Best Coaches in Section V

[SectionVsportsfan]

Who are the Best Coaches in Section V?

Prattsburgh Coach Jim Burke: Legendary Hall of Fame Coach is close to 500 wins has won 6 Sectional Titles at Prattsburgh, has won coach of the year 6 times. Has led Prattsburgh to the 9th best Record in Section V since 1975 520-204, has a good shot at winning his first sectional title in 14 years.

Scott Fitch Fairport Following in the footsteps of his legendary father Jeff, Scott led Fairport to a Section V title last season and a trip to Glens Falls. Looks to keep Fairport near the top of Section V AAA for years to come.

Mike Rapone Notre-DamePowerhouse D program is in the hunt usually every year. Has won 7 section V title at Notre-Dame and has won coach of the year 3 times. Has the 2nd best winning percentage for Section V schools. at 585-136.

Jim Insley Wellsville Won a sectional title with Canaseraga in 1999 and has taken the Wellsville Program to the top but just can't seem to win the title with them yet. Still he's guided Wellsville to the Class B Sectional title 5 straight seasons, he's a great coach and gets everything out of the talent he has.

Gary Wight Cuba-Rushford Won State Title with Cuba in 1978-1979 and made it to the State finals in 1986-1987 he also has two other sectional championships. He's won 10 county championships & four Expressway titles. Entering his 37th season he's still looking for one more sectional championship.

Others: Steve Veeder, Lyons Doug VanSkiver, Whitesville, Don Baker, Genesee-Valley


Who else? Who'd I miss?

[OldSchool78]

In no particular order, but I think these coaches all deserve some thought.

Buddy Brasky- Batavia...he took a program that was on the slide and developed into a perennial Championship calibre team

Scott Fitch- Fairport.....Has had talent to work with but his teams play hard, agressive defense and believe in the "Fairport way"

Jim Johnson_ Athena....a bit of a whiner, but all his teams do year in and year out is win.

Bill O'Rourke Webster Thomas.....he is right up there as one of the winningest coaches in Section Five. On top of that he is a class act.

Merlin Button(sp).....Campbell-Savona......Championship after Championship are piling up down at C-S and he is a big part of them.

Jim Burke- Prattsburg....the dean of Section Five coaches. He is a screamer, but his teams respond to that style. He doesn't seem to be slowing down either. They will probably put a statue up in front of the school when/if he retires.

Darrell Barley- East......He has talent to work with year in and year out at East. He does a great job of melding that talent into a Championship team. His players respond to him and respect him. A great dresser. LOL

Chris Connell- Wilson Magnet......The dean of City-Catholic League coaches. I know some of his former players and they talk very fondly of Coach Connell. He wins a boat load of games in the tough city league, always in contention for a title.

Ron Ceravolo-Newark......it pains me personally to mention him as a top coach, but he certainly is deserving. Piles up wins every season. His players don't seem to mind his brash style, as a matter of fact they seem to feed off of it.

Mike Rapone....ND Batavia......win, win, win and do it with class. He has a distinct home court advantage and he know how to utilize it. It seems as though his teams have 2 differnt styles home and away, but the same determination. Hard nosed basketball, always giving 100%

[secvfan]

Who are the Best Coaches in Section V?

Prattsburgh Coach Jim Burke: Legendary Hall of Fame Coach is close to 500 wins has won 6 Sectional Titles at Prattsburgh, has won coach of the year 6 times. Has led Prattsburgh to the 9th best Record in Section V since 1975 520-204, has a good shot at winning his first sectional title in 14 years.

Scott Fitch Fairport Following in the footsteps of his legendary father Jeff, Scott led Fairport to a Section V title last season and a trip to Glens Falls. Looks to keep Fairport near the top of Section V AAA for years to come.

Mike Rapone Notre-DamePowerhouse D program is in the hunt usually every year. Has won 7 section V title at Notre-Dame and has won coach of the year 3 times. Has the 2nd best winning percentage for Section V schools. at 585-136.

Jim Insley Wellsville Won a sectional title with Canaseraga in 1999 and has taken the Wellsville Program to the top but just can't seem to win the title with them yet. Still he's guided Wellsville to the Class B Sectional title 5 straight seasons, he's a great coach and gets everything out of the talent he has.

