Charley Rosen obit

 

Charley Rosen, longtime Phil Jackson confidant and basketball author, dies at 84

He was not on the list.

Charley Rosen, the former coach, author and close friend of Phil Jackson, has died at the age of 84.

His family announced the news early Saturday morning, saying Rosen passed at 4:38 a.m.

“I’m sure all of your love helped him let go,” read a post shared to Rosen’s Facebook page.

Rosen was as much a basketball lifer as anyone. A 6-foot-8 standout at Hunter College in New York, he dominated the program from 1959–62, setting school records in scoring and rebounding while winning MVP honors three straight years.

He later played in the old Eastern Professional Basketball League and won a gold medal alongside Larry Brown and Art Heyman at the 1961 Maccabiah Games.

He went on to coach at Bard College and New Paltz before becoming an assistant under Phil Jackson with the Albany Patroons in the 1980s, later taking head coaching roles in the CBA.

He eventually turned his storytelling toward the game, writing 16 books on basketball and offering sharp, often caustic analysis for outlets like Fox Sports and HoopsHype.

Two of his novels — Barney Polan’s Game and The House of Moses All-Stars — were named New York Times Notable Books.

Most recently, Rosen was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame with the Class of 2024.

Knicks fans will remember Rosen as a close confidant of Jackson during his run in New York. Writers will remember him as a uniquely gifted observer of the game.

After college, he played for Scranton Miners in the old Eastern Professional Basketball League, and taught English at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York.

He also served as head coach of the Patroons, as well as the CBA's Rockford Lightning, Oklahoma City Cavalry and Savannah Spirits.

He also served as head coach of the women's basketball team at the State University of New York at New Paltz, a four-year college located between Albany and New York City, and was men's head coach at Bard College during the 1979–80 season, which he chronicled in the book Players and Pretenders.

He is known for his in-depth analysis and caustic views. His last article at FOXSports.com was dated June 29, 2011. Since then, his regular articles have been published at HoopsHype.com

RIP Charley Rosen.

Career information

College            Hunter (1959–1962)

NBA draft        1962: undrafted

Playing career 1962–1963

Coaching career          1979–1995

Career history

As a player:

1962–1963      Scranton Miners

As a coach:

1979–1980      Bard College

1983–1986      Albany Patroons (assistant)

1986–1987      Savannah Spirits

1987–1990      Rockford Lightning

1990–1991      Oklahoma City Cavalry

1991–1992      Albany Patroons

1993–1995      SUNY New Paltz (women's)