Best High School BB Coach Ever in the State of Connecticut | Page 3 | The Boneyard

Best High School BB Coach Ever in the State of Connecticut

Delrayhoops said:
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.
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I was gonna list Berry from Norwalk. Had a great run in the 80's. Played with and against those guys. In the 80's S. Norwalk was a hotbed for basketball talent. Guys simply couldn't get out of their own way toward D1 scholarships, but certainly plenty of D1 talent for Norwalk high and McMahon.
 
Fairfield_1st said:
I know you didn't ask me, but I despise him just for pushing his kids to Providence and shunning the state school.
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I noticed that as well. Chris Watts, Marvin Saddler, what was the story behind that. Did Coach Montelli have a beef w/ UConn?
 
Bentley
Salsbury
Montelli
Smith, Windsor
Reilly (s)


I really respect the coaches that were getting kids from their respective areas and coaching them rather than able to "recruit" from surrounding areas. But I'm guessing even back in the day they made sure a kid from the other side of town suddenly lived with an uncle to go to a school they prefer!
 
Tony Falzarano. Coached at Putnam for 33 years, then coached at Tourtellotte for another 6 years. Two tiny public schools in CT. 609 wins. Won a state title in 1986 and reached two other state finals in 1995 and 2006. What he was able to do, with such little talent in Northeast CT, was amazing.
 
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Saulsbury had some amazing teams way back in the day but since the 70's CT. high school basketball just hasn't stacked up for several reasons. Was watching this game recently and it looks like a college game. Bob Hurley is the best high school coach of all time and this was his best and arguably the best high school bball team ever. Mike Breen and Bob Papa on the play by play...

Elizabeth vs St Anthony 1989 @ St. Peter's College JC. - YouTube
 
Delrayhoops said:
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.
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Coach Vitolo coached Hillhouse in the 80’s. He definitely won a championship in 1985 and also went undefeated that year. Tharon Mayes was on that team. That team was a complete beast.
 
Horatio said:
It’s the legendary Bob Saulsbury of Wilbur Cross. I can’t imagine anyone in this state being better.
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When I was in my early 20s I worked at a Chinese place. I was taking a break from school as I had no idea what I wanted to do for a living, but I still wanted to educate myself a bit. So when it was slow at the restaurant I would sit at one of the tables and read.

One day I was sitting there when an older man walked in and sat down at the table with me. All the other tables were empty so I was initially a little startled considering I was nose deep in a book and wasn't paying full attention. I had a couple drinks/crackheads do the same to me over the years of working there so it kind of felt like a "here we go again" type of moment. But he just asked me what I was reading, what I was interested in, etc. I told him I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do with my life but did plan to finish a degree eventually. I don't remember exactly what he said, but he ended up giving me a nice little pep talk before walking to his car and returning with a piece of paper. He wrote a little inspirational message on it and signed it. I know that may seem a little odd to some people, but I realized he was just a kind older man trying to provide some words of encouragement to a young guy, and I was really thankful for him doing something so small.

The paper ended up being a handout from his induction into some ring of honor (I believe it may be the Cross HoF but I'm not positive) and the man was coach Saulsbury. I showed it to my mom when I got home and she told me he was known as not only as a legendary coach but a great guy and mentor for a lot of kids. The whole conversation I had with him made perfect sense once I heard that. He was trying to do for me what he had done for a lot of young men. Would've loved to have played for him, he really did seem like a great guy.

Edit: I just watched that video and the handout he gave me was actually from the ceremony where they named the court after him. I wonder if he was on his way too or from the ceremony when he talked with me, or if the ceremony had just taken place recently. Either way, kind of neat you posted that video considering my little story haha
 
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I don't pick Catholic school coaches. Walsh didn't win until he got kids from NY coming in on the train. I'm an FCIAC guy and I think King and Barry were fantastic, as was Usher. Bentley did great things at Harding (some of it in the FCIAC). Currently, I love watching Joel Geriak's teams at Wilton HS.
 
LurkSoHard said:
When I was in my early 20s I worked at a Chinese place. I was taking a break from school as I had no idea what I wanted to do for a living, but I still wanted to educate myself a bit. So when it was slow at the restaurant I would sit at one of the tables and read.

One day I was sitting there when an older man walked in and sat down at the table with me. All the other tables were empty so I was initially a little startled considering I was nose deep in a book and wasn't paying full attention. I had a couple drinks/crackheads do the same to me over the years of working there so it kind of felt like a "here we go again" type of moment. But he just asked me what I was reading, what I was interested in, etc. I told him I honestly had no idea what I wanted to do with my life but did plan to finish a degree eventually. I don't remember exactly what he said, but he ended up giving me a nice little pep talk before walking to his car and returning with a piece of paper. He wrote a little inspirational message on it and signed it. I know that may seem a little odd to some people, but I realized he was just a kind older man trying to provide some words of encouragement to a young guy, and I was really thankful for him doing something so small.

The paper ended up being a handout from his induction into some ring of honor (I believe it may be the Cross HoF but I'm not positive) and the man was coach Saulsbury. I showed it to my mom when I got home and she told me he was known as not only as a legendary coach but a great guy and mentor for a lot of kids. The whole conversation I had with him made perfect sense once I heard that. He was trying to do for me what he had done for a lot of young men. Would've loved to have played for him, he really did seem like a great guy.

