During the 2026 MIT Basketball Reunion in February, I reflected on how playing sports shaped me as a person, physician, and Everyday Athlete. I shared my unlikely story of getting cut from my Hoosier high school team to playing small college basketball at MIT. Now the circle expands to those who made those remarkable experiences possible.

I was determined to attend this reunion for two reasons: hang out with my basketball buddies and see two coaches. The close of the 2024-2025 season marked the end of Coach Larry Anderson’s 30 year tenure as MIT’s head coach. Time to celebrate his stellar career! Coach BJ Dunne was finishing his first season at the helm. Time to meet and welcome the new coach (OK, maybe some alumni wanted to check out the MIT “rookie”).

Any team sport provides ample opportunities for selfless and selfish play. But for me, basketball is the ultimate team sport. There are so many fast-moving moments when players must make quick choices. We’re on offense. I’ve got an open 15 foot jump shot (I’m good at those!). A teammate cuts to the basket and may have a layup. Shoot or pass? Who takes the shot?

Unlike most of my teammates, I was no academic whiz at MIT. But I did get that diploma, so I’m only a tad sheepish in using an equation as a story title. No matter your background in science and math, it’s unlikely you recognize it. (Dr. C just created it!) One of the best experiences on the planet is being a valued member of a team. Real teams can emerge in other settings like the workplace. But on the fields of play is where I learned about the magic and saw it the most.

Players + Coaches = The Magic of Teamwork

Players learn and show what teamwork looks like on the court. But that can only happen when they connect with the other variable in the equation. Coaches must create the culture that makes TMT possible. What does it look like on the court? Players share a common goal. Each knows their role. Star players and role players respect each other. No one cares who gets the credit. Every player plays hard every game. When a disparate group of individuals coalesce into a real team, the special magic of team chemistry ignites. TMT is like TNT: Dyn-o-mite!

Coach Anderson is the winningest coach in MIT basketball history. His 441 wins surpass those of my head coach Jack Barry. 11 seasons with 20 or more victories, numerous conference championships, nine NCAA Division III Tournament bids, including MIT’s only Final Four appearance in 2012. But his legacy extends far beyond wins and Coach-of-the-Year awards. With help from administrators, assistant coaches and alumni, Coach Anderson’s vision, leadership, and persistence created an innovative program that engages alumni, builds support for the program, and sponsors events where current players and alumni can connect.

One of the best traditions of the weekend is the opening up of varsity practice on Friday afternoon, the last before Saturday’s varsity and alumni games. It’s a great chance to watch very good college players, see their basketball skills up close, and start to know them a bit. During Friday’s practice in 2025, I met Will Bland. He was poised, articulate, and six-feet-five. What position do you play? “Guard.” Uh-oh…I gotta guard this guy! After the alumni game the next day, I was walking to the MIT Coop to buy some swag. Will and a teammate were heading to the Zesiger Sports and Fitness Center to suit up for the varsity game. He called out, “Hey Dr. Cleveland. How’s it going?” He remembered my name! In 1972, I assure you I lacked the gumption and social skills to engage with an older alumnus that way. When I saw Will at this year’s reunion, he told me about graduating early and starting his master’s program in urban planning. In a troubled world, meeting very capable young people who carry themselves with class is a blessing. It gives an old guy hope.

Bruce Wheeler Will Bland Dr. C. I Gotta Guard THIS Guy!

The Gang of 4 Meet the New Coach. What a pleasure to spend time with three great friends from our late ‘60s and early ‘70s era. Jim Shields, Roger Teal, and Bruce Wheeler were all MIT superstars in their engineering, scientific, and academic careers. As a long-standing member of the Basketball Reunion Committee, Jim had already met Coach Dunne. He arranged for us to meet him prior to Friday’s practice. An impressive resume included a seven year tenure at Gettysburg College where he turned the program around and guided the team to its first 20 win season since 2007-08. A 2010 Bates College graduate and three year varsity standout, his senior year he received the “Love for the Game” award. (This guy’s starting to sound pretty good…)

Coach Dunne was clearly excited to return with his family to the Boston area where he grew up. It didn’t take long to realize his passion for basketball and coaching, his commitment to a winning tradition at MIT, and his enthusiasm for continuing to connect with alumni. 4 thumbs up from the G. of 4. As we were leaving his office to head downstairs to practice, I couldn’t resist telling him that the best play I ever made in any sport occurred in 1972 on the Bates’ home court in the penultimate game of my career. A story for another day, but I hit a last second jump shot to win the game by 1. Nevertheless, Coach Dunne remained courteous!

The Gang of 4 were the only alumni over 70 to suit up for the game. What a grand time sharing stories, laughing like crazy, and solving the world’s problems over a beer! Memories of practices on cold Cambridge winter afternoons, the New England bus trips to away games, the sacred space of the locker room, and the games. Distant stories were dream-like and vivid. Why get together after 50+ years? Because we were teammates on a basketball team!

The weekend’s final event was a Saturday evening gathering at a local eatery featuring pool tables. Current players, coaches, alumni, program administrators - a great chance to relax, mingle, and celebrate.

Coach Anderson cultivated a multigenerational culture of mutual respect within the MIT basketball community Coach Dunne is continuing that tradition. Both understand the special challenge for MIT athletes: playing competitive sports and working very hard academically. At previous reunions, I’d heard Coach Anderson say to then current players, “You stand on the shoulders of these alumni.” The impact of coaches on players’ lives and the respect players show in return were all right there! You could see it around the pool tables and in nearby booths. Smiles, handshakes and hugs. The animated conversations, the laughing among coaches and players from different eras.

As the evening was winding down, the Gang of 4 agreed that one alumnus was still good enough to take the court with the varsity. At forty, Jimmy Bartolotta is still the most decorated basketball player in MIT history. This 6’4” guard averaged 20.7 points per game over 4 varsity years and 27.6 his senior year. He graduated in 2009, played professional basketball in Europe, and remains MIT’s all-time leading scorer. After the alumni game, I watched him practicing 3 pointers. This phenomenal shooter made 19 of 20 from behind the college line of 22’1”. Jimmy was chatting near one of the pool tables. I went over to deliver our verdict that he could still hold his own with the young guys. We talked briefly then he looked at me and said, “It was a real honor being out there on the court with you guys today.”

Players, Coaches, and Magic on a cold Cambridge night…feeling that special sense of community through sport.

P + C = TMT

The Hardwood is Still Hard