Gary Wight Cuba-Rushford Won State Title with Cuba in 1978-1979 and made it to the State finals in 1986-1987 he also has two other sectional championships. He's won 10 county championships & four Expressway titles. Entering his 37th season he's still looking for one more sectional championship.

Others: Steve Veeder, Lyons Doug VanSkiver, Whitesville, Don Baker, Genesee-Valley


Who else? Who'd I miss?

What about Jim Johnson and what about up and coming coaches who have been coaching for 4years or less?

I can only relate to the GR because those are the games I go to. I have seen some programs start to turn around such as Alexander and what a great job Lyndonville has done over the past three years it is a shame the coach is not comming back this year. I think Coach Hanley has done a good job but no way is he even close to winning sectionals but did turn a terrible program around in three years and shared the league title last year with Attica. Sometime coaches get lucky with a school were there is a lot of talent and other coaches not so and they even have to work harder at it and do a better job but really have nothing to show for it, it is luck of the draw in my opinion.

[Berask]

In no particular order, but I think these coaches all deserve some thought.

Buddy Brasky- Batavia...he took a program that was on the slide and developed into a perennial Championship calibre team

Scott Fitch- Fairport.....Has had talent to work with but his teams play hard, agressive defense and believe in the "Fairport way"

Jim Johnson_ Athena....a bit of a whiner, but all his teams do year in and year out is win.

Bill O'Rourke Webster Thomas.....he is right up there as one of the winningest coaches in Section Five. On top of that he is a class act.

Merlin Button(sp).....Campbell-Savona......Championship after Championship are piling up down at C-S and he is a big part of them.

Jim Burke- Prattsburg....the dean of Section Five coaches. He is a screamer, but his teams respond to that style. He doesn't seem to be slowing down either. They will probably put a statue up in front of the school when/if he retires.

Darrell Barley- East......He has talent to work with year in and year out at East. He does a great job of melding that talent into a Championship team. His players respond to him and respect him. A great dresser. LOL

Chris Connell- Wilson Magnet......The dean of City-Catholic League coaches. I know some of his former players and they talk very fondly of Coach Connell. He wins a boat load of games in the tough city league, always in contention for a title.

Ron Ceravolo-Newark......it pains me personally to mention him as a top coach, but he certainly is deserving. Piles up wins every season. His players don't seem to mind his brash style, as a matter of fact they seem to feed off of it.

Mike Rapone....ND Batavia......win, win, win and do it with class. He has a distinct home court advantage and he know how to utilize it. It seems as though his teams have 2 differnt styles home and away, but the same determination. Hard nosed basketball, always giving 100%

What you said about Fitch applies to Rapone as well. Rapone has kids from all over Genesee County and more often than not, he fields an above average team. Don't get me wrong, Rapone is one of the best IN GAME coaches around, but I think the talent he has contributes to his success more than other coaches.

7 Sectional titles can't lie though can they ;).

Keep it rollin' Rapone.

[SectionVsportsfan]

I'll agree that Merlin Button is a good Basketball coach, however I have to disagree with you when you say "Championship after Championship are piling up down at C-S and he is a big part of them."

Mike Wright is to thank for "Championship after Championship are piling up down at C-S" Mike Wright built that program and had a huge influence on the players that have gone through their and helped lead them to sectional titles and a state Championship. You ask players like Todd Dersham, Isaiah Smalt, Matt Newman,& Will Cornett who there biggest influence was and i'm 99% sure they'll say Mike Wright. He's the one that started the 5th & 6th grade program he's the one that got the kids playing Skyhawks, AAU & got them going to camps. I'm not saying Merlin Button isn't a good coach, he just can't get credit for the success of that Basketball program. Without Mike Wright there wouldn't be a State Championship banner hanging on the Wall, there might not even be a Sectional Banner if it weren't for him.

[OldSchool78]

Yeaaaaaa Way to go Mike.

I think behind evry successful basketball program, you will find a "feeder" program. It's what you do with the kids when they reach the Varsity level is what we are talking about.

[secvball]

Scott Fitch: Has the pedigree, with his dad being a great coach earlier at Fairport, and is starting to get the success too. He just does an unbelievable job. Watch any Fairport game against anyone in the state and its clear who the better coached team is. In my opinion, Fitch does the best job with the talent he receives, hands down.

