Curt Fromal wouldn’t volunteer his extensive knowledge of basketball, but it was there if you needed it, writes Mike Jensen for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Fromal of Folsom died this week at age 79.

He’s a part of Philadelphia’s basketball history but didn’t make a show of it.

Fromal played for La Salle and scored 19.2 points a game as a senior. and was a league MVP.

He was assistant coach at La Salle to Tom Gola in 1968-69 with the Explorers, considered the greatest Big 5 team of all time.

“He [Fromal] meant a lot to our teams,” said Frank Dunphy, seventh man on the 1968-69 Explorers. “Gola gave him much responsibility.”

Fromal would run the team’s practices when Gola wasn’t available.

Though Gola recommended Fromal as his replacement, La Salle went with Paul Westhead instead.

Fromal never formally coached a team again but he kept coaching informally.

“As long as a player was willing to put the work in, he’d meet you in the gym,” said his son, Steve.

Steve starred at Ridley and was a walk-on at La Salle.

Fromal’s daughter, Amy, also grew up playing hoops with her dad.

Read more about Curt Fromal at The Philadelphia Inquirer.