Back in the 1970s and early ’80s, Decatur High School had one of the best high school basketball programs in the state, and at the helm was coach Bob Reinhart.
First Reinhart was an assistant for four seasons for coach Roger Kaiser, the two having grown up together in Dale, Ind. Kaiser, Georgia Tech’s first basketball All-American, left for West Georgia and turned the program to Reinhart for the 1969-70 season. Under Reinhart that season, the Bulldogs won first of three state championships, knocking off Savannah 52-51 in the finals. The other two titles came in 1980 and ’82.
“I was coaching basketball in Indiana, and Roger called me up and said I needed to come down to Atlanta to join him,’’ Reinhart said. “We were building something special, but we did it with a lot of great players that went through Decatur.’’
Reinhart and Kaiser coached Decatur’s first integrated team, which included Richard Wilson, the brother of current Decatur athletic director Carter Wilson. He would go on and have a lot of success as the head coach of the Bulldogs. Their best player was Herb White, who would star at Georgia and then played for the Hawks, the first roommate of star Pete Maravich. White’s nickname was “The Elevator from Decatur.’’
“I remember a story came out where Wilt Chamberlain was asked who was the highest jumper he had ever seen and he said it was this white kid from Atlanta,’’ said Reinhart. “That was Herb. We also had Jack Thompson on those teams, who today is one of the associate athletic directors at Georgia Tech.’’
Reinhart stayed at Decatur until 1983. In addition to his three state titles, he went to the finals three other times. In a stretch from 1981-83, his team won 57 consecutive games. The streak was later broken by Mays High.
Reinhart’s son Bobby started for him on his title team in ’82. Today, he is the head basketball coach and athletic director at Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa, Fla. Bobby was also at one time the head coach at Decatur.
“Bobby playing for me was special,’’ said Reinhart. “He was some kind of player himself and has done a great job coaching. I am very proud of him.’’
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