Coaches Internship Program
Gus Alfieri and Ron Alfieri, championship coaches and directors of the All-American Basketball Camp, are offering a free basketball coaches internship program this summer to qualified and enthusiastic coaches. Each intern will be taught to be a better coach! DETAILS
Coaching DVDs By LI Coaches
Championship Productions has a good selection of coaching dvds made by Long Island coaches.
Pitino Taking Heat
Former St. Dominic star Rick Pitino is taking some heat now that the details about his relationship with Karen Sypher have come out. This all happened when we were away on vacation, so you might have already heard more than enough about it, but here are some stories we've gathered from the internet:
Atkinson And BB Without Borders
Northport's Kenny Atkinson, Assistant Coach of the New York Knicks, will participate in the Basketball Without Borders program on August 6-9 when he joins other coaches and players in Mexico City, Mexico. Basketball without Borders is the NBA and FIBA's global basketball development program that uses the sport to create positive social change in the areas of education, health and wellness.
Fenton To St. Anthony's
Jim Fenton has been named the Boys Varsity Basketball Coach at St. Anthony's. Coach Fenton comes from Holy Trinity, where he was an assistant coach, and from the Long island Lightning AAU program, where he has been a coach and
skills trainer for 10 years.
Skills Clinic By Knicks Coach
New York Knicks Assistant Coach Phil Weber, who has coached and trained players like Steve Nash and Shaquille O'Neal, gave a skills clinic for players 9 to 13 years old this summer at Interstate Sports Academy in Sayville. Weber is from Northport and graduated from Long Island Lutheran.
Parham St. Anthony's Girls Coach
Ken Parham, the Bay Shore Boy's Varsity coach last season, has resigned to take the St. Anthony's Girls' Varsity head coaching job. Parham was an assistant at St. Anthony's the previous season.
Ralph Willard Leaves Holy Cross
You probably have heard that St. Dominic's Ralph Willard, who has coached Holy Cross for the past 10 years, taking them to four NCAA Tournaments and one NIT, resigned to join the staff of fellow St. Dom's product Rick Pitino. Here are a few articles on the subject from various sources:
And in a related story,
Iavaroni To Raptors
Plainview's Marc Iavaroni has joined the Toronto Raptors as an assistant coach......
Coaching Internship
We are pleased to announce that Gus Alfieri will be writing a new column for us on the Coaches Page called The Coaches Corner! Coach Alfieri would also like to let everyone know about his Coaches Internship Program, which got off to a successful start last year.
Lightning Seeking New Coaches
The Long Island Lightning Board of Directors will be interviewing candidates for coaching positions beginning January 2. Experience as either a Super League or High School coach is preferred.
For additional information,
please call Jim Fox at 516-292-4956.
This Season's Rule Changes
Time to go over rule changes that will take effect for the coming season. There are some big ones!
Christian Has Big Plans At TCU
St. Dom's grad Jim Christian was introduced to the Dallas/Fort Worth community as the 19th head men's basketball coach in TCU history this past March, and immediately set his sights on turning the program around. He told the gathering his plans are to instill toughness and pride to the TCU name while working on competing for a conference championship immediately. Christian came to TCU after serving as the head men's basketball coach at Kent State for the last six seasons where he won at least 20 games in each season as the general of the Golden Flashes' program. During his tenure with the Golden Flashes - Christian competed a record of 138-58 for the highest winning percentage (.704) in Mid-American Conference history. A native of Bethpage, Christian was an All-State guard at St. Dominic while playing for former Pitt and current Holy Cross head men's basketball coach Ralph Willard. Following his prep career, Christian was recruited by fellow St. Dominic grad and current Louisville head men's basketball coach Rick Pitino at Boston University, where he played a pair of seasons before transferring to the University of Rhode Island. Christian played his final two campaigns under Tom Penders at the University of Rhode Island where he helped the Rams reach the Sweet Sixteen of the 1988 NCAATournament. The former standout guard guided the Rams to victories over Missouri and Syracuse before dropping a 73-72 decision to Duke for the right to advance to the Elite Eight. After earning his bachelor's degree in consumer affairs from the University of Rhode Island in 1988 - Christian spent one season playing professionally in Australia for the Sydney City Comets.