Joe Marchand: NYS coach of the year, former AGR co-coach of the year, led the team that was the first section v team in more than 20 years to win back-to-back state championships, and built the Finney program into one of the premier class D programs in the state. He may not be the most popular man on this message board but you can't argue with results. In 3-5 years when it is obvious the Finney basketball program isn't going anywhere like many have predicted, this won't even be an argument.

There are many other fine coaches (Jim Burke, Mike Rappone, Jim Johnson, etc) but in my mind these two presently stand above the rest

[SectionVsportsfan]

Well Oldschool78 you missed my point so let me respond to your sarcasm with some facts

Mike Wright Coached @ Campbell & then when they merged Campbell-Savona, in 2002 He led them to the Class C Sectional Finals before losing to Geneseo. The following year he once again led them to the sectional finals this time in Class CC before losing to Marion in a Heartbreaker. Then in 2003 he led them to their first & his first Sectional title defeating Lyons in the finals. Since then they've won three more sectional titles & a State Title. Do you think it's a coincidence that Mike led the team to three state Sectional Finals,wins sectionals and two years later they win a State title? Yeah Merlin Button deserves all the credit for that programs success!!

[tgrs07]

Somebody stumbled into bee's nest. How long before sflcards and UNCTarheels weigh in with their opinions? I wonder if one these guys is related to Mike Wright? Wright was a good coach, so's Button, why does it have to turn into hostility?

[UNCTarheels]

Its well known on here my "Connection" to the Campbell-Savona Basketball program. Many people on here are aware of my identity and I don't hide that. Mike Wright is a very good friend of mine & Merlin Button was my first Basketball Coach way back in 7th grade @ Avoca. Merlin's son Jeff graduated high school with me and was one of my best friends all through school. I have a lot of respect for both men.

I think Merlin would give Mike credit for most of that programs success. He definately turned the basketball program in the right direction. Yes he was the major reason that the youth programs got started and the AAU teams. He was also a factor in kids deciding to go to camps and he was involved in developing summer leagues. He definately deserves credit and people in the area, fans, parents, players & fellow coaches that know what they're talking about, give him credit for that. Not to take anything away from Merlin he's stepped in and taken over the reigns so to speak. He's doing a great job picking up where Mike left off. He's now in charge of the program and hopefully keeps it going strong.

I think this conversation isn't really neccesary as neither one of them or the players the last few years care who gets credit, the results are what matters and the banners on the wall speak for themselves!!

[OldSchool78]

I have never heard of Wright or Button LOL. I posted Button as a great coach only because I thought it would be the popular thing to do. I wouldn't know him if me and him were the only people in a bar. Relax a little.

Now that I know the story, Mike Wright is one of the best of all time and I can't wait for the induction dinner. I hear the food is good.

[DrewVT6]

I'm a fan of Tim McMullen at Letchworth. He doesn't have huge amounts of talent but he always get his guys to buy into a system that works.

Charley Hage at Brockport MUST be in this discussion.

Al Nash from Freddie Thomas.

[OldSchool78]

Al Nash???? Please. Call me sometime. He is not deserving of your admiration.

Hage????? Just what has he done to make your list?

[easyrsaidthandone]

[QUOTE=DrewVT6;7979]I'm a fan of Tim McMullen at Letchworth. He doesn't have huge amounts of talent but he always get his guys to buy into a system that works.

Charley Hage at Brockport MUST be in this discussion.

Al Nash from Freddie Thomas.[/Qi

I agree with you! Old school sometimes thinks his opinion is the only one that counts..I also think Mike Rapone is a great coach.

[OldSchool78]

Rapone is a great coach we agree on that one.

What has Hage done, can you please answer that one?

Al Nash has coached for 2 or 3 years and hasn't won anything yet. He MIGHT someday be worthy, but it's way too early for that.

Scott Fitch is a coaching neophyte if you will, but he has already won a title and has the respect of his peers. To the people that know basketball, Fitch is the real deal. The jury is still out on Nash, let's hope it's not the same jury that aquitted OJ.

[OldSchool78]

My opinion is the only one that matters, except at home LOL. There it means very little.

