BASKETBALL
COACHES ASSOCIATION
OF NEW YORK INC.
2023/2024 New York State Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees
Fred Agnostakis – Friends Seminary,
Loyola School, NYS Association
Independent Schools
Coach Fred Agnostakis led his teams to 553 wins, which is fourth all time among NYSAIS coaches in New York State history. He coached for 33 years, 29 at Loyola School and 4 at Friends Seminary. At Loyola his teams won seven regular season championships and seven league tournament titles. He led them to the NYSAIS State Finals three times. He epitomized the ethos of coaching, serving as a role model and mentor to so many young coaches, and using sports as a way to teach life lessons and emphasize the importance of actively and generously serving the community.
Chris Agostino – Oyster Bay, Harborfields, Elmont HS, Section 11
Coach Chris Agostino has led his teams to an average of 14 wins each season resulting in a 67% winning percentage. His teams have earned County and Long Island titles. They also reached the very top, winning a NYSPHSAA and NYS Federation state crowns. Coach Agostino was honored with Coach of the Year at league, county and state levels. He was also recognized by the media for his successful work.
Larry Behm - Onondaga HS, Section 3
Coach Larry Behm’s teams won 65% of their games with 335 victories over his 24 years as a varsity coach. He led his teams to multiple league titles and 5 sectional championships. Coach Behm served on the Section 3 Basketball Committee for 10 years. He founded the Onondaga Summer League and has
been a guest speaker at numerous basketball camps. He has also been honored by the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce.
Starling Bryant, - Traditional, East HS, Section 6
Coach Starling Bryant led his teams to 353 wins over a 23-year span. His teams have won 14 Section 6 titles and 6 Far West Regionals. Coach Bryant directed his squads to 4 NYSPHSAA State Crowns and 1 NYS Federation Championship. He speaks regularly at camps and clinics. Coach Bryant was named a Coach of the Year by the league, section and BCANY.
Chris Cardon, Irondequoit HS, Section 5
Coach Chris Cardon coached his teams to over 400 wins in his 30+ seasons as a head coach. His teams have won three Section 5 titles and multiple Division crowns. Coach Cardon has been named Coach of the Year 7 times by Section 5, in addition to being honored by the media and BCANY. He received the All Greater Rochester Sports Award and is a Frontier Walk of Fame inductee. He has served on the BCANY Board of Directors for a number of years.
Tim Cluess, Iona College, Long Island University,
C.W. Post
Coach Cluess has been a staple in the basketball community in New York for decades. He has coached at the high school level as well as three collegiate levels: Junior college, Division 2 and Division I. Cluess was the head coach of Saint Mary’s High School in Manhasset, New York for fourteen seasons. He led his teams to four Class A, NYS Catholic high School championships and two NYS Federation crowns. They won the NSCHSAA Championship a record setting eight consecutive years. In his only year at the Junior College level, he led Suffolk County Community College to a league championship and they earned a birth in the NJCAA National Championship Tournament. His Long Island University, C.W. Post squad won three straight Eastern Conference titles. At Iona College, his teams won the MAAC Tournament Championship five times and the regular season championship four times. They appeared in six NCAA tournaments. As a Head Coach he was named Coach of the Year numerous times by several different organizations.
Tom Curle, Plattsburgh State
Coach Tom Curle, the first inductee of Asian descent, was an educator who helped hundreds of young men achieve their goals in basketball and life. Curle began his collegiate career as an assistant for Tom Pope at Geneseo State. He became a head coach at Alfred State and led them to an NJCAA Final Four and three Elite 8 tournaments. He moved on to Post University in CT and then to SUNY Poly at Utica. Curle finished his career at his alma mater, SUNY Plattsburgh, where his teams qualified for 9 NCAA tournaments, 3 Sweet 16’s, 2 regular season and 5 SUNYAC Conference tournament championships. Curle ended his career with 556 career wins and several conference and regional COY honors.
Stuart Dean, Lansing HS, Section 4
Coach Stuart Dean led his teams to 567 wins over his 34 years of coaching at Lansing High School, with a .783 winning percentage. His teams won 22 Divisional titles, 14 League Championships, 2 Section IV Titles and in 2001 his Girls Varsity team won the NYS Class C Championship with a 27-1 record. Dean also served as the Head Coach for the Scholastic Girls Central Region Empire State team for 2 years, winning silver and gold medals. He also served as the Girl’s Basketball League Coordinator for Section IV for 14 years. Dean was a 2 time Ithaca Journal Coach of the Year and was the NYS Class C coach of the year in 2001. He has been inducted into the Ithaca, Lansing and Section IV Hall of Fame
Lou DeMello, Coach and Contributor
Lou DeMello was a nationally known high school coach. He led Rice HS on a dramatic run in New York City when his team was nationally ranked 4 years in a row. Additionally, he was a successful coach at Concordia College. Lou was also a significant contributor to the game as the director of the famed Slam Dunk Tournament. He operated scores of clinics and showcase events. If there is a basketball bouncing in the Westchester and NYC areas – chances are that Lou DeMello had an assist there.