Atkinson Added To Knicks Staff
Another Long Islander was added to the New York Knicks coaching staff when Northport's Kenny Atkinson was named an assistant coach, joining fellow Northport native Phil Weber on Mike D’Antoni's staff. Atkinson starred at St. Anthony’s and then at the University of Richmond, where he led the Spiders to a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA tournament. He then went on to play professionally in Italy, France, Holland, Germany and Spain from 1991-2004. He began his coaching career overseas, and joins the Knicks after spending the 2007-08 season as the director of player development with the Houston Rockets, where he was responsible for improving player performance through on-court, one-on-one skill development and the use of video analysis.
McKillop USA Coach
After leading Davidson to a storybook season, Chaminade's Bob McKillop has been selected to head the 2008 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team that will compete in the 2008 FIBA Americas U18 Championship scheduled for July 14-18 in Formosa, Argentina. Virginia Commonwealth University’s Anthony Grant and Georgetown University’s John Thompson III will serve as assistants
Long Island Coaching Duos
There are only two active brother duos coaching at the College Division I level, and both are from Long Island! Joe Jones coaches at Columbia, while brother James Jones coaches at Yale, while Seth and Brad Greenberg are the head coaches at Virginia Tech and Radford.
Did You Know...........
Marc Iavaroni, who played for and graduated from Plainview JFK, was hired as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies back in May. Iavaroni was a four year starter at the University of Virginia, and was named first team All-Tournament on Virginia’s 1976 ACC Tournament championship team. In the NBA, he was a starter as a rookie on the 76ers’ 1983 Championship Team along with fellow Long Islander Julius Erving, and went on to a seven year NBA career.
Very Sad News
The New York Basketball community lost a great friend when Howie Frajberg died this past Sunday. Howie had been ill for six months and during every hospital visit he counseled us to not worry about him and focus on our families and basketball activities. He succeeded at every endeavor he attempted including, but not limited to; professional player, college athletic director, college coach, lecturer, uniform and equipment supplier and a few years ago high school coach at Valley Stream North where he was, not surprisingly, conference coach of the year.
Howie seemed to know everybody, and we shall remember him as the gentle giant who never raised his voice. Every time his name came up inevitably the first comment would be “Howie is a good friend of mine”. The college coaching fraternity lost one of the truly nice guys whose loyalty to his fellow coaches and friends will not be forgotten. Coach Frajberg was also a mentor for both new and experienced coaches at Island Garden Basketball where he attended on almost a daily basis for the last five years. The St. John’s Red Storm just lost their best supporter and biggest fan, too. Island Garden Basketball and Long Island Lightning Basketball sadly say goodbye to our close friend and colleague. Howie, we are really going to miss you. By Bruce Eiber
We stop practice every time we see one of our players not boxing out - Jim Calhoun
08-09 BCANY Coaches Of The Year
Darius Burton of Baldwin and Jeff Weiss of LWA were named Coaches Of The Year on Long Island by the Basketball Coaches Association Of New York
'08 Coach Of The Year
Every year, there are a number of coaches deserving of our Coach of the Year Award. This year, Darryl Lopez first comes to mind, taking his team back to the State Championship Game despite heavy graduation losses. John Adams too. He brought pride and a Suffolk Class B crown back to Center Moriches. Of course there's Ed Petrie, who guided East Hampton to the State Class A Championship game and picked up his 700th career win in the process. Let's not forget Darius Burton, who took Baldwin to the Long Island Class AA Title and State Final Four for the first time in many years. But in our minds, this year's choice is clear. This man's team also experienced heavy graduation losses, and was young and inexperienced and expected to do nothing. In fact, expectations were so modest that whenever they won unexpectedly, which they did often, or played well against a good team in defeat, it was taken as evidence of their opponent's shortcomings, not of their strength. Yet, they continued to win, going on to capture their League Championship while defeating the defending champion three times in the process. From there, they went on to win a State Semifinal game before their magic run ended in the Championship Game.
The LongIslandBasketball.com Coach of
the Year for the 2007- 08 season is:
JIM QUINN
Chaminade High School
Sanicola Coach Of The Year
Robert Sanicola of East Northport, a 1995 graduate of Northport High School, and member of the 1995 Northport High Basketball team that won the Long Island Championship, has been named Coach of the Year by both the Association of NCAA Divisions III Independents and the Maine Men’s College Basketball Coaches and Writers Association. Sanicola is the men’s basketball coach at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine, where his team completed the season with a 22-8 record. Sanicola is a 1999 graduate of Saint Joseph’s and has been the head coach for four years. This year, the team, known as the Monks, won the Northeast independent championship and reached the finals of the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament. Sanicola’s team delivered a 41-16 record during the past two seasons and won 11 straight games at home.
