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A Good Eye For Talent

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By SCOTT CARTER The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 26, 2008

For the majority of his professional life, David Zimroth recruited college basketball players, making stops at Florida State and South Florida. As an assistant coach, Zimroth helped land some of the best players in each

program's history. At FSU, he brought Doug Edwards, Sam Cassell and Bob Sura to campus; at USF, Zimroth

recruited B.B. Waldon and Altron Jackson. Zimroth is no longer coaching, but the Tampa resident is still recruiting and building, luring talent to CNBS Financial Group as the start-up company's vice president of recruiting.

TALLAHASSEE - In the 61-year history of Florida State's men's basketball program, four players have had their jerseys retired and hung in the rafters. David Zimroth has close ties to three of the former FSU stars: Hugh Durham, Bob Sura and Sam Cassell.

When Zimroth first came to school at FSU in the mid-1970s, Durham coached the Seminoles. Zimroth attempted to join the team as a walk-on, but Durham quickly suggested other career plans for the son of Sam Zimroth, a longtime amateur coach in Brooklyn. N.Y.

"One day after preseason workouts, he asked me, 'Anybody ever talked to you about getting into coaching, because you obviously can't play anymore,'" Zimroth said. "That got me started in coaching."

By the time he graduated from FSU, Zimroth already had his first coaching job as an assistant at Florida High in Tallahassee. He later joined Durham at Georgia for a season, and returned to his alma mater in 1986 to join former FSU coach Pat Kennedy's staff.

One of Zimroth's most memorable games during his 25-year coaching career was Kennedy's debut at FSU, an 80-76 home victory over Florida in the 1986-87 season opener. Under Kennedy, FSU developed a knack of making strong opening statements.

"Another great moment was beating North Carolina in our first game in the ACC," Zimroth said of the Noles' victory over Dean Smith's Tar Heels in 1991. "We were a very entertaining college basketball program. We went into the ACC with a very good team."

Still, the victory over Georgetown in the 1992 NCAA Tournament that earned FSU a spot in the Sweet 16 is the moment Zimroth cherishes the most from his coaching career. With starting point guard Charlie Ward out with a separated shoulder, Cassell moved to point guard and played well, leading 12-point underdog FSU to a 78-68 victory over the Hoyas.

"That was probably the greatest full day of coaching I ever had, because everything we had planned to do when we took that job, it was happening," Zimroth said. "We were really good."

Zimroth has returned to FSU twice in the past year to honor Sura and Cassell, two of the stars on the FSU teams in the early 1990s that set a standard no FSU team has been able to match since.

On Valentine's Day, Zimroth joined Cassell on the Donald L. Tucker Center court for the retirement of Cassell's jersey. He did the same last spring when FSU honored Sura.

"That's when you can sit back and say, 'I had an impact on people's lives.' Those were special moments," Zimroth said.

After leaving FSU following the 1995-96 season, Zimroth joined Seth Greenberg's staff at USF. He spent seven years with the Bulls and was a finalist to get the head coaching job in 2003, a position that ultimately went to Robert McCullum and changed the direction of Zimroth's life.

A few days after not getting the USF job, Zimroth got a call from former FSU football player Joe Wessel, who offered Zimroth a job in the corporate world. Zimroth, 52, has remained in that arena ever since, using the skills he learned as a coach to recruit talent to the banking industry.

He remains involved in basketball by working as a radio analyst on WHBO, 1470, AM. Still, people ask Zimroth the obvious question all the time.

"Would I ever get back into coaching? I've got a dynamite situation where I'm at in terms of quality of life and ability to be around my family on a way more consistent basis," he said. "It would take a very unique opportunity for me to consider getting back into coaching, but I never say never."

Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 222-8382

or scarter@tampatrib.com.

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