Jeff Fitch—Fairport HS—Section 5
Coach Jeff Fitch achieved 459 victories in his 33 years as the Fairport High School varsity basketball coach. His basketball background began at Middlesex Valley Central School where he was later inducted in the Marcus Whitman High School Hall of Fame. He then went to East Texas State University where he led the nation in free throw percentage as a freshman hitting 108-113 at 95.6%. As a junior at ETSU he made 186 free throws and that record still ranks second as most made in a single season at ETSU. He was named All-Lone Star Conference 3 times and was named Lone Star Most Valuable Player and NAIA All-American his senior year. He was also selected to play in the Pan American Trials. Then he was drafted by the Dallas Chaparrals in the ABA. He was also selected for the ETSU Hall of Fame. In 1971 Jeff played on an AAU team called the Roseland Riders in Canandaigua, NY and he scored nineteen points in a game they lost by one point to the Soviet Union National team that ended up winning the 1972 Gold Medal Game in the Munich Olympics. Jeff also coached the Section V All-Star Team vs. the Russian Jr. National Team. During his coaching career at Fairport HS, his teams won 12 Monroe County League titles and a Section V Championship in 1975. Jeff was named Section V Coach of the Year 9 times and was selected for the Section V Hall of Fame and the Frontier Walk of Fame. The Fairport High School gym is now named Jeff Fitch Court.
Steve Garner—Kingston HS, Section 9
Coach Steve Garner served as a head girls basketball coach at Kingston High School for 36 seasons during which time his teams earned 462 victories. Kingston won the Orange County Interscholastic Association title 10 times. They won the Section IX title 7 times and were Regional Champions 3 times and competed in the State Final Four Tournament 3 Times. Coach Garner was named Coach of the Year seven times by the media and six times by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York. He also has been the Band Director of the Kingston High School Tiger Band for 36 years winning the New York State Field Band Conference Marching State Championship in 2012.
Dr. Jonathan Halpert—Yeshiva University
Dr. Jonathan Halpert served as a Head Coach for 46 years (42 college coaching, 4 coaching high school.) He is the longest serving men’s college basketball coach in New York City at 41 seasons. He helped create the Independent Athletic Conference as well as the Skyline Conference. He also started the “Red “ Sarachek Tournament for Jewish HS Teams from around the world. Some of the honors/awards Halpert received are: Coach of the Year, Guardian of the Game, the Mike Cohen Good Guy Award, the College Basketball Officials Sportsmanship Award and the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association and Distinguished Service Awards. Coach has also authored Driveway Hoops, An Illustrated Guide to the Fundamentals of Basketball For Kids, Parents and Coaches.
Todd Jamison, Nazareth Regional HS, Catholic High School Athletic Association.
Coach Todd Jamison led his basketball squad to over 300 wins in over a 20-year career. He directed his teams to a CHSAA City Championship and 2 State crowns. He served on the CHSAA Advisory Committee for years. Coach Jamison formed a program in New York City for economically challenged youth. He regularly spoke at basketball camps, including the famous Five-Start Camp. He is a member of the Nazareth Regional HS Hall of Fame.
Carl Johnson, Bridgehampton HS, Section 11
Coach Carl Johnson led Bridgehampton HS to over 300 wins in 27 years, winning 60% of their games. He steered his teams to 13 league titles and 11 Section 11 championships. His teams captured 4 NYSPHSAA state titles. He was named Coach of the Year numerous times at the league and sectional levels.
Mark Kensy, Maryvale HS, Section 6
In 34 years as a head coach at Maryvale HS, Kensy led his teams to 414 wins. His teams won Maryvale’s first Section 6 championship and then added three more. Coach Kensy’s contributions to the game of basketball include: development of the Maryvale basketball little league and summer camps; for 30+ years he has been the ECIC basketball chairman and has served on the Section 6 Basketball Committee, worked at many local camps and served as a BCANY Summer Hoops Festival assistant coach. Over the years Coach Kensy has been honored with: the Erie County Interscholastic Conference Service Award, BCANY Recognition Award. He was named a Coach of the Year by BCANY, Coaches vs. Cancer of WNY, the ECIC and his league. In 2020 he received the National Federation of High Schools NYS and Northeast Region Coach of the Year. He is a member of the Maryvale Wall of Fame. Since 2019, Kensy has been an assistant to his son Chris at Amherst High School.
David Lieber, Friends Seminary, NYS Association Independent Schools
Coach David Lieber guided his teams to over 425 wins over 29 years at the helm. His teams won 8 league championships and 1 New York State Association of Interscholastic Schools state championship. Coach Lieber has served on the NYSAIS Tournament Committee. He was also a longtime volunteer clinician for 78th Precinct Youth Sports. He was named Coach of the Year several times along with BCANY Coach of the Year.
