Best High School BB Coach Ever in the State of Connecticut | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Best High School BB Coach Ever in the State of Connecticut

the Q said:
This is entirely possible.

I played a guy like that, I’d put him against almost anyone considering the talent coming through the small town.

Who it is not is any of these private schools recruiting from all over and then playing S or M schools when their actual enrollment is from legit mega city sizes (when you consider all the municipalities represented on their team).




Kenny smith a hell of a coach. Definitely a worthy contender
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His son is a hell of a coach himself
 
Improviser said:
Who do you like?
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Anyone heard of Bill Brasky? He was undefeated in 8,368 games. He coached his last game at his own funeral. They tried to cremate him but his body wouldn't burn.

All of his players played professionally and could dunk. He once taught a 5'0 player with no knees to dunk. The strangest part is that he coached at a high school with only 4 students. He could make his own basketballs out of used tin cans.

They don't make them like that anymore.
 
The best coaches I ever saw were Frank Cristafi East Haven HS
Red Vederame The guy who built the Wilbur Cross Dynasty
Frank could take a bunch of kids off the Streets and make them winners
O
 
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Joe Kubachka, Longtime Hartford Public Basketball Coach who won New England titles 61 and 62

Lou Bazzano Bulkeley High



I had the fortune to watch the city series at Trinity Field House when I was in 8th grade. The third best team in New England was Weaver High who couldn’t go to New England Tournament.



Each team had a star, Eddie Griffin HPHS, Gene Reilly Bulkeley High and Johnny Lee Weaver

New England Championship 1962 (at Boston Garden)

QF

Spaulding, Barre, VT 63 Concord, NH 59

Hartford Public, CT 78 Pittsfield, Mass 65

East Providence, RI 55 Morse, Bath, Maine 53

Bulkeley, Hartford, CT 53 Rindge Tech, Cambridge, Mass 31

SF

Hartford Public, CT 92 Spaulding, Barre, VT 58

Bulkeley, Hartford, CT 57 East Providence, RI 40

Final

Hartford Public, CT 47 Bulkeley, Hartford, CT 39



 
I’d give it to Bentley over Vito. Even though Bridgeport kids can move around to pick a school easier than most towns he still didn’t select his roster like Vito at st joes. His resume is a little better anyway
 
ucp990411 said:
The old HCC had three very good coaches. Stan Ogrodinik, Joe Reilly and Charlie Larson.
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I went to South Catholic when Joe Reilly was there. He ended up winning over 500 games and 5 titles. His brother Gene did even better with 547 wins mostly at Portland High after assisting Joe at South. The HCC had great games with teams like East Catholic, South Catholic, Northwest Catholic, St. Thomas Aquinas, Xavier, St. Bernards and St Pauls. I remember games with Joey Whelton going against Randy Lavigne and others at South. High school is where I learned to love basketball. John Pinone was a bit younger but played for Joe along with Steve Ayers.

Gene Reilly was my gym teacher after he came home from Viet Nam. If you were late to the gym from the locker room, you could expect a football or basketball thrown at you depending on the season. One poor sap forget his sneakers and had to hang from the pull up bar for the period. Good times, he certainly couldn't get away with that nowadays but I don't think Lempa ever forgot his sneakers again.
 
Fairfield_1st said:
John isn't even the best coach in Cromwell history. Jake Salafia is. 24 consecutive tournament appearances in his 25 year career, including 11 finals appearances and 7 titles.
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If you don’t know, Jake is by far the best coach in CT basketball history. In 1972 he put 4 out of 5 of his players on the 1st team All State team. And they ALL played D1 basketball. Oh by the way......this was a school that had less than 400 kids.

And just in case anyone wants to poo poo whether these were BS Division 1 schools, they were Army (under Bob Knight), UConn, and Providence.

by far unprecedented in the history of CT high school hoops
 
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Horatio said:
Wilbur Cross beat Patrick Ewing under Bob Saulsbury. Think about that. *Edit_- and Karl Hobbs!!!
www.nhregister.com

NEW HAVEN 200: The day Wilbur Cross beat Patrick Ewing

Ewing's final three high school seasons included three successive Massachusetts state...
www.nhregister.com www.nhregister.com
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Yep, this seems like an easy one. Bob Saulsbury is the best high school coach ever in the state. He beat anyone who would play them. Beat the Jarvis, Ewing, Hobbs team that never lost and in the year Wilbur Cross was the best team in the country Super John whooped John Thompson's team so badly John Thompson quit the game and walked off with his team.
 
uconngb said:
If you don’t know, Jake is by far the best coach in CT basketball history. In 1972 he put 4 out of 5 of his players on the 1st team All State team. And they ALL played D1 basketball. Oh by the way......this was a school that had less than 400 kids.

