“When you look through the years and think what you might have been Oh, what you could have been if you had had more time……” Supertramp
At its’ highest elevation New York’s State Route 52 hovers 2,389 feet above the hamlet of Ellenville. If you possess a fear of heights the view at the peak point of Crags Mor perch will literally take your breath away. It was a long-ago December night, in the year 1982, he was sitting in the front seat of a big yellow school bus. He was as focused as he had ever been heading over the hill to the battle awaiting at the bottom of his descent. There was just enough daylight in the afternoon sky to make out the framings of a golf course and a ten-story hotel that in its day was one of the jewels of the Catskills (The Nevele Hotel and Resort). “You see down there,” the young man, in his khakis and silk tie turned to the two varsity basketball players hiding under their seats adjacent to their coach. “There’s a great golf course down there”, the coach said to his two players whose eyes were shut tighter than the basketball trunks they would put on shortly. A social studies teacher by day, the coach could not help but to offer up a little history lesson. “It was only 16 years ago (1966), President Lyndon Johnson came to Ellenville to christen the village’s new state of the art hospital. Johnson came to Ellenville with New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy, who both stayed overnight in the top floor suites of the Nevele.” The two players, still on the bus floor hiding from the frightening view, Anthony Sergeant and Keith Farrow opened their eyes and simultaneously squinted, “Who?” They were all on their way to the first game of their senior season. They were “Bushmen” of Pine Bush climbing the Shawangunk mountains on their way to take on the Ellenville Blue Devils in a local hoop shoot out. The coach was a 22-year untested neophyte on his way to what he thought was going to be a long and glorious career on the hard wood. There was nothing but air between his windowpane and the golf course. His adrenaline was off the charts, and all his fear of high places and big arenas was ready to be met.
That December night back in 1982 was the beginning of the long road to reach his final destiny. He was on his first bus ride as a high school history teacher and basketball coach. It would be difficult as the years went flying by to find a moment in time where he was more excited about the direction he was headed. It was an hour before the headliner game kicked off and already there was not an empty seat in the Ellenville high school gymnasium. The Junior Varsity always played the preliminary game before the Senior Varsity played headliner at the old Safari Lounge.. From his perspective, tonight’s J.V. basketball game between Pine Bush and Ellenville was the only thing going on in the entire world that mattered. The ball was in the referee’s’ hands as the cheerleaders skirted off the court with pom poms flying. Taking his spot on the bench he could see his father, and his former high school basketball mentor squeezing into the compact spaces between the tweens. If you believed in destiny, you could see the seeds of a future Bob Knight. Tonight, it was his stage, his team, his soul and in his mind the opening act of to a career, and a life, filled with success. There is no place like a victorious locker room when your team is away from home “We came into this little town on the other side of the mountain and took what is theirs. Now let’s get on the bus and return to the bush with the spoils.” It is probably not the verbatim script, but it sure sounds good now. There isn’t a better feeling than being young and having poisoned yourself to have endless opportunities in front of you.
The Pine Bush Junior Varsity Basketball team were conquering heroes that night as they headed back to Orange County over the Crags Mor ridge. The scrappy 5’4” point guard, who played a game that his coach could not see coming based on practice sessions in the preseason was beckoned to the front of the bus. The small quiet kid with an oversized gut pulled into the seat next to his coach. His young mentor, only a few years separating them, looked at his floor general knowing how important it was that his words were measured. “You showed me a lot tonight that I missed when I was running you into the ground in practice. Your turnover assist ratio was outstanding. You established yourself as a leader tonight. Great job. Now, you have got to learn to play defense.” Those were the words that came out of the coach’s mouth. As a player he was thinking this kid has a rare gift, “the brighter the lights, the more he shines.” He had not experienced the same as a player, but he loved seeing it in one of his charges. Pete Tomasulo left his coach to head back to the celebration in the back of the bus. The coach looked down at lights of the little village below. He thought about this amazing ride he was on at such an early age when the ominous feeling of getting too giddy too quickly was silenced. As a leader and a competitive coach, it is extremely important to not get too high, or too low. The lesson that is universal in the coaching industry is simple: If you are passionate about the product you put on the floor, the joy of victory does not even come close to the stomach-turning emptiness of defeat. The euphoria of the night before fades immediately when the 5:30am alarm is blaring. There is not much time to catch up on your rest when you’re due back in Pine Bush for a day filled with educating the youth of America.