Joseph McGrane, Xavier HS, Catholic High School Athletics Association
Coach Joe McGrane has won 425 games in 30+ years as the varsity coach at Xavier High School in Manhattan. He led his teams to a divisional title and 2 City Championships while being named Coach of the Year 5 times. He has sent more than 55 players to play collegiately: 3 played professionally. He has served on both the CHSAA Basketball Advisory and Rules Committees for over 20 years and has served as a BCANY board member since 2014. He has been a resident coach at Five Star, Eastern Invitational, Shamrock and Chase the Game Basketball Camps and has served the Archdiocese of New York as the Commissioner of Boys CYO Basketball in Rockland County since 2017. He was inducted into the CHSAA Hall of Fame in 2015.
Dwayne "Tiny" Morton, New York City – Public School Athletic League
Over a span of 23 years, Coach Dwayne Morton steered his teams to an impressive total of 610 victories. He clinched nine New York City Public School Athletic League championships and secured four New York State Federation titles. Additionally, he established the non- profit organization, Books Before Ball, aiding over 120 student- athletes in securing collegiate scholarships. Morton’s exceptional coaching prowess earned him multiple Coach of the Year accolades from various media outlets. Remarkably, he holds the distinction of being the sole boys coach to have triumphed in a New York City Championship as a player, assistant coach, and head coach. Furthermore, he stands as the only boys coach to have clinched four consecutive titles from 2006 to 2009.
Bob Piano, St. Raymond’s, Queensborough CC, Lehman College, CairoDurham HS, Columbia-Greene CC
Coach Bob Piano enjoyed an interesting coaching career, covering 6 decades. In 35 years as a head coach at the high school, 2-year college and 4-year college levels, his teams won 468 games. They won numerous Division, League and Conference titles. Coach Piano established basketball camps, youth programs, as well as speaking at camps. He has been honored by many organizations as a Coach of the Year.
Jack Purificato, - Contributor
Jack Purificato was the Section V Boys’ Basketball Chairman for 19 years. He was a member of the Section V Boys’ Basketball Committee for 33 years. He worked tirelessly to promote Section V basketball for all of the 120 high school basketball programs. He was instrumental in developing community sponsorship, banquets, a website, and a Hall of Fame. He was honored by the Rochester Press Radio Club with a Silver Award for special contributions in promoting sports in the Rochester area.
Mike Rapone, - Notre Dame HS, Batavia, Section 6
In 42 years as a head coach, Coach Mike Rapone led his teams to 728 victories which is #1 all- time in Section V by 176 wins., His teams posted a 77% winning percentage while winning 31 Genesee Region crowns, 10 Section V titles, won the Far West Regional 5 times and brought home 2 State Championship. Coach provided service and commitment within Section V by serving as Boys Basketball Chairman for 22 years while also sitting on committees such as Classification and Officials. He was named All Greater Rochester,Coach of the Year in 2001, Genesee Region COY(5 times) and Section 5 COY (3 times). Coach Rapone is a member of the Section V Hall of Fame, The Frontier Field Walk of Fame, the Notre Dame HS Hall of Fame and the Notre Dame HS basketball court is named the “Mike Rapone Court.”. His most memorable coaching moment was winning the 2001 NYSPHSAA Championship on which his son Mikey was a starting guard.
Frank Satalin, - St. Patrick’s, St. Lucy’s, St. John the Baptist Syracuse Catholic League
In a coaching career that spanned from 1937 to 1969, Coach Satalin won over 200 games. His coaching career was interrupted by volunteering for active duty in the Army, serving the United States in Europe during WWII. He led his teams to League, Playoff, City and Diocesan Championships. He started a “Basketball School for Boys,” the first basketball camp of its kind in Syracuse. He was honored by the Syracuse Northside Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame. He was also named the “Man of the Year” by the Central NY Referees Association. The "Dean" of the Parochial League Coaches was an outstanding gentleman, teacher and ambassador for the game of basketball.
Eileen Troy, - Greenwich HS, Section 2
Coach Eileen Troy is inducted into the NYS Basketball Hall of Fame as an exemplary coach, administrator, longtime basketball official and dedicated Contributor to the Game. In her years as head coach at Greenwich, Coach Troy piloted multiple successful teams, creating a culture of winning that still exists today. It is her dedicated work off the court that has had the greatest impact on NYS Girls Basketball. As League Chairperson, Eileen was always a champion for equality, serving on a special committee to develop equitable boys/girls basketball schedules. Her tenure on the Section 2 Executive Committee (31 years) and Section 2 Girls Basketball Committee (34 yrs/16 yrs Chair) is unparalleled. She was a long time BCANY Board member and is a founding member/organizer of the Capital Region GBB Scholar Athlete Awards Ceremony. Coach Troy served as State Girls Basketball Coordinator, State Tournament Director, Federation Girls Basketball Tournament Director (21 years) and is an active 41 year high school basketball official. Eileen is a member of the Greenwich Athletic Hall of Fame, Midland College Hall of Fame, NYS Softball Hall of Fame and NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame.
Bill Varno, - Referee
Bill Varno is a life member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials, Inc. He is a past president of the New York State Basketball Officials Association. He is listed as one of seven men to be President of IAABO and College Basketball Officials Association. He has received the NYSBOA Jack Cahill Award and the Section 2 Jack and Ellen Cahill Award. Bill worked tirelessly for the NY State Basketball Tournament Committee over the years.