Lourdes alum, Steve Fritz, adjusts to life as a fan at St. Thomas

WINONA — After being a part of every game that the University of St. Thomas men's basketball program has played since 1967 — as either a player or coach — Rochester Lourdes grad Steve Fritz found himself in unfamiliar territory Wednesday night. One of the most decorated coaches in Division III history was relegated to a hard, unforgiving bleacher seat just like all the other fans.
    Fritz couldn't help but crack a smile as he stiffly descended from his perch in the fourth row at McCown Gymnasium after watching the Tommies — his Tommies — fall 84-52 to Division II power Winona State University in an exhibition game. It ended a streak of nearly 850 straight games he'd been involved in since leading Lourdes to the state title 44 years ago.
    "If I was smart I would have decided to go to California instead of Winona," Fritz deadpanned shortly after his former players filed into the locker room, referencing the team's upcoming regular season opener on the west coast.
    Fritz, who was voted into the Lourdes Hall of Fame earlier this week, retired in May shortly after leading the Tommies to the Division III national title; he stayed on as the school's athletic director. However, he plans to cut back on attending games after posting a 594-246 record in his 31 years at the helm. The 62-year-old no longer moves as spryly as he once did, but it's also a decision to make room for the new coaching staff — which includes another Rochester native.
    When long-time assistant John Tauer was promoted to interim head coach, he hired Mayo grad Jim Hayes to be his top assistant. That was enough to lure current Mayo boys basketball coach Shaun Lang east to take in the game; Lang and Hayes were teammates at Hamline University in the early 1990s.
    Lang, who actually coached my youth traveling team a century ago (approximately), watched Wednesday's game with conflicting emotions. He wanted to support Hayes, but St. Thomas has been a prickly point for him ever since the Tommies — Fritz's Tommies — hit a half court buzzer-beater to beat his Pipers nearly two decades ago.
    The Spartans head coach was eying up a large bin of cookies when I left the gym, one of which might have been enough to fully convert him to Hayes' side.

                                                                                                — BRETT BOESE