[cbellfan15]

Wright left a very talented group of kids that he groomed and a system that seems to work very well for the Panthers. Not any coach ccould of jumped into that position and held the kids together and kept the winning tradition alive at C-S. Merlin Button has done just that, he was the right man for the job and even though Wright built up the program, you see this at alot of places and Merlin would give credit to Wright as Wright is often times still seen behind the scenes still helping out the program in small ways.

Merlin Button should be considered as a top coach in Section V whether he has had an abudance of talent or not....look at the guys record and titles!

[UNCTarheels]

Albert Nash from Freddie-Thomas won a sectional title in his & the teams first season in 2006 winning class C before losing to Lyons 67-63 in the crossover. Freddie-Thomas finished the season 16-8

[DrewVT6]

Albert Nash from Freddie-Thomas won a sectional title in his & the teams first season in 2006 winning class C before losing to Lyons 67-63 in the crossover. Freddie-Thomas finished the season 16-8

And he won it with a group of Freshman and 1 or 2 sophomores. If you look at the neighborhood he gets kids from, the fact that he keeps his kids eligible and involved in the program in such a way that they can succeed is truly amazing.

How many wins does Hage have? Someone remind me again.

[UNCTarheels]

Let try to establish a little criteria to work with for this topic.

For example, is a great coach one that makes the best of his/her talents on the team?

Has a certain Number of wins?

Builds a program?

Makes great in-game decisions?

Has the respect of his/her peers?

Won a certain number of awards or championships?

Has a bright future?

Consistently wins?

Or a combination of any of these?

With the talk about Merlin Button or Mike Rapone, for example, If doing great things with little talent is our criteria, then Mike Rapone doesn’t match up to that since Notre Dame always gets the best talent from the area. But Genesee Valley coach Don Baker or Doug VanSkiver from Whitesville could be in the hunt with that criteria (smallest in Section V but an annual contender). If building a program is important, then yes, Mike Wright deserves a lot of coaching credit (not saying that Merlin doesn’t, but not with that criteria).

A Guy like Prattsburgh Coach Jim Burke fit with all of the criteria listed above. As he Has 470-480 wins, Has built a great program that wins consistently, Has respect of both his players and coaches and other teams players and coaches, kids come up to him that don't even know him and shake his hand and wish him well.

Lets try and use a little of this and make up some lists based on this criteria.

[easyrsaidthandone]

Hate to do this, but my friend Joe Zambito who we all know is out of coaching should fall in to many of those categories. Ended his reign with elba by winning their first ever gr title, beat Mike Rapone 4 out of last 5 times he played ND. Beat Joe Marchand and knocked him out of sectionals 3 or 4 times and beat Van Skiver in the cross over game in 05. Those are just the facts, my only beef with Joe, is now hes rooting for ND. But I guess I can see why, his nephew Vinney is going their. But hes said that he is rooting for his Friend rick pcionek and his nephews Rocco and Giani and Sony. Anyway, Joe gets my vote.

[starball2]

The best coach in section V is Fitch....

[starball2]

Lets go by state championships to Campbell and finney coach look pretty good.... Building programs is the king something fitch did very well as long with prattsburgh coach

[EBBfan]

Hate to do this, but my friend Joe Zambito who we all know is out of coaching should fall in to many of those categories. Ended his reign with elba by winning their first ever gr title, beat Mike Rapone 4 out of last 5 times he played ND. Beat Joe Marchand and knocked him out of sectionals 3 or 4 times and beat Van Skiver in the cross over game in 05. Those are just the facts, my only beef with Joe, is now hes rooting for ND. But I guess I can see why, his nephew Vinney is going their. But hes said that he is rooting for his Friend rick pcionek and his nephews Rocco and Giani and Sony. Anyway, Joe gets my vote.

Great points...

[TheSpazman]

Red Jacket lost a great coach in Rob Reed. His replacement is a veritable encyclopedia with a long memory in Tim Munn.

[sflcards45]

what happened to reed?

[TheSpazman]

what happened to reed?

Mr. Reed stepped down to focus more time and energy on his family and newborn baby.

[toadhead25]

Red Jacket lost a great coach in Rob Reed. His replacement is a veritable encyclopedia with a long memory in Tim Munn.