'07 Coach Of The Year
Is the Coach of the Year someone that led his team to great heights? Like Rob Pavinelli of St. Dominic, Wally Bachman of Jericho or Jeff Weiss of LWA ? .Is it someone that took a team that wasn't expected to be a contender and made them into one? Like Ken Parham of Bay Shore, Kenneth McCloud of Wyandanch or George Franck of Northport? Or maybe someone that overcame great adversity, like Robert Jones of St. Mary's or Bob DeBonis of Freeport? Then again, isn't consistency the measure? Winning year after year, no matter what hand you're dealt? Then you're talking about Jack Agostino of Amityville or Tom Diana of Uniondale. This year, the answer seems clear. If you were lucky enough to see his team play, you knew five minutes into the game that you were watching an extremely well coached team and a team in every sense of the word.
The LongIslandBasketball.com
2005-6 Coach of the Year is:
ROB PAVINELLI
St. Dominic High School
Agostino To Enter Hall Of Fame
On Saturday, March 24th, 2007, Amityville coach Jack Agostino will be inducted into The New York State Basketball Hall Of Fame. The ceremony will be at 11am in Heritage Hall at the Glens Falls Civic Center during the Federation State Championship Tournament. Agostino has led four teams to State Championships, amassed over 350 career wins and won over 80% of the games he has coached. He's a pretty good guy too! Congratulations Coach!.
Coach Adams Wins 450th
Legendary Hempstead Coach Ted Adams won his 450th career game last night when his 6th ranked Tigers defeated MacArthur 72-52. Coach Adams has overcome a troubled school district and player defections to private and catholic schools to lead his Hempstead team back to prominence this season and to numerous State Championships and Long Island Championships over the years. A deserving member of the New York State Basketball Hall of fame, he has earned untold numbers of coaching awards and community service awards and is a beloved member of the Hempstead community. Congratulations Coach!
300 For Coach Bachman!
Jericho Coach Wally Bachman, who is the kind of coach you hope your kid has the chance to play for, recorded his 300th career win as coach of the Jayhawks when they defeated Floral Park on 2/2. Congratulations Coach! Before coaching at Jericho, Coach Backman was the head coach at Valley Stream North where he now is the athletic director.
East Hampton's Petrie Honored
On the eve of his 50th year in coaching, East Hampton Coach Ed Petrie was among four high school coaches honored by the Frank McGuire Foundation last week at a reception and awards dinner GO TO STORY
Get Players Exposure to Colleges
How coaches can help promote Student-Athletes to Colleges and Universities GO TO FIVE STAR HOOPS
Great Free Software Downlaod
You can download a free program that will enable you to diagram plays and then automate them. It also has a database of plays you can view. We've tried it out, and it works very well. GO TO SITE
Free BCANY Membership
If you are a new head coach at a New York State High School, you can receive a free one year membership in the Basketball Coaches Association of New York. Its a terrific organization that offers many educational, social and professional opportunities. Go to their website at www.bcany.org
Sports Authority Coaches Club
Stop by your local Sports Authority when you get a chance and ask to sign up for their Coaches Club. They'll give you a big envelope filled with discount coupons for you, your program, and your players. Definitely worth the trip.
Winningest Coach Is Still Game
Ed Petrie, in his 45th season, continues to look ahead By Jack Graves (This article is from 2003-4 season, so its 49 seasons now!)
Forever Young
For nearly 5 decades, Archbishop Molloy's Jack Curran has never lost his ability to relate to his players. By David Purdum GO TO STORY
Working With Limited Practice Time
Simple and Effective Zone Press Break
Preparing for Tournament Play
Dealing With Young Superstars
Coaching Confidence
How To Develop Confident Players
Inbounding vs Pressure
Many championships have been lost because teams were not able to inbound ball at end of game.
Preparing Your Team For
End-Of-Game Situations
Playing Time
If the goal is to win, then it seems logical that the most talented players should be on the floor most of the game, and the less talented players inserted into the game only when the score differential is substantial. But, what happens when playing time allotment follows this strategy in high school or youth leagues? The result, by season end, is failure. Therein lies the irony. GO TO COACH'S NOTEBOOK
OFFENSES
"Put your two best players away from the ball and bring it back to them." -- Don Meyer
Select A Half Court Offense
Beating The 1-3-1 Zone
What Defense Are They Playing?
Definite probing offensive movements must be made in order to determine the type of offensive attack that must be made against the defense.
Man Offenses
Entire Offenses and Continuation Sets
Continuity Plays
Here are a couple continuous patterns you might like to try.
