Sitting behind the desk in his office at St. Joseph, the most successful coach in Illinois boys basketball history is talking about the number he can’t forget.
As he talks, Gene Pingatore taps his hands on the desk. Some of the knuckles are swollen, the side effect of years spent playing 16-inch softball without a glove. Wearing well-pressed black pants, a crisp white dress shirt and bold red tie, Pingatore is days away from the first practice of his 45th year as Chargers head coach. The 78-year-old’s first 44 seasons were an unprecedented success, netting a state-record 933 wins and the 1999 Class AA state championship against 327 losses.
Pingatore — or “Ping” — is more than 100 victories clear of the name below him on the career wins list, but it’s clear the number isn’t a subject he enjoys discussing.
“There was a point where I had to always go back and look at what the heck the record is, because I don’t pay attention to that,” Pingatore says, sounding almost wistful. “But now I do it so often, I know it by heart.”
The number will climb this season, the question is by how much.
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-John Borneman
