Bob Thomason's coaching career flashes life-lessons that beam far beyond the basketball court.

We like to think we were a part of his growth, given the fact he cut his coaching teeth at Escalon, Turlock, Columbia College and Cal State Stanislaus. But to hear him tell it recently, these stops weren't exactly designed as stepping stones toward a greater goal.

Thomason, 64, enjoyed each of these ports of call. Better still, he understood their importance toward his return to his alma mater, University of the Pacific. And isn't that the way it's supposed to be to savor the journey at least as much as the destination?

To him, it never was about sneaker contracts, TV exposure or a bigger school in a bigger arena. If so, he would have bolted from Pacific years ago. If he coached solely for cash, he wouldn't have stayed in the area for 15 years.

More than 100 former and current players, boosters and students heard the Thomason message last month when he announced his retirement effective after next season.

"It wasn't like I was trying to make money coaching basketball," he told them. "I was coaching the game."

Was he ever.

Thomason took no shortcuts and didn't climb on others' backs. Simply, he worked from the bottom up, coached his players and won games. At each stop, his teams won at least one league championship.

We especially remember the unbeaten Escalon Cougars of 1976, the ground he prepared at Columbia for the Claim Jumpers' glory years under Denny Aye, and his successful rebuilding job at Stanislaus.

A recent chat with Thomason, however, revealed the obvious: Those weren't just passing hello's. He and wife Jerri were raising their two sons, and their family's maturation coincided with his career moves.

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AGOSTINI: UOP'S Thomason did it the right way