Zone Offenses
Winnetka Bullets Zone Offense Playbook
The Princeton Style Offense
We have used an offense similar to what Princeton has used for the past five years successfully. The following ideas have been taken from many different sources. Every year the offense evolves for me as I add new concepts...GO TO BASKETBALLL HIGHWAY
" You should sub a player out when you see a player not going full-speed or playing selfish basketball." -- Dean Smith
Put The FAST In Your Fast Break
Teaching the Flex
by Alan Lambert
Entries, Options, and Counters
Quick Hitters
Breaking the Full Court Press
25 Baseline Out-Of Bounds Plays
FUNDAMENTALS
Rebounding Drills for Locking Up the Boards:Situational Game Rebounding
Basic Offensive Basketball
We introduce alot of the basic fundamentals of offensive basketball in our 2 man drills.....
Passing and Catching
Setting And Using Screens
A screen, also called a "pick" is a legal block set by an offensive player ......
Screening Drills
Rebounding Wins Games
Rebounding is an important basketball skill that is developed and improved through these three ingredients.
Dribble Drills With Video Clips
A hugh collection of dribble drills and other fundamentals demonstrated on video clips
"Once practice starts, we work hard, and that's the best conditioning there is. Everything counts. Every little thing counts. Run hard, play hard, go after the ball hard......... -- Pete Carill
Catching, Pivoting, and Faking
The fundamental skills of catching, pivoting, and faking are amongst the most overlooked and undertaught skills in the game of basketball today
A screen, also called a "pick" is a legal block set by an offensive player.
Basketball Tips
by Geoff Shurtleff
YOUTH BASKETBALL
Coaching Young Players
.........So what advice do I give you? First, make it fun for the kids. Do not yell negative things at them.........
Coaching Youth Basketball Part 1
How did I get myself into this mess?
Coaching Youth Basketball Part 2
Parsley May Make It Look Better...........
The most essential thing in coaching and a coach's greatest challenge is to teach players to never give up. - Wilbur Braithwaite
Coaching Youth Basketball
Message Board
Youth basketball coaching discussions. Player development, plays, drills, problems, ect.
Developing Your Big Players
Coaching Young Post Players
You don’t have to be tall to play the game of basketball, but every coach should learn to develop the tall young players in his program. The tall player who can move, play aggressive defense, is coordinated, has agility and mobility and know how to operate in the low post is a gem in any offensive system.
The Games Approach
To Teaching Basketball
Can you recall learning a sport by playing with a group of your friends in the neighborhood? You didn't learn the basic skills first; there was no time for that. You began playing immediately. If you didn't know the basic things to do, your friends told you quickly during the game so they could keep playing. GO TO NCAA
Offense vs Half Court Traps
ONE OF THE MOST neglected parts of most basketball programs is the development of a half-court trap offense. This is particularly true early in the season when coaches are trying to fit in all the other components of their program.
Be A Better Coach
Last Second Inbound Plays
Making Practices Fun
One of the things I am proud of as a coach this year is that the kids are still having fun and showing up at practice with enthusiasm even though we are ending a long season. It was not always so. In the earlier days of my coaching career, I got pretty bored with practice myself at the end of the season. There was the temptation to just let them play for an hour or so and go home GO TO COACH'S NOTEBOOK
STRATEGY
Pre-game Preparation
This is an important time for the players and coaches to get comfortable with the situation at hand, and focus on the job to be done.
Coaching The Crucial Time Out
You have two minutes left to play in the 'all-important' game against your archrival.........GO TO HOOPS U
DEFENSES
"Defense doesn't break down on the help, it breaks down on the recovery." -- Chuck Daly
Basic Man-to-Man Defense
Good offense wins games........ great defense wins championships. Believe it!
How to Coach Team Defense
The objective of a basketball team defense is to stop the offensive team from scoring. We all know this is an impossible task. More practical is the attempt to take the opponent out of the offense they are trying to run......
"My players on defense must have a hand-up on every shot. If not, they run sprints." - Rick Majerus
The 2-3 Zone
The 2-3 zone has the advantage of protecting the inside, the "paint", and keeps your "bigs" inside. It's weakness is that it can be beaten by good outside shooting, with open areas on the wings, point and high post. GO TO COACHES NOTEBOOK
Pressure Defense
Many teams make a living off their full court pressure defense....... GO TO COACHES NOTEBOOK
"When we're playing a good scoring center, we tell our team that it is not our defensive center's job to stop him. It's the responsibility of our perimeter people to stop the ball from going inside." - Bobby Knight
STARTING OUT
By Coach Wilbur Braithwaite
Good Coaching
"What is a good coach?” “Why is HE a good coach?” “What makes him different from other coaches?”I’ve been asked these questions—or ones similar—many times over my years........
