Hundreds of ex-players, loved ones honor Brian Giorgis in Marist coach's last home game
As hundreds of former players, relatives and friends of Brian Giorgis convened at Marist College, plenty of stories were shared about the iconic women’s basketball coach, some dating back to him as a toddler.
There were some good ones from Dave Giorgis, who has made it his duty to keep his little brother grounded. There was one involving hundreds of broken eggs ― we’ll omit the details ― and another time when Brian had to hightail it after flinging a fastball at his eldest brother, John, during an argument as kids.
But few anecdotes were more telling of his nature than a succinct one from Allie Best.
After helping Marist win a conference championship in 2021, she transferred to the University of North Carolina-Wilmington to play as a graduate student. After missing a game there, she received a call that night from Giorgis, asking if she was all right.
It meant her former coach, while busy with his own team, still was intently following her progress at another school and was so attuned that he noticed her absence from the lineup.
“That says a lot about him and speaks to his character,” said Best, who traveled from North Carolina to attend Giorgis’ final home game on Saturday. “He was always looking out for us when we were at Marist, and that continues even after we’ve moved on.”
It’s why so many of them came back.
As Giorgis addressed the crowd before exiting a packed McCann Arena, thanking the fans and even praising the Marist band, he was brought to tears when a throng of former players, some from his earliest teams at Our Lady of Lourdes High School, walked in line to greet him with hugs.
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“This has been unbelievable,” the longtime coach said of his farewell. “I never thought it would be anything like this. What a ride! There are so many people I’ve come across, and to see all these former players come back, it’s beyond my wildest dreams.”
His career, in whole, has been a dream. The Schenectady native built two Poughkeepsie dynasties, first leading the Lourdes girls basketball team to nine state championships before elevating a once-meandering Marist program, coaching the Red Foxes to 11 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances since 2002.
Giorgis announced a year ago that he would retire at the conclusion of this season and, with only two regular-season games remaining before the MAAC tournament, the 67-year-old was celebrated as he bid adieu to an excited audience of 1,843. He posed for photos with several of them afterwards, and some requested autographs.
"He’s been a mainstay in Hudson Valley sports for so long," Marist forward Erin Fox said. "He deserves to step away and relax, and enjoy his Diet Cokes."
The current players and Marist cheerleaders wore shirts with “Thank you Coach Giorgis” emblazoned across the chest. During a brief pre-game ceremony, the athletic department gifted him a golf bag and unveiled a banner behind center court that commemorates his 460-plus collegiate victories.
Giorgis insisted days before this event that his focus was on preparing for Niagara and coach Jada Pierce, a former Marist assistant whose pressure defense can fluster opponents. He was “numb” while driving to the arena, but the emotions hit when the Red Foxes surprised him with gifts, including a team photo.
“I am the most blessed person in the world,” he later said. “I wouldn’t trade these kids for anybody.”
While the coach spoke at his customary post-game press conference, following a 74-56 loss that easily was overshadowed, nearly 500 of his loved ones filed into an adjacent banquet hall to begin what essentially was a retirement party.
“I loved that so many people, from all of his years of coaching, were able to come here and celebrate him,” said Willow Duffell, a former Marist standout who now is a data scientist. “He’s built such a great basketball family, at both schools, and seeing those worlds come together was so wholesome. A moment like this lets you literally see how much of an impact he’s had.”
The records and accolades speak for themselves, including his being named conference Coach of the Year eight times and being inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame. With Lourdes and Marist combined, he has a .788 basketball win percentage in a career that spanned more than 40 years.
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“He’s one of the best women's basketball coaches, not just in the MAAC, but in the country,” said Erica Allenspach-Woytek, a former player who traveled from Ohio to attend the game. “If you pick his brain, you hear the intelligence and the knowledge he has. He’s brilliant at coming up with game plans and figuring out where people fit into schemes.”
The 2011 Marist graduate, along with former Lourdes and Georgia Tech great Karen Lounsbury, were escorted onto the court during the game by athletic director Tim Murray and recognized as guests of honor.
“On top of the coaching,” Allenspach-Woytek continued, “he's an extremely caring person. We care so much about him because of how much he cares about us.”
Even in the moments when his fieriness might’ve made it seem as if he didn’t. Giorgis, laughing sheepishly as he told the story, recalled early in his career at Lourdes when he got “a little emotional” and spiked a clipboard on the floor during a game. It ricocheted and hit a player, Eileen Drain, in the head.
“I was fortunate,” he said. “In this day and age, I would’ve been fired before I made it out of the timeout. “But Eileen is a Marist season ticket holder, so I guess she forgave me.”
Drain was among a slew of former players who recorded congratulatory messages that were played on a videoboard during the reception.
That outpouring of love, Dave Giorgis said, was indicative of “the difference he made in so many people’s lives, beyond just being their coach.” For as much as he likes to “bust chops and keep Brian humble,” he marvels at those accomplishments.
“He’s always been a great coach, so we weren't completely surprised by the success,” said Mary Giorgis, one of Brian’s five siblings. “He gives his all to the things he loves. So, we knew he’d dedicate himself to coaching and do it well.”
She joked that for as “proud” as she is of her big brother, he should cherish this moment, because she’ll never again drive nine hours from Ohio for a party.
Kiara Fisher had 16 points and three steals and Zaria Shazer added 14 points and seven rebounds for Marist, but Niagara forced 21 turnovers and attempted 31 more shots, offsetting the Red Foxes' advantage in field goal percentage.
Marist (11-16, 7-11) next plays at Iona College on Thursday before completing its regular season against Rider on March 4. The team has struggled this year, including losing three straight games, but their hope, of course, is for a surprise run in the MAAC tournament.
After graduating SUNY Cortland, Giorgis was hired by Lourdes in 1977 to teach health and biology. He began coaching the following spring. During a sterling 25-year tenure there, he coached baseball, volleyball, basketball, tennis, softball and golf, having success with each of those teams and leading four of them to at least the state semifinals.
“I’ve truly been blessed with not only talented players, but great human beings,” he said. “If I had to do it all over again, starting from Lourdes, I would.”
With 1:59 remaining in the first quarter Saturday, a Marist ball-handler was contacted near the sideline, but a whistle wasn’t blown. Giorgis and his best friend Paul Latino, seated on opposite sides of the court, almost simultaneously reacted, “That was a foul!”
Latino is a former Lourdes boys basketball coach and it is he whom Giorgis credited with “giving me my foundation in coaching basketball.” Giorgis played the sport scholastically, but he studied the basics of coaching under Latino.
It also was Latino who playfully set an over-under of five minutes before his buddy would begin crying during his speech. Giorgis, correctly, bet the under.
But the tears first came, at least publicly, when he spoke about being succeeded at both stops by one-time pupils. There was Sarah Mesuch at Lourdes and now, Erin Doughty, a former Marist walk-on and longtime assistant coach, who takes over the team this offseason.
Several of the former players became choked up as he spoke on the court. As they had so often those years ago, they hung on his every word and felt the passion behind them.
“My greatest accomplishment is that I’ve never been fired from a job, and that’s because of them,” Giorgis said, referring his players and assistant coaches. “This is a celebration of everyone here. They made me; I didn’t make them.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Marist's Brian Giorgis gets emotional retirement sendoff by ex-players