I really like Rob and he did do a real nice job, but he was there what, one or maybe two seasons? Is a good coach made in two seasons?

[coachstew]

I'd have to agree. I coached against Rob at the JV level, and then watched his teams at the Varsity level. The guy was excllent!

Mr. Reed stepped down to focus more time and energy on his family and newborn baby.

[hornets10]

what bout mike monacelli

[Manu15red devils]

Let try to establish a little criteria to work with for this topic.

For example, is a great coach one that makes the best of his/her talents on the team?

Has a certain Number of wins?

Builds a program?

Makes great in-game decisions?

Has the respect of his/her peers?

Won a certain number of awards or championships?

Has a bright future?

Consistently wins?

Or a combination of any of these?

With the talk about Merlin Button or Mike Rapone, for example, If doing great things with little talent is our criteria, then Mike Rapone doesn’t match up to that since Notre Dame always gets the best talent from the area. But Genesee Valley coach Don Baker or Doug VanSkiver from Whitesville could be in the hunt with that criteria (smallest in Section V but an annual contender). If building a program is important, then yes, Mike Wright deserves a lot of coaching credit (not saying that Merlin doesn’t, but not with that criteria).

A Guy like Prattsburgh Coach Jim Burke fit with all of the criteria listed above. As he Has 470-480 wins, Has built a great program that wins consistently, Has respect of both his players and coaches and other teams players and coaches, kids come up to him that don't even know him and shake his hand and wish him well.

Lets try and use a little of this and make up some lists based on this criteria.

I love going to the Newark games to watch their coach. He is crazy out there but he is also a very good coach

[daillest]

steve veeder gets my vote

[BigRed6]

The best coach in section V is Fitch....

I agree completely. Fitch always coaches his kids up to play hard, hustle, and play outstanding defense. Its not common for teams to even score 60. Fairport only gave up 60 or more points 4 times last year..and in 2006-07 Fairport finished 3rd in the state.

[flwball11]

Les Miller, since he picked up the program 4 or 5 years ago the record at dundee has gone up until a sectional title

[edes]

Buddy Bradsky always has his teams competing for the title

[fpt16]

i believe that if coach fitch doesnt leave fairport for a d3 college or somewhere else, he could elipse the all time winningest coach in section v. Hes still young and always gets his team to play at their full potential

[UNCTarheels]

i believe that if coach fitch doesnt leave fairport for a d3 college or somewhere else, he could elipse the all time winningest coach in section v. Hes still young and always gets his team to play at their full potential

I was talking to (Prattsburgh's) Coach Burke over the weekend and he said Coach Fitch could coach Div One right now. He's awesome.

[DrewVT6]

I was talking to (Prattsburgh's) Coach Burke over the weekend and he said Coach Fitch could coach Div One right now. He's awesome.

And he's well respected by many D1 coaches. I wonder if he'll take up an assistant job in the near future. I guess if his priorities are on raising a family and teaching kids staying in Fairport would make more sense.

[LivingstonCNTYfan]

He is the girls basketball coach, but Coach Leone of Avon is a top notch coach. He always seems to have his teams prepared throughout the season and is dedicated to the profession. He has won a couple Coach of the Year awards and got his first sectional title last year.

[boobiemiles]

And he's well respected by many D1 coaches. I wonder if he'll take up an assistant job in the near future. I guess if his priorities are on raising a family and teaching kids staying in Fairport would make more sense.
He also sells class rings for Jostens.

[fpt16]

from what ive heard i think he will stay. He just started a family and i believe that the time commitment is more than he would like. but thats just what i heard

[DrewVT6]

from what ive heard i think he will stay. He just started a family and i believe that the time commitment is more than he would like. but thats just what i heard

Good for Fairport!

[me43]

Tim McMullen From Letchworth.

[sHooTiN 3's]

dan dickens from cal-mum

[cameRon crayZie]

ryan hallett of geneseo

[coachstew]

ryan hallett of geneseo

I'm guessing he took over for Rich Miles?? Has he coached before??

[livcofan]

ryan hallett of geneseo

I know he was successful at JV's but let's let him win a varsity game before he gets on the list.