Tryouts ... How to Select Players
One of the most exciting and stressful parts of a young player’s life can be trying out for an athletic team where they have to show a coach they deserve to be on that team. You have those players who are extremely confident in their abilities along with those who have a lot of self doubt.. GO TO COACHING YOUTH BASKETBALL
Selecting Players
By Steve Jordan, Coach's Notebook.
Basketball tryouts can be difficult for coaches. .....
Secrets to Picking the Players
Over the years, as shooting, passing, and dribbling have become more sophisticated, offensive alignments have changed. They probably will continue. Rule changes often dictate this. For example, take the three-point shot......
We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors. ~Weldon Drew
Practice Planning
By Shane Dreiling, President of TeamArete
I don’t believe you can have great practices consistently when a coach is running the exact same drills day after day..........
GO TO BASKETBALL HIGHWAY
High School Practice Plan
By Ken Lindsay
GuideToCoachingBasketball.com
As a coach you should map your road to success prior start of the school year. Organize each phase of the season for best results.
GO TO GUIDETOCOACHINGBASKETBALL.COM
Planning For Practices
By the Coaching Well staff
......The process of planning a practice includes three steps: setting the framework, developing the content, and then evaluating the practice.....
How to Plan Practice
By Sidney Goldstein , Nitty-Gritty Basketball
By planning the team’s practice activities you are able to ensure the team spends their limited practice time on the activities most important at that time.
Practice - Preparing for Basketball
by Steve Jordan, Coach's Notebook.
A good practice includes scheduled time for warm-up, personal skill development, team play (such as defensive strategies or half court offense work), situational plays and review and correction of past performance
Motivating Young Athletes
Coaching Your Own Kids
I'll start this article off with a disclaimer. Every family is a little different. What has worked for me may not work for you. However, the special relationship that wraps itself around a parent/ child, coach/player combination is rare enough that all who have experienced it have knowledge worth sharing.
"When you are speaking to your team after a game, never talk about the kid who was the star of the game. Talk about what your other players did to help the team win. Be sure to spread the wealth... Then have individual meetings with one to three players to praise and reinforce.."
- Mike Krzyzewski
DRILLS
"Do passing drills that come from your offense." -- John Wooden
837 Basketball Drills
Choose from 837 free basketball drills in 14 categories GO TO BASKETBALL DRILLS
Coaches Playbook Drills
Visit our Database List of Drills submitted by coaches from around the world to help you plan your practices. GO TO BASKETBALL HIGHWAY
Basketball Plays and Drills
Checkout the latest plays and drills from the list.
Hoops U Drills
Many drills -- divided into the various categories.
"The more you lose, the more positive you have to become. When you're winning, you can ride players harder because their self-esteem is high. If you are losing and you try to be tough, you're asking for dissension." -- Rick Pitino
Winningest Coaches
The top 6 all time winningest Long Island high school basketball coaches:
1. Ed Petrie, East Hampton, 701 wins, active !
2. Russ Bastin, Uniondale, 479 wins, retired
3. Frank Morris, St. Agnes, 471 wins, retired
4. Ted Adams, Hempstead, 450 wins, active
5. Hank Williams, Malverne, 430 wins, retired
6. Ambrose Moran, New Hyde Park, 426 wins
LongIslandBasketball.com
Your Basketball Home
The Coaches Page
Updated New Varsity Coaches
Time to start building our 2008-9 list of new
varsity coaches. Send us the name and school of any new VARSITY head coach on Long Island, and some bio information if you have it.
Back In The Day!
We are very pleased to bring you the first in a series of interviews with some of Long Island's basketball greats. The first is with Virginia Tech Coach Seth Greenberg, the pride of Plainview.
