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GUEST COLUMN: Playing for Smiley was — and is — an honor
(This guest opinion was written by Shenango High graduate Michael V. Keith, who retired recently as a Chief Petty Officer with the United States Navy. He currently lives in Newport News, Va., but plans to move back to New Castle).
In regards to the “angry parents” and accusations against Neshannock High basketball coach Jim Smiley, let me start by saying I’ve had the pleasure of playing for coach Smiley and knowing him for the last 29 years.
Arguably, he was one of my many mentors growing up in our richly talented sports-oriented town. One of my first mentors was the late coach Samuel Flora Sr., along with his sons, Sammy Jr. and Denny and the line coach I’ll never forget — coach “Twiggy” Christopher of the East Side Rams. All instilled in me goal setting and what it means to be part of a team.
I was a pudgy kid and coach Flora would tell me to quit eating so many May’s Donuts. Did he swear or grab my facemask? Maybe once or twice. But there on the field at the end of Winslow Avenue, (where later some of the most successful coaches current or past were groomed), he was my first coach to instill pride, teamwork and giving 100 percent in all you do. From the Schooleys (one of whom went on to coach), to Bobby Natale Jr., (currently a coach), to the Quahliero brothers, one of whom is now the Sheriff of Lawrence County. I can go on and on. So in this politically correct culture we now live in, where parents in my opinion do not let coaches do their job and try to interfere, is it right for a parent to rally to dismiss a coach because of accusations of not playing a player, or perhaps using a vulgar term to motivate someone?
Simply, no.
I didn’t play my first year of Pop Warner, but I lost weight, got faster over the summer of the next year and started. Then it was on to Ben Franklin where it was coach “Angie Fornataro” who instilled in me further life goals. As most of us know, most coaches are teachers first. That was during the days of “swats” or “paddling.” Did he paddle my derriere once or twice? Sure. Could you see that today? Let us not forget that coaching, whatever sport, is a year-round job, in addition to sacrificing family life and oh, by the way, still having to create daily lesson plans, grade tests etc. Finally, we moved to the “Boro,” which falls under Shenango Township — where I was coached by, and met my two most important mentors, coach Frank Bongivengo Sr. who instilled even further life lessons and coach “Jimbo” Smiley, who believed in me and let me play hoops for two years. (In addition to shoveling Mr. Tim Kolodziej’s court many nights to play basketball, I could never beat him even though he was younger) and now look where he is. Both would bench you in a heartbeat for what they liked to call “bush league play.”
Did my dad come into the school after I started the last six games as a junior for an injured player and lettered, then did not start until the third game of my senior year because of developing pneumonia right before the season?
No.
A total of 19 out of 22 players on our team my senior year were seniors, with one junior and the quarterback Genie Matsook, who was a sophomore on that team and is currently one of the most successful football coaches in western Pennsylvania.
You think there were some juniors and seniors who were upset that they weren’t playing? Sure. Did their parents cry to coach Bongivengo and ask the school board to dismiss him?
You know the answer to that.
All these coaches instilled, honor, courage and commitment in myself and others — funny after retiring from 23 years as an active duty in the Navy last June, those ironically have been the Navy’s core values for more than 10 years.
You think they knew something back then? And now, while battling terminal cancer, I still look to those former mentors who instilled in me to never quit no matter what the adversity or obstacle.
So before you want to dismiss a coach like Jim Smiley for not playing one of your kids or attempting to motivate a player by injecting a mild “Bobby Knight” adjective, think about what you are doing to your kids — and the respected coach(es) who have molded and mentored so many young men and women to become future role models and successful people in our society.
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