DePauw's Fenlon retiring after 30 seasons leading Tigers

GREENCASTLE — Bill Fenlon was just 34 years old when he took over as head coach of the DePauw men's basketball team.

Now, 30 years later, he is the school's winningest coach and will be calling it a career at the end of the season.

"I think a lot of times when you do this job, you do it with the idea that you are going to be there forever," Fenlon said.

Over his three decades with DePauw, Fenlon built a program founded on tradition and success.

"Being on a team is really more how the world works. You've got to make some sacrifices, you've got to lead a little bit, you've got to follow a little bit, sometimes you've got to get out of the way."

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Players current and past remember Fenlon as a mentor who impacted their lives on and off the court.

Nick Wissel, a senior on this year's DePauw team, said he wouldn't trade his four years alongside Fenlon for anything.

"Growing a relationship with someone who commits to you for four years in your program ... he's seen everything that I'm made of, and I've seen the highs and lows of his coaching career," Wissel said.

Brad Stevens, a 1999 DePauw alumnus and president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics, remembered his time being coached by Fenlon fondly.

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He described Fenlon as "a person I could always go to" and said he appreciates him even more in the years after he graduated.

Stevens, a former coach himself, has since been to some of basketball's biggest stages.

He's just one of dozens of young men who have prospered in life after lessons learned on the court.

"One of the things about coach (Fenlon) is, you always knew he had your best interests in mind. You always knew he really cared.

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DePauw's most recent game marked Fenlon's 773rd game as head coach. It's also the final time he'll do so on the home court.

As for retirement, Fenlon said he's leaving his door open for the future.

"To think that I won't get a little itchy when the ball starts bouncing, I'm sure that I will, but I am very curious as to what normal people do, so I'm going to try that for a little while and see if it fits — and if it doesn't, I'll come up with something else to be obsessive about."