For Gene Pingatore, there was only one thing missing from the crowning glory of his career.
Engulfed by the friends, fans and well-wishers he has accumulated in 30 years of coaching at St. Joseph, Pingatore was almost swept away by the euphoria of the moment.
If only the most special Chargers fan of all had been among the 11,738 in Carver Arena on Saturday night to cherish St. Joseph’s 61-51 victory over Warren for its first boys state basketball championship.
Annette Pingatore would have been so proud of her son.
“Mama Ping,” as she was known to the St. Joe faithful, rarely missed a game. She sat right up front with her sister, Rose Cebry, exhorting her team–and woe to the referee who made a questionable call against her beloved Chargers.
Although she died of pancreatic cancer at 84 in September 1997, four months after Rose, 82, had passed away, Mama Ping’s spirit seemed to pervade all those dressed in red and white.
“It was almost like she was helping us out from up there,” said Ruby Thomas, the sister of St. Joe’s most famous basketball alumnus, Detroit Pistons great Isiah Thomas. “To all of us in the St. Joseph community, this season was dedicated to her.”
“She was here the whole tournament,” Pingatore said. “I never talked about it, but I thought about her the whole time. When Brandon Watkins’ tip-in on Friday went off the top of the backboard and dropped in, that was Mama Ping with the assist.”
Thomas was in New York on Saturday working as NBC-TV’s analyst for the Knicks-Boston Celtics telecast and had to follow his alma mater via long distance.
“When I called him and said we had blown out King by 19 in the semifinals, he shouted out: `Ohhhh, come on, Coach Ping!’ ” said Raquel Burnette, Isiah’s niece. “He wishes so bad that he could be here. This has special meaning with everything Coach Pingatore has gone through. Isiah never cried so hard as at (Mama) Ping’s funeral.”
Thomas wanted to help Pingatore avoid the pitfalls their team fell into back in 1978–St. Joe’s only other title-game appearance–when Lockport defeated the Chargers 64-47.
There was no denying that the 624th victory in Pingatore’s illustrious career was the sweetest of all.
“I’m ecstatic. This is the ultimate for us as coaches,” Pingatore said. “The gym is our classroom, and this is where we try to help young people be successful in life.
“I’m loving every second of this. It’s like a dream. This is a team without any all-stars. We started out the season without a returning starter, and now we’re state champions.”
Pingatore, whose face is well known from the film documentary “Hoop Dreams,” has now completed the cycle. He led the Chargers to second place in ’78, third place in ’87 and fourth place in ’84.
St. Joe (32-1) took control by outscoring Warren by 16 points in the second and third quarters to seize a 43-27 lead going into the fourth quarter. Watkins led the way with 19 points while Steve Morgan added 14 and Jabari Mattox 10. Warren (29-5) was hit with two technical fouls and one intentional foul in the third quarter.
“We wanted to win this one for our coach,” Watkins said. “When I came here as a freshman, I told him I would help him win a state championship. Now, look at him. He has worked his butt off for all those teams, and now, for the first time in 30 years, he has a championship.
“We all feel like a part of history. There have been NBA All-Stars who played here and couldn’t bring a state championship back to Westchester. But we did it.”
Warren guard Langston Hughes held his head high afterward, choosing to reflect on a most memorable season
“You might see some of us crying, and even though we lost, this is the greatest feeling in the world,” said Hughes, who had 10 points while Mike Brandow and Jourdain Milot each had 14. “How many of you people have a trophy this big? Look how far we came.
“This was an experience I will take with me for the rest of my life.”
