Everyone knew that Victor Ortiz had been on borrowed time for years because of a litany of main well being woes. Yet when the information made the basketball rounds that the beloved former Brockton boys basketball coach handed away Monday, nobody was ready for it.
Ortiz took over the Brockton basketball program from John Boutin in 1983 and went on to win 385 video games over the subsequent 24 years, together with a state title in 1985. That run included an early spherical victory over a Xaverian group led by future NBA guard Dana Barros and an epic 65-63 victory on the Boston Garden towards a Cambridge group led by the good backcourt of Rumeal Robinson and Lance Dottin.
Dottin would ultimately develop into the pinnacle coach at Cambridge and would coach towards Ortiz for years. Dottin received his first state title in 2001, beating a robust Brockton group 89-65 within the state semifinals alongside the way in which. Dottin coached at Cambridge till not too long ago because of well being woes of his personal, however spoke extremely of Ortiz and the wholesome non league rivalry the 2 had.
“Coach Ortiz is one of the coaching legends of Massachusetts high school basketball,” Dottin mentioned. “I had the unique honor of playing and coaching against his Brockton teams. These teams always being well prepared and competing at the highest level are testaments to his character and professionalism.”
While Brockton was well-known for its soccer program, the basketball program was no shrinking violet. The Boxers had been an annual powerhouse program which earned the respect from everybody close to and much.
“I think back to the old Greater Boston League and Eastern Mass. basketball back then when Brockton was putting out generational talent,” mentioned BABC founder and coach Leo Papile. “To be the basketball coach at Brockton in those days was a big thing. Victor was everything you wanted in a coach and he was a first ballot Hall of Fame nice guy.”
In these days, a Big Three contest was a must-see occasion as Brockton, Durfee and New Bedford had been annual contenders for not simply the league title, however a state championship. Ed Rodrigues received 437 video games and a pair of state titles in his 27 years as head coach at New Bedford, but a few of his fondest reminiscences had been the 2 common season battles with Brockton.
“It was a tremendous rivalry, those games were intense to say the least,” Rodrigues mentioned with a chuckle. “I enjoyed coaching against Brockton because it was always a big game. Victor was always a gentleman, a real good guy to coach against. It’s too bad to learn the news of his passing, we lost a good guy.”
Bill Loughnane butted heads with Ortiz a number of occasions as head coach at each South Boston and BC High. He was the opposing coach in Ortiz’ final sport as Brockton head coach in 2007, a 67-60 BC High win within the Div. 1 South sectional event.
“Victor always made sure you were treated like a guest every time you played at Brockton,” mentioned Loughnane, whose group went on to win the state title in 2007. “He always had his teams prepared and they always played hard.”
Ortiz liked nothing greater than to shoot to breeze over the cellphone with a fellow coach, a former participant or perhaps a member of the media. Braintree coach Bob Crook might at all times rely on a vacation cellphone name from Ortiz.
“He would call my house each Christmas around 10:00 and usually he was giving me cooking tips,” Crook mentioned. “He would name often and simply discuss, a real legend. He’s what a coach needs to be all about – he saved connections along with his gamers, coaches and rival coaches his complete life.
“He’ll be greatly missed by the Crooks’ and many others I’m sure.”
Bob Boen was as shut as anybody within the career to Ortiz, having served as his JV coach for greater than 20 years earlier than succeeding Ortiz in 2007. He spoke to Ortiz a couple of days in the past and knew full effectively that his former boss was not effectively.
“Victor called me Saturday night and we spoke for a while, those phone calls are something I am really going to miss,” Boen mentioned. “We spent quite a lot of time collectively, 24 years, three months at a time, six days every week, quite a lot of street journeys. Victor was very enthusiastic about teaching which is what made him an incredible coach (Ortiz was inducted into the state Hall of Fame and the courtroom at Brockton High is called after him).
“He was a very loyal man. If you were his friend, he would do anything for you.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com