GO TO " BACK IN THE DAY"
Chaminade grad and former LuHi and Holy Trinity Coach Bob McKillop led his Davidson team to the 2008 Elite Eight
The
Basketball
Store
THE COACHES CORNER
by Dr. Gus Alfieri
DREAMS
“Anybody home?” followed a rhythmic tapping on my front door that immediately caused Jake, my golden retriever to demonstrate a police dog’s spring to attention. Greg Mikalauskas, my former assistant coach at St. Anthony’s High School was wearing his familiar smile, and Lou Holtz blond hair look, greeted my canine buddy who gave the intruder a quick once over. “I didn’t forget,” Greg quickly volleyed to my quizzical look. “I have the game tapes.” I was trying to examine as many games from the 1973-1974 team as possible for my anticipated book. I had recently decided that my next book would be on my 1973-1974 St. Anthony’s basketball team, the best I ever coached, and I would arguably claim the best ever to play high school basketball on Long Island. I know this statement will jar many old timers from their graves, and have hate mail burning the wires, but I stick to my claim. I’m used to rattling cages.I want to travel through a land of scholastic sports that happens once in a lifetime for most teams, where kids had a chance to work hard and learn life values because they pulled together for a common cause, and never stopped dreaming. We both of us settled in front of the VCR to enjoy the 1974 Top Eight Classic final with Long Island Lutheran before an overflow crowd of more than 6500 fans at Hofstra fieldhouse, a game described as, “The Super Bowl of high school basketball.” As the tape warmed up and got into the fierce combat, the camera froze on a tall, authoritative-looking figure on the sidelines that seemed to be working hard. The long-haired, bespectacled coach had perspired through his shirt as he patrolled the sidelines, barking commands to my team. There on the screen was obviously a much focused coach methodically giving out specific instructions with an assertiveness that would have made General Patton shudder and blink with admiration. His players listened quietly at timeouts; eyes glued to every word. These kids wanted the game as much as their coach, and played with the same passion, I thought as the drama unfolded. They too had nurtured a dream that was moments away. “Anything can happen,” I always preached. Kids are capable of all sorts of athletic foolishness at the most inopportune moment. Remember Georgetown’s forward, Freddie Brown passing to James Worthy of North Carolina for the NCAA championship, and how about Chris Webber’s technical foul for a sixth timeout which cost Michigan the title. Didn’t the Red Sox come back from down 3-0 to stun the Yankees a few years ago? I picture myself as a twelve year-old listening to my maroon portable radio in bed as St. John’s played CCNY in Madison Square Garden. The Redmen lost the basketball game by two points, 54-52, and I disappointedly slammed my radio onto the bed. The Redmen were my team. I dreamed about playing with their great players, hitting shots and swimming in the crowd’s applause. Athletic dreams are healthy for kids growing up and fill a need for them. It’s easy to find grownups whose sports aspirations as a kid never crystallize. But I had a burning desire to play for St. John’s, and I did. I played more than forty games in Madison Square Garden and never regretted the effort it took getting there. When I played I dreamed about being the best player they had, and I drove myself to maximize my potential and play regularly on a good collegiate team. But what about the suburban athlete and his always involved parents? Should youngsters be encouraged to aspire to professional play, or should our children be told that, “It’s only a game, and to have fun?” I recall my father taking me to a New York Knicks game in the Garden. My folks knew little of sports but my dad realized I liked the game and he encouraged that interest. He never said how I should play the game or that I should practice more. I energized my dreams, which proved to be more fun. I continued to dream and then got lucky. My St. Anthony’s team accomplished much that could teach today’s athletes how to conduct themselves. But the memoir I’m writing can also act as a primer for society’s unlimited number of demanding sports parents, who can’t understand that simple adage that, “Cream comes to the top,” and all the attempts to “tilt the table,” for their kids only sours youngsters, who want to do what all successful people do – have the joy of climbing life’s mountain on their own. Parents never get that, especially suburban ones who think their money or influence can make Johnny a star. It’s never going to happen. My greatest thrill from sports was me playing, not my parents. My folks never saw me play a game – ever – CYO, church league, junior varsity, or varsity, until the last week in my senior year in high school. I turned out pretty good because I had the tenacity, drive, and ability that allowed me to overcome esteem issues, and live my dreams. This 1973-1974 St. Anthony’s team, its golden generation, and school, are examples of what can happen when heads team together for a common goal. America is filled with success stories. I paid attention to them, and felt there was room at the top for one more, and this team of mine proved it through hard work, and character – qualities that made them compelling. Hubie Brown, famous former coach of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies, and pro game commentator, was a slim, narrow-boned, struggling high school player in New Jersey trying to make a name for himself and dreaming about big time college hoops. “How bad do you want to be good?” his dad asked. That’s the question youngsters have to ask themselves. If a kid wants to fulfill a dream he has to add hard work to the sugar plum fantasies that dance him to sleep each evening.Dr. Gus Alfieri
Director of the All-American Basketball Camp
An author of LAPCHICK
631-265-7142
West Hempstead, NY
516-538-4800
Awards
Of Distinction
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