Former SD School of Mines assistant passes away
RAPID CITY --- Former South Dakota School of Mines assistant men’s basketball coach Varick Cutler passed away last Saturday in his home in Boise Idaho at the age of 54.
Cutler was a Hardrocker assistant coach from 1993 to 2001 under former head coach and current SDM athletics director Hugh Welsh.
“Varick had a great passion for the game of basketball,” Welsh said. “He was an enjoyable guy to be around and the Hardrocker basketball program misses him greatly.”
After his eight year stint in Rapid City, Cutler became a crisis intervention councilor in Boise and also got back into the game of basketball by becoming the assistant coach in Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario Ore.
Cutler had been suffering from flu-like symptoms a few days prior to his passing.
Cutler was originally from Buffalo, N.Y. Cutler played collegiatelly at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, Penn., in 1976 where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work. He then traveled west in 1978 and attended Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash., where he received his master’s degree in social work in 1984.
Cutler played his high school basketball at North Tonawanda High School in North Tonawanda, N.Y. Cutler’s basketball ability earned him First Team “All New York” in 1970 and was named to the Sunkist All American Top 40 team in 1971.
After high school Varick played for LaSalle University where he was coached by Paul Westhead. Varick lived the basketball dream and played basketball professionally for Venezuela, Canada and the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in the Eastern League.
Varick has been involved with Treasure Valley Community for many years and began his coaching career with the TVCC men’s team during the 1991-1992 season. Varick also coached during the ’92-’93 campaign as an assistant coach under head coach Drake Wallick. Varick left TVCC to coach at the four-year level for the South Dakota School of the Mines in Rapid City, S.D.
Varick came back to Boise, Idaho and took a position as a social worker in 2002. When Wallick took back the reigns at Treasure Valley he asked Varick to come back and assist him with the 2006-2007 squad. Varick was very instrumental in the recruiting of last year’s team as well as the 2007-2008 Treasure Valley Community College men’s basketball team. Varick was very proud of the Chukars and what they stand for in the community.