Guilford men’s basketball coach Tom Palombo recorded his 600th collegiate basketball victory with little fanfare this month, which was just the way he liked it.
“I mean it’s a nice accomplishment, but really it’s not something I celebrated much,” says Tom, whose Quakers beat Lynchburg College, 75-59, on Jan. 11 for his milestone win. “We’re all about going 1-0 in our next game and then 1-0 in the next. Win and focus on the next game.”
The Quakers did just that, beating Averett University on Jan. 14 and Roanoke College on Jan. 18 — victories 601 and 602 for Tom.
Tom, who is in his 20th season at Guilford, is more impressed with another number than all those wins.
“Honestly the 600 isn’t as amazing to me as coaching for 33 years,” says Tom. “That seems a bigger accomplishment. I never thought I’d be doing this for 30 years, never thought I’d be up there with guys like Mike Turner (Albion College), Joe Campoli (Ohio Northern) and Steve Moore (The College of Wooster).”
Doing anything for more than 30 years takes its toll, but even more so coaching college basketball. Tom says it’s the players that keep him going.
“The guys keep me young,” he says. “They motivate me and make me want to show up the next game and the next and on and on. Next thing you know you’ve been coaching for 30-plus years.”
Tom came to Guilford in 2003 from Defiance College in Ohio, where he was head coach for 13 seasons. Over his 33 years, Palombo has made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances including advancing to the Elite 8 six times in his career and the Final Four twice. He was named the Basketball Times National Coach of the Year in 2010 after leading the Quakers to their second Final Four appearance in as many years.
He has received ODAC Coach of the Year honors four times while being the South Region Coach of the Year on three occasions.
Tom’s collegiate record is 602-261 while leading the Quakers for 20 of those seasons. During that time, Guilford is 364-156. His victory total at Guilford is second to the late Jack Jensen (386).