Growing up every boy has dreams and aspirations of becoming a player in the NBA. But as we get older and wiser we come to the realization of how difficult it is to actually accomplish our dreams or even have the opportunity to play Division 1 basketball.
For me, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't good enough to play basketball my freshman year of high school. I attended East Catholic High School, which is known for its academic success and being a high school basketball powerhouse in the state of Connecticut. Monday November 22, 2004 was the day I had hoped to start my basketball career. It was a day that I will never forget. This day was the first of a grueling three-day tryout. I gave it my all, and at the end of the day when I looked into the mirror, I was proud of what I was able to accomplish over those three days. My body ached because I used so many muscles during the rigorous running routine. The try-outs consisted of a lot of running "suicides" and drills. Finally, day three had dawned, and this was the biggest day of the try-outs. This was decision day. After these next few hours, the varsity coach Luke Reilly and the freshman coach Carmine Rinaldi were going to make the cuts. There were about 40 freshman that tried out for the freshman team. When it wrapped up, the roster hopefuls, including myself, went into the locker-room as the coach had asked us to do. He called each of the 40 student-athletes into his office one-by-one to meet with him, where he would inform us on his decision. The first person went into the room and was in there for about five minutes, even though it felt more like five hours. It turned out that he had made the freshman team. My name was in the middle of the pack, and my anticipation and anxiety began to heighten.
Luke Reilly
Once I heard my name I took a deep breath, stood up, and walked into his office. Then Coach Rinaldi had asked me a question I will always remember, "How do you think the try-out went?" I responded confidently. I thought it went well because I was proud of the effort I gave since I knew it was my best. By him asking this question, a red flag popped into my head. I immediately knew something wasn't right. After I had answered that question he said, "Well, unfortunately being the coach I have to make decisions, and these decisions are extremely tough to make because I really don't know who I am letting go but unfortunately I am going to have to cut you." These words were tough to hear especially when you know you spend so much time, heart, and energy, only to come up short. It was not easy learning that all my friends had made the team. Instead of putting my head down and giving up on basketball I asked Coach Rinaldi if there was anything I could do to help him out. He said he would have to speak to Coach Reilly because usually everyone who gets cut from the freshman team doesn't want to see him or play basketball again.
Once you get to know me it becomes very clear that I am a person with great motivation, determination and someone who never gives up on something I really have my heart set on. Two days had passed. I still hadn't heard back from my freshman coach. So I decided to show up that Friday, November 26th to the varsity practice. Practice started at 5:30pm that night and I arrived at East around 4:30pm to see if Coach Reilly was around. Luckily for me, he was in his office. I knocked on the door and explained to him who I was and why I was there. Coach Reilly had said he knew who I was and was going to call me at some point that following weekend, but was shocked that I showed up on my own to meet with him. That right there showed the dedication and passion I have towards the sport of basketball.
Coach Reilly is known as one of the greatest high school coaches in the state of Connecticut. His father Joe Reilly was a legendary high school coach in the state winning numerous state-titles at South Catholic High School and his brother, Joe Reilly Jr., is the former head coach at Bates College up in Lewiston, ME and now the head coach at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. With that being said, you can see basketball runs in the Reilly family.
So after I met with Coach Reilly he had told me that he would love to have me help out with the varsity team as a manager. He listed some of the duties I would be in charge of fulfilling such as filming some practices / games, participating in drills, and handling statistics during the game. I would also be in charge of going to all the games both home and away but not required to attend all practices because he really needed someone to stick with him and the program. The moment he told me that "I wasn't required to attend every practices", I knew that this would be the way to impress him. I immediately told him I would be at every practice and would not let him down.
My freshman year ended and I survived my first year as a manager. The night of the last game (freshman year) hit me hard that this group of guys was a family because Coach Reilly has a tradition that he took from his father at the end of the season the night of the last game to make the team sit around center court with the lights off and go around the circle having everyone state what their most memorable memory and what life lessons they had learned throughout the season. It was tough for the seniors, because they finished their last high school basketball game and for most of them it was their last organized basketball game. My turn came around and I said that "I [was] grateful that I had the opportunity to work with such a great team and spend quality time on and off the court with a group of people that always looked out for each other whether or not you were the last guy on the bench or the starter.
What made Coach Reilly so successful was the discipline he instilled in his players from day one. He had three rules that everyone had to follow which were "don't lie, don't cheat, and don't steal. These rules actually defined us as "men" because if you every disobeyed one you sure paid the price.
It turned out that I was a four-year manager for Coach Reilly and the best manager that he had ever had. My four years flew by in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. But looking back, my time as a high school manager was quite remarkable. I only ended up missing four practices due to a family wedding I had to attend my junior year. Of course, it turned out to be one of the greatest comebacks in a game against Berlin High School.
We ended up winning the conference tournament three years, and advanced to the Class LL State Championship game my sophomore and junior year. Unfortunately we didn't end up winning, falling instead to Hillhouse Academy both years. Being a manager for Coach Reilly taught me discipline, the importance of family, and the importance of my education. As I mentioned previously at the end of each season Coach Reilly made everyone sit around the circle in half court and say what our favorite memory was for the season that just ended. It had hit me hard in the years past listening to some players and the senior's amazing stories, but during my senior year I couldn't have been more thankful for having the opportunity to work with the team and acquiring life lessons I had learned throughout the course of my four-years. Being a manager for East really helped me understand my roles in the manager position. Taking a job that pretty much every other high school student would not dedicate there time to really made me stand out amongst other high school students.
I knew that this was something I wanted to try and continue in college, but didn't know how competitive it is to actually attain a managerial position at a Division I school. Growing up I have always heard people say "it's not about what you know, but who you know". I never actually believed this saying, but experienced it in person when it came to applying to colleges. I only applied to Division 1 schools. Once I got my acceptance letters Coach Reilly started making the calls for me. This was when the four years of hard volunteer work all paid off. It turned out he had some connections to the schools I had been accepted too. But I also had to make the real decision as to what college is the best fit for me academically. Obviously that college was Marist. As of now I have continued in my managerial career and only have one more season left with the Red Foxes. Whenever I have a chance I try to make it back to East to catch a game or two over Christmas break, but being up in Poughkeepsie all year makes it tough to get home. Anyways here on my blog you will hear many of my collegiate managerial stories as well as hear from other managers at other college's / universities I have run into over the season / summer's and from other people that have helped me get to where I am today. So far I am thankful for every opportunity I have had as well as for everyone who has helped me with my journey. Especially my loving parents and Coach Reilly.
Here is a documentary produced by Mike Rhodes (former player) highlighting East Catholic Basketball:
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