Bill Sheridan (basketball)

William E. Sheridan Jr. (January 11, 1942 – December 26, 2020) was an American basketball coach. He made a name for himself coaching for several clubs in the Netherlands, as well as for the Dutch national team.

Bill Sheridan Jr.

Personal information
Born	(1942-01-11)January 11, 1942 Brooklyn, New York
Died	December 26, 2020(2020-12-26) (aged 78) Lynchburg, Virginia
Nationality	American
Career information
High school	St. Peter's (Staten Island, New York)
College	Fordham (1960–1963)
NBA draft	1963: undrafted
Career history
As a coach:
0	Virginia Tech (assistant)
1973–1976	Punch
1974–1976	Netherlands
1976–1977	EBBC Den Bosch
1980–1982	EBBC Den Bosch
1982–1983	Donar
1983–1987	Brighton Bears
Career highlights
As coach: 2× Eredivisie champion (1975, 1981) Dutch Cup champion (1974) 2× Eredivisie Coach of the Year (1975, 1977)

Early life

Sheridan had 2 sisters and 1 brother. He grew up in West Brighton, Staten Island and played for St. Peter's Boys High School, where he was MVP of the All-Star Game between Bronx Catholic All Stars & Staten Island in his senior year. Sheridan was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001.[1] He also played baseball, being a pitcher for the Uncle Bill Canlon's Travelers. He served in the United States Marine Corps where he rose to the rank of captain.

Coaching career

Sheridan started his coaching career as an assistant coach with Virginia Technical Institute. In December 1973, Sheridan signed as head coach of Punch Delft of the Dutch Eredivisie. Punch went on a 16-game win streak in the season and also won the NBB Cup. In his second season with Punch, the club won its second ever Eredivisie title.

In 1976, Sheridan transferred to become head coach of EBBC Den Bosch where he coached for one season. EBBC was defeated early in the playoffs and Sheridan was replaced by Ton Boot. However, the following summer, Sheridan returned and won a second Eredivisie title. In the 1981–82 FIBA European Champions Cup, he coached Den Bosch to the semifinal group stage.

In the 1982 offseason, Sheridan signed with Donar where he replaced Maarten van Gent. After one season, he signed with the Brighton Bears in the United Kingdom. The Bears withdrew from the National Basketball League in 1987.

In September 1974, Sheridan was hired as the head coach of the Netherlands national basketball team. On October 25, he won his first international game against Denmark 97–60. He coached the team as well at the EuroBasket 1975, finishing 10th with the Netherlands.^[1]

Personal life

Sheridan met his wife, Jacoba, while living in Delft. They had three children and a granddaughter. On December 26, 2020, he died at age 78.^[2]