George Melvin "Jud" Heathcote is a former American basketball player and coach.
Background
Heathcote was born in Harvey, North Dakota, to Marion Grant Heathcote and Fawn (Walsh) Heathcote. Two years after his father died in a 1930 diphtheria epidemic, he was sent to live with his maternal grandparents in Manchester, Washington, and lived there for the rest of his childhood.
Education
Washington State University.
Career
He was a college basketball head coach for 24 seasons: five at the University of Montana (1971–1976) and 19 at Michigan State University (1976–1995). Heathcote coached Magic Johnson during his two years at Michigan State, including the 1979 National Championship season. The stint at Montana was the first for Heathcote as head coach of a college varsity program
Previously, he had coached at West Valley High School in Spokane, Washington for 14 seasons, and at Washington State University for seven years, five seasons as freshman coach and two seasons as frosh-varsity coach.
In the 1974-1975 season at Montana, he led them to their first Big Sky Conference championship. Heathcote was then hired by Joseph Kearney to take on the head basketball coaching job at Michigan State in 1976 and began the most successful phase of his coaching career.
In his third season at Michigan State, Heathcote guided the Spartans to the 1979 National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship. The Spartans, led by Magic Johnson, defeated the Larry Bird-led Indiana State Sycamores in the title game.
In his 19 years at Michigan State, the Spartans made nine National Collegiate Athletic Association Men"s Division I Basketball Championship tournaments and three National Invitation Tournament (National Institute of Technology) appearances.
As a coach, Heathcote was particularly noted for his excellent defensive strategies on the court and was second to none in blocking the opposing team from penetrating to the hoop. He was succeeded by Tom Izzo, an associate head coach under Heathcote for Heathcote"s final five seasons. After retiring from coaching, Heathcote returned to Spokane, where he still lives.
He played handball until well into his seventies, and continues to play recreational golf.
While Heathcote continues to follow Michigan State during the college season, his primary basketball interest is now the local Gonzaga University. He attends all Bulldogs home games, and has a monthly lunch with head coach Mark Few.
Several of Heathcote"s former assistants and players went onto successful head coaching jobs including:
Tom Izzo, Michigan State
Scott Skiles, Milwaukee Buckinghamshire
Stan Joplin, Toledo
Jim Brandenburg, Wyoming
Mike Montgomery, Montana, Stanford, California
Don Monson, Idaho, Oregon
Mark Montgomery, Northern Illinois
Brian Gregory, Georgia Technical
Tom Crean, Marquette, Indiana.