[daman179]

I don't think JJ is one of the best coaches in Section V. One that has been around a while, but definitely not the best. JJ has only won 2 AA Section V titles ('06 & ''07), never won the whole thing, never been to states and only produced 2 D1 players- Demon Stewart and Brian Benson. JJ has won a few games here and there but mostly against teams that don't nearly have the talent that GA gets year in and year out.

[z10man31]

how about jon boon varsity coach at bishop kearney
i played for him and he always shuts down opposing teams star players he is a really smart coach and is underestimated. kearney just plays a ridiculously hard schedule every year that's why his record isnt outstanding.
he replaced a legend in nietopski at bk
he's been there for 4 full seasons and he's already got 3 sectional titles. this year he will probably get number 4/5. if you ask me i would say he is definately the most underrated in section v.

[DUKE22]

He has so much talent but can never get past the Sectionals... I think he just rides his talent until they fall.... Look at the Teams that Go to States Like Campbell, Fairport, Finney, and then winning programs like Prattsburgh and ND, Batavia. These coaches don't just settle for sectionals they want more.

If you want to consider the BK coach you have to also consider the R-H coach, East Coach, Charlotte coach... Nothing against these coaches they are good, just don't think they should be mentioned as the top coaches.

[orangefan74]

Hate to do this, but my friend Joe Zambito who we all know is out of coaching should fall in to many of those categories. Ended his reign with elba by winning their first ever gr title, beat Mike Rapone 4 out of last 5 times he played ND. Beat Joe Marchand and knocked him out of sectionals 3 or 4 times and beat Van Skiver in the cross over game in 05. Those are just the facts, my only beef with Joe, is now hes rooting for ND. But I guess I can see why, his nephew Vinney is going their. But hes said that he is rooting for his Friend rick pcionek and his nephews Rocco and Giani and Sony. Anyway, Joe gets my vote.

Joe was a great coach and a real good guy - but lets not get crazy. Elba doesn't have 5 total wins vs ND in hoops in 28 years and that includes last years section semi win. He beat ND maybe twice in his career - never 4 out of 5.

[BigRed6]

While everyone else pulls for their own coach just to be "that guy", I'll do the same, but my argument is just. Scott Fitch is one of the best, if not the best, coach in area. He could easily be coaching D1 ball right now, but he has a family started in Fairport and played here for his dad, Jeff. He coaches his teams every year to hustle, play defense, and play hard. At the rate he is going, I believe that Fitch will be the all time leader in wins someday. You have to love it when he walks off the court after halftime and we all chant "Scotty, Scotty."

[St.LouisBlues]

At the rate he is going, I believe that Fitch will be the all time leader in wins someday. ."

Going to be tough to get more wins than Rapone. He is going to end up with 700 or so wins. I've seen where he has said he wants to go another 10 years or so.

[Lukelakers]

While everyone else pulls for their own coach just to be "that guy", I'll do the same, but my argument is just. Scott Fitch is one of the best, if not the best, coach in area. He could easily be coaching D1 ball right now, but he has a family started in Fairport and played here for his dad, Jeff. He coaches his teams every year to hustle, play defense, and play hard. At the rate he is going, I believe that Fitch will be the all time leader in wins someday. You have to love it when he walks off the court after halftime and we all chant "Scotty, Scotty."

The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. His father was a great coach and obvioulsy, Scott is carrying on the tradition. I too have heard that he could be coaching at a higher level, but you to love the fact that he puts his family, instead of himself first. Fairport is lucky to have him and they certainly show their gratitude towards him. That is awesome how you chant his name too...would love to see that someday

[coachstew]

While everyone else pulls for their own coach just to be "that guy", I'll do the same, but my argument is just. Scott Fitch is one of the best, if not the best, coach in area. He could easily be coaching D1 ball right now, but he has a family started in Fairport and played here for his dad, Jeff. He coaches his teams every year to hustle, play defense, and play hard. At the rate he is going, I believe that Fitch will be the all time leader in wins someday. You have to love it when he walks off the court after halftime and we all chant "Scotty, Scotty."

I was lucky enough to get to meet Coach Fitch and hear him speak at a basketball camp two years ago. He demonstrated one of the most unique basketball off season workout programs I have seen.

