Three from Section V inducted into New York State Basketball Hall of Fame

Chris Cardon came pretty close to an ideal weekend.

This is his final season as Irondequoit boys basketball coach. The Eagles were not only still playing but had advanced to the Class A state tournament final.

Irondequoit lost to Tappan Zee in the state championship game, inside what was known as the Glens Falls Civic Center. This arena is home of the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame, which formally included Cardon on March 19.

“Yeah, a big weekend,” Cardon said.

Cardon and former Section V Boys Basketball coordinator Jack Purificato were selected by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York in 2019. Their induction ceremonies were scheduled for March 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic postponed the brunch for three years.

Jeff Fitch, who coached Fairport's boys basketball teams for 33 years, will be inducted into the state basketball hall of fame with Cardon, Purificato and others on March 19.

"When someone is going into a hall of fame, they are not getting in by themselves," Cardon said. "There are a lot of people who have had a lot to do with it."

Chris Cardon

• 1: State championship (2017)

• 3: State final four appearances

• 4: Section V championships

• 7: Section V Coach of the Year awards

• 37: Seasons as Irondequoit boys coach.

Jeff Fitch

• 459: Coaching wins at Fairport (1968-2001)

• 2002: Section V Basketball Hall of Fame

• 1975: Section V championship

• 6: Team appearances in a Section V final

• 9: A Section V Coach of the Year

Jack Purificato

• Section V boys basketball coordinator for 19 years

• Helped improve Section V tournaments for 33 years as a committee member

• The Rochester Press Radio Club Silver Award winner, promotion of sports in Rochester area

Remaining class members

• Chris Agostino (Section XI): Oyster Bay, Harborfields and Elmont on Long Island

• Larry Behm (Section III): Five of his teams at Onondaga won sectional titles. Founder of Onondaga Summer League

• Starling Bryant (Section VI): Teams at Traditional and East High in Buffalo won 353 games in 23 years, including 4 state championships and 1 Federation state championship.

• Lou DeMello (New York City): Four teams at Rice High School were nationally-ranked. Also coached at Concordia College.

• Todd Jamison (New York City): More than 300 wins with Nazareth Regional, over more than 20 seasons in the Catholic High School Athletic Association.

• Carl Johnson (Section XI): Teams at Bridgehampton on Long Island won 4 state championships and 11 sectional titles.

• David Lieber (New York State Association of Independent Schools): A former BCANY Coach of the Year whose teams won 425 games during 29 seasons at Friends Seminary.

• Bob Piano (college/high school): Career spanned 60 years, 35 at the high school level. College teams, at four-year and community colleges, won 468 games.

• Frank Satalin (Syracuse): Member of Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame. Led teams in the Syracuse Catholic League 1937-1969.

• Bill Varno (referee): Life member of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials. New York State BOA past president.

How to nominate

• Visit nybasketballhalloffame.com/nominate, a website linked to the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY).

• Select the type of inductee: Coach, player, contributor to the game, referee, media, team or moment.

• Read the matching criteria.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: New York State Basketball Hall of Fame: 3 from Section V inducted