Former UVA assistant coach Mike Schuler dead at 81

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Mike Schuler, who worked as an assistant basketball coach at Virginia under Terry Holland and Bill Gibson from 1972-77, has died at the age of 81.

Schuler came to UVA after serving as VMI’s head basketball coach from 1969-72. He left Virginia to become head coach at Rice and held that position from 1977 to 1981 before moving to the NBA.

He went on to become head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 1986, where he took the team to the NBA Playoffs his first two seasons and was named NBA Coach of the Year in his rookie campaign. Portland fired him the following season. Schuler went on to coach the NBA’s Clippers.

“Mike was a terrific coach and had a great intensity about his coaching style with a focus on bringing out the best in his players,” former Portland coach and player Terry Porter said in a released statement. “From a colleague standpoint, I was extremely grateful to have him on my coaching staff to share his experience, knowledge and kindness with me.”

After Schuler was released by the Clippers, he worked for several NBA clubs as an assistant until he retired in 2005, having been employed by six NBA teams during his career.