[Realist]

He has so much talent but can never get past the Sectionals... I think he just rides his talent until they fall.... Look at the Teams that Go to States Like Campbell, Fairport, Finney, and then winning programs like Prattsburgh and ND, Batavia. These coaches don't just settle for sectionals they want more.

If you want to consider the BK coach you have to also consider the R-H coach, East Coach, Charlotte coach... Nothing against these coaches they are good, just don't think they should be mentioned as the top coaches.

Duke that is some pretty bad logic. The good coaches in our area are a pretty tight fraternity. As far as young coaches who are respected for their abilities and getting the most out of a team Coach Fitch and Coach Boon are top notch. By the way they are pretty good friends too. At Kearney Nietopski won and won a lot...I guess he was just a beneficiary of great players and couldn't coach? All you have to do is ask around and ask about game plans, adjustments and really understand coaching to know that many of the people mentioned on this blog are very good coaches and that list should include Coach Boon. State titles are very difficult to acheive but winning sectionals year after year and being in the mix are a true sentiment to a strong program and coaching. We should Judge coaches on their overall programs and what they are doing for the kids more than titles.

[BigRed6]

Also, another note on Fitch, I don't think he has ever missed a shot or lost a game of 1 on 1 in his life..

[DUKE22]

What has he done for the kids they win the sectional titles.... They have so much talent that went through that program what kid went D1... They have always been good a good program and that class is weak

[BigRed6]

Duke i really hope you werent responding to me..

[DrewVT6]

Duke i really hope you werent responding to me..

He's talking to realist...

[The Truth]

Joe was a great coach and a real good guy - but lets not get crazy. Elba doesn't have 5 total wins vs ND in hoops in 28 years and that includes last years section semi win. He beat ND maybe twice in his career - never 4 out of 5.

He beat ND in sectionals in '02 (elba's first time ever beating nd in sectionals)

He beat ND 2 out of 3 times in '05 (elba's first time ever beating nd @ nd)

He beat ND 2 out of 2 times in '06 (elba's first time ever sweeping nd)

Elba also beat ND last year in the semi's as you mentioned, and once more around 92 or 93 i believe. So they do have over 5 wins against nd.
Zambito beat ND much more then twice in his career (five times, much more then any other elba coach has ever came close to).

And yes, when he stopped coaching at elba he had beat ND 4 out of his last 5 times.
Interestingly enough the only loss in that streak came when half of his team was suspended and he only had 7 players, a couple of which were pulled up from JV.

Whether he was the best coach or not, I'm sure ND fans breathed a seigh of relief when they realized they wouldnt have to face him anymore because he had their number.

[fpt16]

Duke, if you were responding to BigRed, you are extremely foolish. First of all, class AAA (now AA), is one of the tougher classes. sure there have been some down years, but virtually every AAA team has players that go on to play college ball, and many teams have a great deal of talent. Fitch has won 2 sectional titles, has won the AAA/AA crossover game twice, and even beat the section 6 representative in 2007. You shouldnt be questioning the sucess Fitch has had at Fairport. Second of all, Fitch has helped players a great deal. He is in constant contact with college coaches, including sending 2 players to division I schools, and countless others to d3 schools, where some have excelled(McAdam's at Naz). Coach Fitch has done more for his players, than virtually any other Rochester area coach.

[DrewVT6]

He was talking to realist in discussion of BK.


As a side note, I'm pretty sure McQuaid's coaching staff would win any 3on3 competition in the area.

[edes]

Fitch is a great coach. Last year his team had 2 or 3 starters who were not really basketball players and made them into valuable contributors. His team took eventual champs Rush into OT, with Rush having way more talent. His players are good kids, work hard and respect the game. They also probably have more players playing college ball right now than any other program in section v.

[z10man31]

What has he done for the kids they win the sectional titles.... They have so much talent that went through that program what kid went D1... They have always been good a good program and that class is weak

the only reason there hasnt been a kid to go d1 there in a while is because they are a small school and they dont get recongnized much. most of the players that come from there do go on to play college bball somewhere. 4/6 seniors last year are playing college ball this year and one is redshirting at a d1 school. anthony terry went D2 and blair roberts will definately be going d1 hands down. and i would love for you to name someone from bk who should have went D1 that went through the program in coach boon's era

[joeZam1]

Joe was a great coach and a real good guy - but lets not get crazy. Elba doesn't have 5 total wins vs ND in hoops in 28 years and that includes last years section semi win. He beat ND maybe twice in his career - never 4 out of 5.

