Abe Lemons, whose quick wit and flamboyant...

Abe Lemons, whose quick wit and flamboyant nature have endured through almost 35 years of coaching college basketball, says he will retire when his contract at Oklahoma City University expires in June.

Lemons, who has a coaching record of 586-335, said he knew it was time to retire, “when I saw my team play.”

Lemons began his coaching career with Oklahoma City in 1955 and stayed there for 18 years, taking the Chiefs to the NCAA tournament six times and to the National Invitation Tournament twice. He then coached three years at Pan American and six years at Texas before returning to Oklahoma City in 1983.