I had the pleasure of knowing Gene for nearly 25 years. His friends here in Cambridge have known for some time that he hadn't been well, but it is still a shock. I met Gene when I first started working at CHS in 1995, and he asked me to become part of his program as his statman at the beginning of the 1997-98 season (a role I still proudly hold today). I never met a better basketball mind, nor a coach who was a better motivator. He had a saying: "If anything goes wrong, then I did it. If anything goes sort of right, then we did it. If anything goes totally right, then the players did it. That's all you need to know to get kids to want to play for you."
But even more important than that, Gene was a friend. 10 months ago I had the honor of introducing Gene at his induction to the Cambridge Athletic Hall of Fame. Many stories--some on the verge of tall tales--were told that night (Gene was quite a character!), and I'm sure in the next couple of weeks many more will be told, as laughter mixes with tears. It is important that we all remember the good times. He would want it that way.
Goodbye and Godspeed, Coach. You will be missed.
Last Edited: 6/28/2019 7:46:21 PM by Long Train Runnin'