And just in case anyone wants to poo poo whether these were BS Division 1 schools, they were Army (under Bob Knight), UConn, and Providence.

by far unprecedented in the history of CT high school hoops
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I do remember that Al Weston played for Cromwell High and then UConn and had a nice UConn career.
 
There might’ve been better historically, but the best I’ve seen was Mike Walsh at Trinity. 39 year career then retired.

Since taking over as head varsity basketball coach in 1979, Trinity teams under Walsh have won seven CIAC state championships and six FCIAC titles as the Crusaders reached the state final 13 times and the FCIAC championship game 11 times, beginning with Walsh’s first FCIAC title in 1993.

During his first year in retirement the school called and asked him if he can fill in for the year to coach the girl’s team since their coach left early season. What did he do? Lead them to the state title.
 
Watched a movie the other night where Ben Affleck plays a high school basketball coach. I was bored and watched thinking it would be terrible but it was actually quite good. The Way Back.
 
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Improviser said:
Bender retired in 1965, and had coached as head coach at Hillhouse from 1940-1965. After that, for one year, he coached a semi-pro team known as the New Haven Elms, but his record for that year was 8-20. I went to a few games, and one of their best players was Wayne Lawrence from the New London area. They played at the old New Haven Arena, the same place where the New Haven Blades hockey team played.

Sal ("Red") Verderame coached at Wilbur Cross from 1953-66, and was the predecessor of Bob Saulsbury.

I too am dating myself as I remember that era very well.
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Use to watch the Hillhouse-Cross games on Saturday morning from Payne-Whitney on ch8. Era of Doug Wardlaw, Walt Esdaile, etc.
 
I would have a tough time choosing between Saulsbury & Bentley. But 9 state championships including 5 in a row might give the edge to Bentley. Plus he's an alumni of Tech in Bridgeport.
 
Ralph King, my coach at Brien McMahon
Vito
Bentley
Salisbury
Ray Berry at Norwalk
Walsh at Trinity
Need help with the name of Hillhouse`s coach in the 70-80`s.
 
JT55 said:
I would vote for Vito Montelli, alittle biased as I played for him in 2006, but he coached 50 years, a state-record 878 victories and a state-record 11 state championships.
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@JT55 @ChocRaisins Not trolling, curious. As a player, what made him stand out?
 
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uconnfan68 said:
Yeah, Donny Lewis and Al Weston were too much for Class S.
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Both great guys. I see Don around town frequently. Played a mean men's slow pitch softball as well. Just a great athlete. Played at PC and was pictured in SI covering Dr J.
 
uconngb said:
If you don’t know, Jake is by far the best coach in CT basketball history. In 1972 he put 4 out of 5 of his players on the 1st team All State team. And they ALL played D1 basketball. Oh by the way......this was a school that had less than 400 kids.

And just in case anyone wants to poo poo whether these were BS Division 1 schools, they were Army (under Bob Knight), UConn, and Providence.

by far unprecedented in the history of CT high school hoops
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I'm a lifelong resident. Got Al Weston's autograph when he taught our gym class when I was in grammar school. So even as a 2nd grader I knew he was someone special.
My brother graduated in 1980. I remember looking in his yearbook and seeing they played and beat big basketball schools, like Holy Cross or Harding, that level.
 
As a St. Joe’s alum from the early to mid nineties, I gotta go with Vito.
 
8893 said:
Jim Calhoun began his coaching career at Lyme-Old Lyme High School in Old Lyme, CT, but he was 1-17 and then went back to MA, so I'm not sure that would qualify him.

Vito Montelli from St. Joseph's in Trumbull had an impressive run back in the day. I didn't like him though.
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Out of curiosity, what about him didn't you like?
 
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