ZANESVILLE – Fred Taylor’s coaching resume speaks for itself.

The former professional baseball player – turned major college basketball coach – won a NCAA National Championship at Ohio State, led the Buckeyes to three other Final Four berths, seven Big 10 championships and 297 victories, which is second in OSU history to only current head coach Thad Matta.

As much as Taylor did with – and for – his players on the court, it was probably the lessons he taught them off the court that are what guys like John Havlicek, Jerry Lucas, Bobby Knight and other 99 lettermen he coached will long remember their mentor for.

“I owe him for everything,” Havlicek said without any hesitation Thursday evening at a ceremony to re-name the gymnasium in Taylor’s honor at the Muskingum County Recreation Center, located on the campus of Ohio University Zanesville. “I never would have had the NBA career that I did if it wasn’t for Fred Taylor.”

If that’s the case, the Boston Celtics organization and its droves of fans owe Taylor an awful lot, too. Havlicek helped the Celtics win eight titles in his 16 seasons and is still the franchises’ all-time leading scorer.

“When I got into the NBA, I didn’t have to learn anything,” Havlicek said. “I learned everything, while I was at Ohio State, and that allowed me to play right away.”

Those ideas and philosophies that Taylor instilled in not only Havlicek, but all of his players, were able to be carried with them off the court as well.

“He made sure we knew the order of importance at Ohio State,” Havlicek said. “Number one was your education, number two was basketball and number three was your social life. And they came in that order.”

Though he stressed the real values of education and minding your business away from the court, Taylor was still a players’ coach.

“Fred knew how to lighten things up from time-to-time, so it wasn’t serious all the time,” Lucas said. “You need those times and Fred was very good at that. We all loved Fred very deeply. He played a meaningful part in all of our lives. He was a father figure to us and helped so many players in so many situations. He realized that all players were different.”

Havlicek made four visits to Ohio State during the recruiting process, but three were to see Woody Hayes as a football recruit. However, when Taylor made a stop at Havlicek’s home and convinced him – and his mom – that basketball was the route to take, the recruiting process ended quickly.

The 1958 Bridgeport High graduate was part of one of the best recruiting classes the state of Ohio ever produced, joining forces with guys like Knight, Lucas, Mel Nowell and Gary Gearhart.

“We had played in some state-wide all-star games together,” Havlicek recalled. “The thing about it was we got along so well and took to coaching. Fred put that final stamp of approval on the things we did most of the time.”

In that 1960 season, defense became the focal point because offense wasn’t a factor with the aforementioned players and older players such as Larry Siegfried, who passed away a few years ago.

“I got the message about defense and that allowed me to get into the starting lineup as a defender,” Havlicek offered. “That’s what Fred was looking for, so I took his advice and tried to (play defense) as well as I could because I knew that’s what he was looking for.”

Lucas, who is a NBA Hall of Famer who owns a high school state title, the national championship at OSU, an NBA championship with the New York Knicks and an Olympic Gold Medal, didn’t even think twice when asked why he chose Ohio State over countless other college opportunities.

“I went to Ohio State because of Fred Taylor,” Lucas said. “I really, really liked Fred. I liked the kind of person he was, what he said, what he talked about, his attitude and what was important to him was important to me. Fred always recruited great people and that was important to me, too. We have fond, fond memories from our time at Ohio State and Fred is at the center of all of them.”

Though the game of basketball and college basketball – especially – have changed over the years, Lucas believes that Taylor would have no trouble coaching in today’s era.

“Fred was multi-talented and could adjust to anything,” Lucas said. “I don’t have any doubt that he could succeed in today’s game.”

Both Havlicek and Lucas agreed that if Taylor had been there for the ceremony, he would have been “very low key” about the entire event.

“He would have wondered why it was happening to him,” Havlicek said. “He never wanted to accept too much or too many accolades, but we all know what a great man he was.”

One of Zanesville’s – and Ohio’s – favorite sons will never be forgotten by his players and with his name firmly planted on the gymnasium at the Muskingum County Recreation Center, future generations will never forget him either.

SETH’S SCOOPS

• OUTSIDE OF these types of banquets and an occassional golf tournament, the 1960 team doesn’t get together all too often.

“It’s nice when we get to see each other,” Havlicek said. “We pat each other on the back and tell the other ones to ‘keep on going.'”

• ALSO ON hand at the banquet were 1960 championship team members Nowell and Joe Roberts. Bill Hoskett, who played for Taylor at OSU, served as the moderator of the event.

• DURING THE day on Thursday, prior to the banquet, the honored guests had the option of playing golf at Zanesville Country Club or going fishing at ‘The Wilds.’ Lucas opted for golf and shot a 2-under round of 70, while Havlicek chose to fish and caught eight bass in his time on the water.

• ONE OF the most interesting facts I heard during the event was when Hoskett pointed out that of the 102 players who earned a letter under Taylor, 97 finished their degrees at Ohio State University. That’s simply remarkable.

Staskey can be reached via email at sstaskey@timesleaderonline.com or at twitter.com/TLSportsSeth