Gene Pingatore honored

[MU82]

SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the winners of the 2018 Morgan Wootten Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching High School Basketball.

The 2018 winner of the Morgan Wootten Award for boys’ basketball is Gene Pingatore from St. Joseph’s High School (Westchester, Illinois). Pingatore has spent 48 years on the sidelines with St. Joseph’s High School and on February 11 earned his 1,000th career win, bringing his overall coaching record to 1,000-353 (.739). Pingatore is the 15th boys coach in the United States to have surpassed 1,000 wins. He has coached St. Joseph’s to 13 sectional titles, six top-four state finishes, two state championships (1999, 2015) and has coached three McDonald's All-Americans - Deryl Cunningham, Daryl Thomas, and Isiah Thomas. Pingatore is also recognized nationally for his role in the 1994 documentary "Hoop Dreams."

I don't know Pingatore well enough to know if he is a good guy, bad guy or something in between, but he did not come off well in Hoop Dreams, so it is interesting to see them make this reference.

He came off as a sleazebag who cared only about winning and was fine with throwing poor kids under the bus.

As for Hoop Dreams, I think it is the greatest sports movie of all time because of its gravitas and real humanity. Siskel thought it should have won the 1994 Oscar - not just for documentaries but for all movies that year. Spike Lee had talked about doing a fictionalized version of it but decided not to because he knew he would not be able to replicate the greatness of the original.

The twists and turns were incredible ... not the least of which being that Agee - who was thrown to the curb by St. Joe's and Pingatore - became a star for his high school team, which won the Public League title and finished third in state. Meanwhile, Pingatore's chosen stud, William Gates, struggled with injuries and was not able to lead St. Joe's to greatness. Agee went on to play at Arkansas State, where he did much better statistically than Gates did at Marquette.

Things flipped back around in Gates' favor post-basketball. Agee got arrested on assault charges last year, while Gates became a pastor.

I think an update, looking at everything that has transpired since Hoop Dreams, would be fascinating.

[warriorchick]

Have you seen this?:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803005/?ref_=nm_flmg_slf_2

Also, Real Sports did an update on a couple of guys. 

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Dorothy Gaters should have gotten it as well. What she has done at Marshall is nothing short of astounding.

[Herman Cain]

Tuss

[MU82]

Have you seen this?:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803005/?ref_=nm_flmg_slf_2

Also, Real Sports did an update on a couple of guys.

I hadn't seen either, chick. Thanks for the link.

[warriorchick]

I hadn't seen either, chick. Thanks for the link.

I am having trouble finding the full  Real Sports clip, but here are a couple of clips.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/OLwB5kmVg4Q" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/OLwB5kmVg4Q</a>

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/36LmSxADeuo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/36LmSxADeuo</a>