Edit: I just watched that video and the handout he gave me was actually from the ceremony where they named the court after him. I wonder if he was on his way too or from the ceremony when he talked with me, or if the ceremony had just taken place recently. Either way, kind of neat you posted that video considering my little story haha
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Thanks for sharing. Outstanding. He’s still the same way. I didn’t go to that ceremony but I go to the Highschool tournament they have in Coach Saulsbury’s honor every winter at Cross. Calhoun was there last year and received an award.
 
huskyblooz said:
I don't pick Catholic school coaches. Walsh didn't win until he got kids from NY coming in on the train. I'm an FCIAC guy and I think King and Barry were fantastic, as was Usher. Bentley did great things at Harding (some of it in the FCIAC). Currently, I love watching Joel Geriak's teams at Wilton HS.
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You meant to say, Until he had kids picked up in New York.
 
ucp990411 said:
The old HCC had three very good coaches. Stan Ogrodinik, Joe Reilly and Charlie Larson.
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And Gary Palladino at St. Paul. Won back to back state championships with Mark Noon as his best player. He then coached at UHart ( not great success), then went to Notre Dame of West Haven
 
Wordbomar said:
Tony Falzarano. Coached at Putnam for 33 years, then coached at Tourtellotte for another 6 years. Two tiny public schools in CT. 609 wins. Won a state title in 1986 and reached two other state finals in 1995 and 2006. What he was able to do, with such little talent in Northeast CT, was amazing.
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Played against him when he was at Tourtellotte. Both teams were pretty mediocre but he was a class act
 
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HCCForever said:
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.
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I went to South Catholic as well. Joe Reilly was my gym coach. Day 1, he handed out hockey sticks and I thought "Cool. We're going to play hockey." Nope. We used them as rifles as he taught us to march and do thinks like "Present....arms", "Right shoulder.....arms".

Another day he challenged anyone in the class to a push up contest. A couple of the football players took him up on it and, at maybe 60, he embarrassed them both.
 
Interestingly enough, Joe Reilly was a great coach himself but has quite the lineage behind him of his former players coaching after him.

His sons Luke and Joe
John Mirabello
John Pinone
Steve Pinone - Asst on the Villanova/Rollie Massamino title winning team
Anthony Latina at Sacred Heart

Also, a little known fact, Dom Perno coached at South Catholic briefly.
 
It's not even a question. Vito Montelli from St. Joe's in Trumbull.

Windsor's Kenny Smith in second, and Northwest's Mirabello 2-a.
 
Sam Bender - Hillhouse
Sal Verderame - Wilbur Cross

For those who are listing Hillhouse and Cross coaches. I like to say that UConn had some great teams in the 50's, but the best basketball in the state was Hillhouse vs Cross in the New Haven area from the 50's into Early 70's. Said they could have beat most college teams. He was a Highhouse grad of '48, then Korea, then UConn '56.
 
Wordbomar said:
Tony Falzarano. Coached at Putnam for 33 years, then coached at Tourtellotte for another 6 years. Two tiny public schools in CT. 609 wins. Won a state title in 1986 and reached two other state finals in 1995 and 2006. What he was able to do, with such little talent in Northeast CT, was amazing.
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Coaches of this ilk are not going to get enough Credit.

Public school coaches don’t get to choose their talent base.
 
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Wordbomar said:
Tony Falzarano. Coached at Putnam for 33 years, then coached at Tourtellotte for another 6 years. Two tiny public schools in CT. 609 wins. Won a state title in 1986 and reached two other state finals in 1995 and 2006. What he was able to do, with such little talent in Northeast CT, was amazing.
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I do think there's something to this. Says a lot when you just win with who ya got.. However, I played against his teams in high school when they were state championship level good - and then coached against him when he was on his way out the door & then the odd duck run @ Tourtellotte. While the win total is remarkable, he won many of those games playing a very weak QVC schedule, and then feasting on tech schools. 609 is 609 whatever way you slice it, but he'll never be revered as many others in this thread.

Oh, and course I nominate myself.
 
There is nobody in the state of Connecticut who did so much with so little as Don Usher at New Canaan. Although he never won a state title, he made two championship games - one in 1980 versus the Wilbur Cross team that beat Ewing. NC was down one as the clock ran down and executed his play perfectly except the kid missed a wide open "J" at the elbow. In 1989, he played Danbury and Anthony Harris and before the game Jim Calhoun stopped by the bench to say "Hi" to the Pete Carrill of Ct. HS basketball, as he called Don. Once again NC fell a bucket short against a team they had no business being on the floor with. Per earlier observations, Bob Saulsbury of Wilbur Cross loved Don because he would play Cross EVERY year, not just call when he had a good team. Personally I find it impossible to vote for any Catholic school coach due to recruiting advantages. As an example NC was playing ND (WH) and before the game Gary Palladino was proudly pointing out that he had players from TWENTY different towns in his program. Needless to say NC had kids from ONE, and a small one at that. One final note, in that 1989 run to the title game NC beat Hamden to end Scott Burrell's high school career.
 
Dave Shea, Bacon Academy, won a state title in both Boys and Girls. Has hundreds of wins in both. Taught Chief how to shoot foul shots at STM summer camp. A legend on fundamentals. Ernie D speaks highly of him too.
 
The Reilly family, old and young. Curious how many wins Luke has and if he can possibly catch his father Joe and uncle Gene. Amazing teachers of the game - Luke still runs an amazing camp if you can send your kids.
 
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