Kentucky assistant coach Barry Rohrssen, seen in December 2007 during his time as head coach at Manhattan. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)
Kentucky assistant Barry “Slice” Rohrssen is a versatile guy. How many other coaches at the Final Four in Indianapolis have a Screen Actors Guild membership card?
Rohrssen joined John Calipari’s staff with the unbeaten Wildcats this year with a reputation as a top-notch recruiter. But he’s also been an actor and producer in TV and film, too, including a minor role in 1992’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” filled with big names like Al Pacino, the late Jack Lemmon and Kevin Spacey.
Rohrssen’s brief role, credited to “Barry Rossen,” is an assistant detective investigating an office robbery where the salesmen worked when Pacino’s character storms in on a rant.
“Everyone on the set, as you can tell by the professional cast _ all-time professional cast that they had _ they all made you feel comfortable and welcomed,” Rohrssen said Friday.
The Brooklyn, New York, native has four acting credits and one producer credit according to IMDB. That includes a series pilot that wasn’t picked up called “Maverick Square” from 1990 with Michael Chiklis, a show Rohrssen described as “moreorless a modern-day ‘Honeymooners.'”
Rohrssen had spent five seasons as head coach at Manhattan, and was also an assistant to Ben Howland and Jamie Dixon at Pittsburgh.
So is there a benefit to having acting chops in coaching?
“Well, if you don’t win enough games as a head coach or Calipari decids to get rid of me,” Rohrssen said with a chuckle, “then I may be able to do some Dr. Scholl’s commercials or something.”