LaRue Follows Heart Back to Wake
Rusty LaRue has never recruited for a major-college basketball program, but Coach Dino Gaudio of Wake Forest is obviously confident that he can. Otherwise Gaudio wouldn’t have picked LaRue to join his basketball staff as an assistant coach.
And if you’ve ever been around LaRue, you know Gaudio was operating on more than a hunch when he named LaRue to replace Pat Kelsey, who left last month to return to his alma mater of Xavier. Though LaRue’s only experience as a college coach consists of a season as head coach at Greensboro College, a Division III program that doesn’t offer scholarships, he’s smart, personable and has a commanding presence. He’ll do fine in the living rooms throughout the country.
The easiest part of it, he said earlier today, will be selling his product.
“Nobody cares about Wake Forest as much as I do,’’ LaRue said. “I think it’s going to be pretty easy for me to sit across from a kid and tell them that Wake was four of the best years of my life, and I want nothing more than to go to a Final Four since I didn’t get to do it as a player.’‘
The hardest part, he said, will be the time it requires from his family, his wife Tammy and four children. Few couples have been through more together than Rusty and Tammy LaRue, childhood sweethearts who were married before Rusty’s junior year at Wake, who had their first child during Rusty’s senior season of basketball and who followed the bouncing ball to such far-away destinations as Russia and Italy before he was able to carve out an NBA career with the Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors.
“I know there are some family sacrifices that will be involved,’’ he said. “My kids and wife and I have sat down and talked about that. I’ve always been pretty good about finding time for my family, and I figure that will be the same when in college. But they also know there will be times I’ll be on the road and won’t be as accessible.
“That’s part of it, and that comes with it. At the same time I’ve got a wonderful family and a wonderful wife who has always been supportive. Heck I drug her all over the world playing basketball. She’s thrilled too and obviously the kids are all just extremely excited.’‘
When Tammy was large with the couple’s first child in the winter of 1996, LaRue’s teammates organized a pool predicting the date of arrival. Tim Duncan and Ricardo Peral got it together. Duncan chose Jan. 25, with the caveat that if he was correct then the baby should be named after him.
“His window of opportunity is 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.,’’ LaRue said at the time. “He guessed 12 o’clock, so I told him I’d give him six hours on either side. Actually it’s Timothy Ricardo Peral, after Timmy and Ricky.
“The doctor said she’s not real close, so I think we’re safe.’‘
When their first born arrived on Jan. 31, the couple named him Riley. His father was looking ahead.
“He thinks Riley will sound good over a loudspeaker one day,’’ Tammy said.
Riley LaRue is 13 and in the seventh grade at Forsyth Country Day.
“He is starting school sports this year and he’s doing well.’‘
Riley’s has two brothers, Cooper, and Maverick and a sister, Clara. Cooper is 10, Maverick is nine and Clara is four.