Longtime coach Joe Amorosino honored by Celtics for contributions to youth basketball
When the Boston Celtics defeated the Utah Jazz, 122-114, at TD Garden on March 31, most fans in attendance saw the result for what it was -- just another ho-hum night on the NBA calendar with a "have" beating a "have-not."
If the game wasn't particularly memorable -- except for Jayson Tatum pouring in 39 points -- a small on-court ceremony certainly resonated around here.
Longtime basketball coach and camp director Joe Amorosino Sr. was handed the “Jr. NBA Boston Celtics Community Coach of the Year” award for his contribution to producing some of the best hoopers to come out of Massachusetts.
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If you ask the former Plymouth State player, though, he’s grateful, but far from finished.
“There was all kind of wonderful emotion that came with it,” Amorosino, 84, said. “It’s a prestigious award when it's coming from the Boston Celtics and the NBA. I’m more than delighted and very proud of the years I participated and I’m still going. I've got 14 camps to run this summer."
Amorosino, who is originally from Braintree, has been busy over the summer for the past five decades with former Celtics center (1970-80) and coach (1978-79) Dave Cowens as the regional general manager for the Jr. Celtics Academy camps.
It’s been a long journey for the Sharon High graduate (class of 1985) and former basketball star. In 1962, he began his career as high school teacher and coach at the age of 22 in Hopkinton. (He was the youngest high school basketball coach in the state at the time.) From 1972-83 he was the head coach for Quincy High. He also was an assistant coach at Boston University and North Quincy High and was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1990.
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“There was a lot of joy in receiving that,” Amorosino said of the Celtics honor. “It was a lifetime award, really. I’ve been in the game organizationally as a teacher and a coach for 62 years.
“It meant a great deal for me because you don’t do this alone,” said Amorsino, whose son Joe Jr. is a sportscaster at WHDH-Channel 7 in Boston. "You do this with the help of other people. The people we’re sharing this award are anybody that I coached, whether it be a high school, college, middle school team. Of course, you can’t do it without a solid family that supports you. I was lucky enough to have that with my wife Jan and my four children, their spouses, and my grandchildren."
You can find the elder Amorosino this summer on the South Shore helping kids get better. He’s continuing his six-year tradition of holding a two-week camp at Quincy High (June 26-30 and July 10-14). There's also a new camp coming to Southwest Middle School in Quincy starting July 17.
A gym rat himself, Amorosino teaches kids more than just how to get buckets. Doing it for as long as he has, he enjoys seeing his campers grow into adults.
“I’ve always said this -- the lessons that are learned on the basketball floor carry over into society for the most important game of all: the game of life," Amorosino said. "For a child that wants to learn the game, they’re going to learn from the best in the game. (The camp instructors) are all teachers, teachers from all walks of life."
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A basketball savant and historian, Amorosino wants to also create a new generation of basketball lovers, regardless how far their playing career extends.
“Not everybody’s going to play in the NBA,” Amorosino said. “But (everyone can) be a fan of the Celtics and participate in fanship. Also (camps help you learn) how to improve your game so you can make your middle school and high school team and hopefully play in college.”
For more information on Amorosino's camps, visit the website or email joeamo@bellsouth.net.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Joe Amorosino Sr. named Celtics' "Community Coach of the Year"