The 7:30 am Global History class could have cared less about their teacher’s triumph only hours ago. They were happy to hear their teacher say: “Get out your textbook, read Chapter 8 and give me a full summary of the chapter in writing for discussion in tomorrow’s class.” He had learned most of the “tricks of trade” from his dad, a long-time school administrator. This was the perfect time to apply “how to show up but take the day off lesson”. The coach sat behind his desk going over last night’s stat sheet and dreaming of the next show. He leaned back in a chair he rarely sat in while he taught. As his charges were silent in the early morning haze their teacher was basking in a feeling, of being where he was supposed to be. In the scent of the morning after it appeared this young phenom may have figured out the whole puzzle out at a very early age. At the bottom of last night stat sheet, he wrote a note to his team. “Great effort last night. Our defensive efficiency was below one, and we held them to under ten good looks. Winning is fun!!” As the 28 ninth grade students quietly read about the “Middle East” their teacher had drifted off to breathe in the sweet smell of victory from the night prior. To a place where he was comfortably inside the winner’s circle. The night before had been a confirmation of what his mission in life was. He had found his calling. He was a teacher. He was a coach. As the bell rang for second period he was convinced he was heading into a long career being the pied piper.
Over 42 years have passed since that special night in Ellenville. His career in teaching and coaching lasted seven years (all as a history teacher, 3 years J.V., and four-year varsity coach). Today in March of 2024 he found himself in the same spot he was on that December night of his youth. He was on his way to see an old friend. The route he had to take entailed traveling Route 52 over the Shawangunk Mountain Range. He was on his way to the Ellenville Rehabilitation Center (Ellenville Hospital). His visit coincided with the same day as his hometown’s state tournament basketball game later that afternoon. The view from the zenith of the Shawangunk’s hadn’t changed much over all the decades. You could still see the “Nevele Tower” which had gone out business back in 2009. There was no more definition to the once beautiful golf course, only fields of weeds remained. That night in Ellenville over 40 years ago did not send that young man into a juggernaut of a coaching legacy that seemed so definite. He left teaching and coaching in 1989 and never looked back. In the forty years of life from 20-60 you “either make it or break it”. That is the real truth we all discover if we make it that long. We are all left with no choice but to look back and evaluate how we did. How did our dreams turn out? As Sergeant Ryan did at the end of the movie (Saving Private Ryan) when he returned to Normandy beach with his wife and extended family, he looked to his wife for confirmation. “Tell me, did I live a good life? Was I a good man?” If you live this life hard there will come a time, you’ll find yourself looking back. How did I do? Today on top of the perch, 40 years separated from his childhood dreams, he could see all the in-betweens.
His stop at the Ellenville hospital was quick. His old friend had been in a coma for two months and now it appeared she was coming out of it. It had been 42 years since that magical night back in 1982. He had been a 22-year-old kid who had found his way to the top of mountain and early glory. There will be times on our journey that we will have to adapt our vision and adjust from the obstacles that come flying at you in many directions. Today, by coincidence, he was leaving Ellenville and heading home to watch a basketball game. It was exactly tip-off time when he pulled into the fire lane adjacent to the basketball arena. The stragglers without tickets were being sent home in tears. He got to the ticket window and pulled out his” golden ticket.” The security guard at the door to the gym studied the pass (Section Nine Gold Pass), along with the old teacher’s eyes before nodding indicating he could enter the gym. He was the last person allowed to enter the gym.
The sounds, the electricity, and the energy of hometown fans passionately rooting on their team produced an immediate Adam’s apple in his throat. This is what he had dreamed of all those years ago. This is what he wanted to do with his life. He stood on side of the bleachers and watched the first half of a high school game that pitted two of the best teams in the state. He found a place where he could see the action and have a conversation with the 22-year-old kid who was on that bus heading towards a game. He tried to make sense of the past. He was looking at his future in real time. By halftime, with the home team dominating, he decided to make an early exit. He stepped out into the fading light…… He thought about Pete Tomasulo and all the students that come and go through the years while the teacher’s stand still. He thought about the “seasons” that have come and gone. All that was going to be did not happen and he was alright.
So much for destiny?
