it had.
“We played hard and we had some opportunities,” said Porter, 71. “But we just couldn’t get over the top. I’m very proud of my team.
“Someone asked me if this was a bittersweet moment for me and I replied, ‘No, this is just sweet.’ It doesn’t get much better than this.”
Porter didn’t win his final game, but he was on the winning side of the ledger more than any other men’s basketball coach in state history. He finished his career with 538 victories.
“Everybody came out and played hard for his last game,” Regis senior forward Brett Hartshorne said. “Coach was the same tonight as in my first game here.”
Hartshorne scored 29 points, hitting 10-of-13 shots from the floor. The ThunderWolves countered with three players in double-figure scoring, led by Jed Knafelc’s 18 points and Bronson Moton’s 17.
Porter will be moving to a different office as he becomes an ambassador for Regis. And he will continue to be heavily involved in the Lonnie Porter Leadership Academy with former NBA star Chauncey Billups.
“They’re working on my new office,” Porter said. “Regis University has been very good to me. When I came here, I thought I’d stay a few years and move on. But I wouldn’t want to change a thing.
“I’m like a lot of old basketball players. I wish I would have won a national championship.”
Porter probably could continue to coach if he wanted to do it, but he ended that thought before it got started.
“When I’m finished with something, I’m finished with it,” he said.
