REMEMBER WHEN? THE CHAMPIONSHIP ST. PATRICKS BASKETBALL TEAM: Now that we are well into the New Year, the sports seasons run into each other and add a wide variety of options for our viewing pleasure. The college football championships have been completed, the teams who will play in the Super Bowl have been determined and the basketball and hockey seasons are beginning to be defined. Just a couple weeks ago, on New Years eve, as I watched my two alma maters, Cornell and Syracuse University, challenge each other on the basketball court, I thought of what a great way it was to end 2014. Even though they were clearly out manned by the great athletes from Syracuse, the Cornell team hustled and played hard throughout the entire game. I have strong ties to these two wonderful colleges. At Cornell, I was fortunate to earn both undergraduate and graduate degrees and to participate in two great sports, football and crew. Even though I was very, very far away from being a star athlete, I enjoyed the camaraderie of my teammates as well as the opportunity to compete. In my freshman year at Cornell, I rowed against the Orangemen. A few years later, I would earn a law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law. Thinking back on those times, and those teams conjures up many fine memories. But 2015 marks an anniversary of another team I played on, the 1964-65 St. Patricks basketball team. That team, against significant odds and playing against a number of much larger schools, became an undefeated Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) diocesan champion. The St. Patricks basketball team of 1964-65, took on all comers and bested schools from both larger and smaller communities in competitions that stretched from Auburn on the east to Rochester on the west at a time when virtually every city and village had a Catholic school and the Catholic Youth Organization in our region was bustling with active participants from many age groups. The St. Patricks Panthers 64-65 basketball team was the combination of good, young athletes, a patient and talented coaching staff, helpful parents and a supportive student body and school administration. Memory recalls us playing and defeating teams from much larger schools from Auburn, Geneva, Canandaigua and Rochester, as well as teams from Clyde, Newark, Waterloo, Penn Yan and the Rochester suburbs. My best friends, Joe Lawson and Mark Piscitelli, were two great teammates, and by unselfishly working together with all on the squad, our team produced over twenty five victories that championship season. Those fond memories of the 1964-65 CYO Champion St. Patricks basketball team have endured, even though the school and many of the schools from that era have had to close because of enrollment challenges. Basketball Team Photo: A brief sketch of each player, manager and coaches are listed below: Pictured left to right (top row): Joe Pagano, Mark Piscitelli, John Caratozzolo, Mike Nozzolio, Joe Lawson, Coach Al Suffredini Pictured left to right (bottom row): Mark Suffredini, Peter Sandroni, Pete Saracino, Mike Ferrara, Dale Marino, Paul Sandroni Not pictured: Louie Ferrara, served as the team manager. Lou worked for Goulds Pumps, and lives in Seneca Falls; and Not pictured: Tony Ferrara, who recently retired after serving the Seneca Falls School District for decades. He was revered as the principal of Mynderse Academy. Nick Netti: Nick served as an assistant coach, scout and general manager. Nick was a long-time contributor to youth sports in Seneca Falls and Auburn and is now deceased. Please view the additional photographs of the teams outstanding cheerleading squad and newspaper articles.
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 20:40:12 +0000
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