Blue Devil Alumni Spotlight: Jamie Angeli

Name – James "Jamie" Angeli
UW-Stout graduation year – 1985
Major – Vocational Rehabilitation / Special Education
Sport – Men's Basketball
Years Played – 1980-1984
Hometown (High School) –  West Iron County High School (Iron River, Michigan)
Currently Reside – Bronx, New York

Why did you choose to be a collegiate student-athlete at UW-Stout?

The recruiting process was starting to get long and it seemed the very last school I would visit, I would fall in love with and would want to attend.  The time visiting schools was starting to wear on me and my family a bit so we all felt it was time to make a decision.  Shortly after that, Coach Dwain "Dewey" Mintz invited me to come for a visit.   I loved the campus and the relatively short distance from home (about 4 hours), and basically said, let's end this process, Stout has everything I am looking for in a school and basketball program.

 

What did you like most about competing in collegiate athletics? 
Certainly the relationships developed with the coaches and players would be number one.  There were a number of friends I made outside of athletics that I will always remember, but my time in and around the basketball program will always be cherished.  I think that our league was so competitive at that time it was an incredible challenge to play and compete every season.

What is the greatest lesson you learned from being a collegiate student-athlete?
The most valuable lesson I learned was the time, commitment and selflessness it took to truly be at your best, both for you and your team.  I learned the ability to manage my time more effectively while academics not taking a back seat.  It didn't come easy, especially early on, but being a student-athlete allowed me to learn those valuable life lessons.

Who was the most influential person in your athletic career?
There have been so many before, during and after UW-Stout.  Certainly my junior high and high school coaches laid the foundation for my success.  Once in college I owed a lot to Coach Mintz and Assistant Coach Eddie Andrist.  They allowed me the opportunity to explore my aspirations to coach, especially during the summer at camps, and I think that really set the stage for the start of my professional coaching career.  As I complete my 30th year in the coaching this season, I can look back at so many opportunities that allowed me to stay (and grow) in this profession, but probably none as important as the time I spent around the game at UW-Stout.

What is your most memorable or favorite sports moment at UW-Stout?
You know our teams unfortunately didn't compete for championships during my time, but we were always competitive.  I don't really recall certain events or games, but I always remember playing against UW-Eau Claire.  Those were always big games for us and always fun.   I had a lot of respect for Coach Dick Bennett at UW-Stevens Point, so I enjoyed playing against him and their top player Terry Porter (who went on to a great NBA playing and coaching career).  Those were always extremely challenging and competitive games and made for memorable moments in my collegiate playing career.

How did your teammates describe you as a person and a student-athlete?
I would guess they would say I certainly found time to enjoy what I was doing, whether we were on the court or not.  I took enjoyment from making people laugh, that hasn't changed to this day.  I was never one of those people that had this incredible crystal clear vision of what I wanted to do or the direction for my life.  I just knew I wanted to be happy and be around people that didn't take themselves too seriously.  I'm sure there were people, given my personality, which wished I was a bit more focused at times at the task at hand, but I was young and often foolish.  I was growing up, just not as fast as some would have appreciated.  I can look back now and use those experiences with the student-athletes I coach today.

Some say you were the team clown.  Was that your personality or did you like to lighten the mood during a hectic season?
I always thought the term "clown" was a bit juvenile.  I wasn't a circus act or a "dancing bear" for the team, but you are right, there were times when I thought humor could help a particular tense situation.  I was the self-appointed person responsible for showing the team "the big picture" and that perhaps we could find humor in what we were experiencing.  I tried not to cross the line, but I would be lying if I didn't push it too far from time to time.  Again, it was a learning, maturing process that improved as I got older.  I make sure to have fun with the teams I coach today.  It's a game and I want my players to keep everything in its proper perspective.

Are you in contact with any former Blue Devil student-athletes?
Sadly, I am not in touch with any of my former teammates.  I stayed in touch just after leaving school, but as the years mounted, I slowly lost touch with all of them.  Because I was always coaching, it was impossible for me to return for any of the alumni events and that has always been disappointing for me.  I hope in the near future I can find a way to rectify that and get back to campus.  I would really enjoy getting a chance to see everyone again.

Outside of athletics, what other activities were you involved in at UW-Stout?
To this day, athletics have consumed my life.  I didn't participate in any other activities other than basketball at Stout.  I found the time commitment to my sport was too much for any other outside activities.

Give us a brief synopsis of your life since graduating from UW-Stout, include job and family?

After a short stint in high school coaching, I found my true calling was to coach at the collegiate level.  Unfortunately, coaching at the college level, especially the NCAA Division One level, can be very difficult on a family and a marriage.  I had twin boys Riley and Steven (now 21) with my first wife and was looking forward to moving up the profession with any opportunity that presented itself.  Unfortunately my wife did not share my same desire to move around the country following these opportunities and it took its toll on our marriage.  I now have two younger children with my second wife (Christy), a daughter Jordan (11) and son Jacob (10).  I also have a 24-year old stepson named Joshua.  I met Christy while I was an assistant at UCLA working for Steve Lavin (current St. John's head coach) in Los Angeles, CA.  I spent 6 years with Steve and the Bruins and I can honestly say they were easily the best years in coaching I have ever spent.  I enjoyed so many incredible experiences there and had the privilege to meet some outstanding individuals.  It was during this time that I had the great fortune to meet and spend regular quality time with the late John Wooden.  I filled several notebooks with the knowledge learned from the many meetings I had with Coach Wooden in his apartment.  He was such an incredible person and so willing to share his time and experiences with me.  I don't know of a time in my life where I have learned more during the course of six years.  Other coaching stops at Bradley University with Stan Albeck (Michael Jordan's rookie coach) and then Bowling Green State University with head coach Jim Larranaga (now at Miami) were again two opportunities to work and learn from some outstanding mentors.  Currently, I am Head Women's Basketball Coach and Assistant Director of Athletics for Marketing at the City College of New York.  I have been truly blessed in this coaching profession to have had these experiences that have done so much to develop me as a person and coach.

You have been at a lot of high profile schools over your career, talk about what you have taken away from each of those jobs.
I think the biggest thing I have taken away from working at some of these high profile schools was how important your relationships are with the people you work with on a daily basis.  Most of the coaches and administrators I have worked with are still currently working in the profession and have been valuable resources for me in my career.  It's important to have a database of people you can count on for professional and sometimes personal advice that will help you develop in this profession.  As I have mentioned before, I have been very fortunate to have some outstanding people assist in my development throughout my long coaching career.

Why did you want to go into coaching?  Was there something that inspired you to stay in basketball?
My passion for coaching started at UW-Stout basketball camp during my first summer.  Coach Mintz asked if I wanted to stay in Menomonie and work his summer camp.  I hadn't given coaching much thought up until this time, but figured I would give it a try.  I absolutely fell in love with coaching that summer.  I enjoyed the opportunity working with the young kids and helping them improve.  My passion simply grew each year thereafter to the point I was running my own successful summer camp business from 1983 – 2003.  My summers during those 20 years were jammed with traveling from school to school and working with countless young boys and girls.  Those summer camps experiences have helped my coaching career immensely and I certainly have Coach Mintz to thank for getting me started!

NOTE: During Jamie Angeli's Blue Devil career, he was a consistent performer, averaging between six and eight points per game during each season. Angeli finished his Stout career with 557 points and is currently 72nd on the Blue Devil all-time scoring list.

Jamie Angeli's City College of New York profile