Orangefan, Thank you for your kind remarks, they are appreciated. The Truth is correct in his info. Elba was lucky enough to beat ND in the games he talked about. Elba had some really nice players on all of those teams. The first time Elba beat Coach Rapone in sectionals we had a few super seniors including Corey Edwards and Jon Maid, not forgetting our pt.guard Ricky Dorf and shooting guard Dan Chiddy. Also on that team were sophomores Ryan Byrnes,Tim Maid and Freshman Lucas Torrey and Ciaci Zambito who were all on our championship team.

In my opinion coach Rapone is fantastic. Has a great rapport with the kids, parents and officials..When I was at Elba and even playing at elba Coach Rapone and I always got along very well. I did see fitch play a few times when I was in college, but obviously never coached against him. Mike gets my vote, besides he likes the RAIDERS!(sorry coach)--

[ndfan79]

Hey joe are you going to the Elba-Nd game on Weds? Should be interesting

[joeZam1]

No, I wish I could! I am in florida and will not be back until Monday. My nephews Vin and Gianni are doing a nice job for ND and some may not know that I have a nephew and a cousin that are also very good players for Elba in Sonny G and Phil O. I keep imagining how good that team would be, if they were all playing together at 1 school, but for various good reasons they are not. I wish them all the best of luck, stay healthy and all should remember, its just 1 game in a slew of many, but im sure my friends coach p and coach r. are reminding all the kids involved of that.

[UNCTarheels]

He was talking to realist in discussion of BK.


As a side note, I'm pretty sure McQuaid's coaching staff would win any 3on3 competition in the area.

As somebody who hosts a 3-on-3 competion I'd love to set this up this summer and see what happens!

[BigRed6]

As a side note, I'm pretty sure McQuaid's coaching staff would win any 3on3 competition in the area.

Man i dont know, Fitch is intense. If Fitch could pull together some quality teammates, I would love seeing him do his thing in a 3v3.

[z10man31]

yea fitch is disgusting at basketball. they have old timers games on the local East Rochester network where i live and its usually ER alums vs Fairport and Fitch is unstoppable doesnt miss a 3 great ball handeler and i even saw him catch an ally oop once and a couple other dunks. plus when i played for bk we did a dual practice/scrimmage with fairport and the guys practices are intense and he is really good on the fundamentals and teaching the game and he mixes both old school and new school basketball together which makes him even better than he already is

[DUKE22]

I was talking to realist.... Fitch is a great coach if u read my earlier posts i have him as on eof the best coaches in section 5..... Anyway as we are on this topic of coaches and basketball who do you think are the top 3 basketball players that are now coaches in Section 5... There are some greats like barley and Fitch... who would be your top 3?

[fpt16]

sorry DUKE, it was my fault calling you out

[Realist]

What has he done for the kids they win the sectional titles.... They have so much talent that went through that program what kid went D1... They have always been good a good program and that class is weak

What I am saying is that he is a very good coach. Your logic of "what kid went D1"? has nothing to do with the subject matter. Does that mean Scott Fitch was not a good player or his father a good coach because Scott went DIII to Geneseo? Success and ability as a coach does not equate to DI players. It is nice to see kids succeed to that level but there is some damn good hoops and coaching at the DII and DIII levels. I can tell you there is another first class guy and coach that hasn't meen mentioned but he will get some pub this season and that is Chris Cardon of Irondequoit. I am not sure he has ever won a Sectional title and could this year and he is not only a great coach but a great educator and person. Keep him on your radar when talking about top coaches.
PS We cannot hold Kearney accountable for the conference they play in. They play up in 95% of there games against teams and schools much larger than them and often win and seldom lose by much if they do. Going up in class is decided by Section V and they often deny the private school requests.

[z10man31]

and actually kearney should have been a class C(formally CC or CCC the one right under B). they have been playing up for years and this is the first year in which they're actually playing in the class they should be playing in. so they're really a class C school beating a bunch of A, AA, and AAA schools during the regular season.