Tuesday, March 15, 2016: Adey, Munson announce departures from coaching

   Adey steps down: Mike Adey, the winningest boys basketball coach in Section 3 history, announced his resignation at New York Mills with a 566-200 record and 11 sectional titles.

   He was 343-74 with New York Mills after previous stints at New Hartford and Rome Catholic. He coached the Marauders to NYSPHSAA Class D crowns in 2011 and 2014 as well as three other trips to the final four. A streak of three trips to the state tournament ended this season with a loss to eventual state champion Oriskany in the sectional finals.

   "For 36 years, at 3 different schools, I have had the honor and the privilege of coaching the best young men I could ever ask for," the Hall of Fame coach said in a statement. "I have also had the honor and pleasure of working with the most dedicated and talented staff of assistant coaches from the very beginning of my career. I thank all of them for their hard work and dedication through the years. I especially thank my son Brian who for last 18 years has been at my side as my trusted Associate Head Coach. To be able to share this experience with him has been one of my greatest pleasures in Coaching."

   Adey's statement left open the possibility of remaining involved in basketball in some capacity.

   "While I am stepping away now, I will never really leave this great game and this great game will never leave me," he said.

   Munson leaves Tottenville: Longtime PSAL football coach Jim Munson has retired after compiling a 178-88-3 mark at Tottenville.

   Munson, 51, won two PSAL city championships in 24 seasons. He cited family commitments as being one of the reasons for resigning. His son James plays for Navy and his father would like to get to some of his games the next two seasons.

   "It's time to get back to being a parent," Munson, who will stay on as assistant principal and athletic director, told The Advance. "It's important to catch some of my son's games."

   Munson's successor will be Brian Neville, a Pirates assistant since 2001.

   Munson, who played for Tottenville from 1979-82, said he knew for a while that he wouldn't be back as head coach but didn't tell his team until Tuesday.

   "I didn't say anything because we had all the postseason awards dinners and functions and I didn't want to be the story at these events," he said. "It was never about me. It was always about the players."

   Following up: The result of the NYSPHSAA boys Class AA basketball final Sunday set off a flurry of questions and inquiries of a historical nature.

   As has been noted, tweeted and re-tweeted, Aquinas did become the first school to win NYSPHSAA football and boys basketball championships in the same school year -- but the NYSPHSAA part of the equation is important to note. It was just a year earlier that Canisius pulled off a similar sweep in the CHSAA when that organization conducted its first state football championship.

   Giorgis went 451-44 in 19 seasons as basketball coach at Lourdes with Section 1 championships in each of his final 11 seasons as well as nine NYSPHSAA titles. He also coached the school to a state softball championship in 1990 and has trips to the state final fours in baseball and girls volleyball to his credit.

   The player with the most charmed championship existence may have been Nick Reisman. He was on Tuckahoe's title teams in football and baseball as a sophomore and the added a basketball crown in 2012 as a junior.

   Team-wise, special mention has to go to Watervliet for its boys basketball and baseball championships in 1991. That came months after the football team went 11-0. Though the NYSPHSAA did not conduct a full state tournament in the sport until 1993, the New York State Sportswriters Association ranked Watervliet No. 1 in the combined Class C-D in 1990.

   Ossining's future: Following Ossining's exciting girls Class AA championship Saturday in Troy, The Journal News put forth the very reasonable possibility that the Pride could run their streak of championships to seven (or more) before this amazing run is over.

   Two Ossining freshmen (Aubrey Griffin and Kailah Harris) already have offers from Seton Hall, where teammate Shadeen Samuels will enroll in the fall, and the current sophomore class is also deep in talent.

   "We're just going to enjoy the moment right now," coach Dan Ricci said. "We've got young kids that worked really, really hard, but we're losing five seniors that were a big part of this team, so we’ve got to start all over again."

   Line of the year: As usual, there were many fine acceptance speeches Sunday during the BCANY Hall of Fame induction brunch in Glens Falls. The highlights included a great story by Charles Bridge Jr. of Sacketts Harbor about how an epic second-half rally allowed him to get in the last word to a fan who taunted him at halftime.

   The day's bring-down-the-house laugh came courtesy of White Plains' Spencer Mayfield, who won championships at the Glens Falls Civic Center in 1994 and '99. Mayfield said the announcement of his selection brought back memories and inspired him to ask his wife, "Did you ever in your wildest dreams think we'd be coming back to Glens Falls?

   "And she said to me, 'Honey, you were never in my wildest dreams.'"

    • Olean boys basketball coach Jeff Anastasia's induction speech included a mention that he intends to coach for three more seasons. Fellow inductee Andrew "Artie" Athanas confirmed his retirement as the girls coach at John Glenn.

    • Dave Archer, executive director of the Basketball Coaches Association of New York, said the annual Hall of Fame brunch will stay in Glens Falls and be conducted during Federation weekend when the NYSPHSAA boys basketball tournament moves to Binghamton next season.