As Jim Nantz calls last Final Four, his Marlboro High School coaches tip their caps

Bill Barricelli will be glued to the TV in his Freehold home for this weekend’s NCAA Tournament Final Four, and not just because he likes basketball.

The 81-year-old wants to hear Jim Nantz broadcasting his 32nd and last Final Four in a voice America has become accustomed to – and one Barricelli heard long before the populace.

“His persona hasn’t changed much from when he was a high school student,” said Barricelli, who coached him in basketball at Marlboro High School in the mid-1970s. “Very cultural guy. He always had a great voice, but he could also have been a base singer.”

Nantz, 63, grew up in Colts Neck and took up golf at a young age. He played at now-closed Bamm Hollow in the Lincroft section of Middletown and caddied at Battleground Country Club in Manalapan. At Marlboro High he captained both the basketball and golf teams.

“Golf was his major sport,” Barricelli said. “He was a good basketball player, but he wasn’t going to be a star. It filled the winter.”

Barricelli coached him on the junior varsity level (his varsity coach, Jack Schellenger, died in 2013).

“He was a forward and he was, how would you say, serviceable,” Barricelli said. “He enjoyed the game and the camaraderie. He learned a lot from playing sports, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Barricelli also taught Nantz in history class and gave him an A.

“He was a good student,” he said. “You knew he was going to be successful no matter what he did, because he was motivated to do well.”

Nantz’s family moved to Houston early in his senior year, but he moved in with a friend so he could finish at Marlboro.

“All his friends were here,” said Stan Bryck, who was Marlboro’s longtime golf coach.

The 74-year-old Bryck, who lives in Howell and still coaches golf as an instructor with the Monmouth County Park System, said Nantz would beat him even as a student.

“He had me by a couple of strokes,” Bryck said. “Real good golfer, had a lot of talent. And he came from a great family.”

Bryck remembers Nantz, as a teen, talking about tuning into New York Knicks games to practice his play-by-play call.

“He was always interested in broadcasting and announcing,” Bryck said. “You can say it worked out well for him.”

Nantz attended the University of Houston, where he played on the golf team and roomed with future professional golf star Fred Couples before turning his focus exclusively to broadcasting. He joined CBS in 1985, began calling NFL games in 1988, the Masters in 1989 and Finals Fours in 1991.

“He doesn’t miss a beat, going from one to the other,” Bryck said. “But don’t get me wrong – his favorite is the Masters.”

Nantz has continued to stay in touch with Bryck, occasionally inviting him to dinner and regularly giving him tickets to golf tournaments.

“He’s always been very accommodating,” Bryck said. “I’m happy for him because he’s a class person, and so was his father.”

Nantz was inducted into Marlboro High School’s Hall of Fame a few years back, and during his return for the induction, he referred to Barricelli – who had long since hung up his whistle – as ‘Coach.’ It took Barricelli's students by surprise.

“For the rest of the school year the kids I had in class called me ‘Coach,’” Barricelli said.

It was a subtle reminder of the impact an educator can have. Barricelli also taught at Freehold High School when Bruce Springsteen was a student there (Class of 1967), though he didn’t have Bruce in class.

“You look at these kids when they’re 16 years old and as a teacher, you never understand the impact,” he said. “It’s here and now, in the moment. You don’t say, ‘I’m going to be a legendary teacher to this kid and be a driving force.’ Sometimes you are. Sometimes you’re in the way.”

Nantz is not retiring from broadcasting altogether. He’ll continue to call the Masters and NFL games.

“I’m not a golfer and I can’t imagine watching golf, even with Jim Nantz,” Barricelli said with a laugh.

Like Bryck, he’ll be listening to Nantz with pride this weekend. A couple of old coaches, enjoying a victory in life.

“It’s been unbelievable to see what he’s accomplished,” Barricelli said. “It’s almost like the American dream. He didn’t grow up poor, but if you’ve been given advantages in life and use them, that’s also to be applauded. Nothing is to be taken for granted.”

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jim Nantz NJ high school coaches talk his last Final Four