James Gerosimo

[TZ Boys Basketball @TZhoops]

https://t.co/RGX3TQHm7I

[Kevin Devaney Jr. @KDJmedia1]

In all my years of broadcasting, I'd never gotten emotional on air until tonight. It was impossible to hold back the tears.

Jack Piccione of Tappan Zee lost his father suddenly last Sept. 1. Matthew Piccione died of a heart attack minutes after playing pickleball with friends. He was 51.

Over the last three years, I got to know Matthew Piccione fairly well. One day back in 2023, he asked coach George Gaine for my number so he could call me just to say thank you for calling out Jack's contributions during Tappan Zee's championship run.

Jack was a role player who averaged maybe 5 points a game as a freshman. But he started and never came off the court.

"I know he doesn't score a lot of points," Matthew Piccione said. "But you are one of the only people who appreciates what he does for the team."

Matthew Piccione kept a very low profile at games and reinforced in his son to be the emodiment of all the things that make Tappan Zee basketball different than any other program in the state.

Play unselfish. Defend. Be coachable. Defend. Draw charges. Pass. Sacrifice for your teammates. And, of course, defend some more.

Nobody in the history of Tappan Zee basketball since I have been covering has ever played that role better than Jack Piccione. He's the best best defensive player in the program and is on an elite level of players I've been around in Section 1.

When Matthew died in September, I worried about Jack. I wondered what his senior season might be like. The person most responsible for instilling and reinforcing the values that made Jack great was now tragically gone.

Tonight, Jack Piccione scored 5 points in the Section 1 Championship game. FIVE. Yet not only did his team because of his performance, I had the honor of handing him the MVP Trophy to prove it.

In the final 90 seconds of the game, I shared the story of Matthew Piccione and his passing. You will hear the emotion in my voice. It's genuine, not because of any relationship I had with him. You just can't be a sports parent and not relate to loving your child and always wanting what's best for them.

Because here's what I am going to tell you. And I really want all parents to read this and remember it:

Your kids' youth - not just athletics, but all of it - is short and it's precious. You don't get this time back when it's over. It goes way too quick. And some don't even get to see it to the end.

You have a choice: You can spend this period of their lives stressing about how many points they score, what awards or accolades they receive, begging people to vote in the online poll for Player of the Week, emailing the coach and complaining about playing time or lamenting the number of shots they get in a game. Go ahead. You can make all of that important for yourself and your child. Trust me, you won't be alone in doing so.

Or you can do what Matthew Piccione did. Sit in the stands and enjoy watching your children compete. Teach them that it's team above all else, stress what it means to sacrifice and ensure them that, when you do those things and have success, the feeling of hanging a banner will far exceed any of the personal accolades think are important.

And, sadly, God might choose that you won't be around to see it all anyway.

Matthew didn't get to give his son a hug after he won tonight. And Jack didn't get to see the pride in his father's face. Think about that. If you are a parent, try to put your child in Jack's shoes. If God forbid your child was confronted with the same tragedy, you'd want them looking back on this sacred period of their lives the way Jack will forever recall them with his dad.

Tonight was complete validation for Jack Piccione and all of the things his father always told him.

Jack scored 5 points and won the MVP on his way to becoming the most decorated basketball player in Tappan Zee history.

Nobody has ever won more in a TZ uniform than the most unselfish player they've ever had. He wouldn't trade his career with anyone, either.

Take a moment to listen to myself and Pleasantville coach Nick Bonura from tonight's @SportsEngine broadcast of @TZeeAthletics @TZhoops

[Ryan McWilliams @CoachMcWill]

I am blessed beyond what I deserve.

Lamentations 3:22-24, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him”

[Kevin Devaney Jr. @KDJmedia1]

Tappan Zee boys basketball has become the preeminent program in the region over the last decade and a half. And the man who built it all, George Gaine, has decided to step down as head coach.

Gaine leaves TZ after 22 seasons, with more than 300 wins, four Gold Balls, the most stunning upset in Section 1 basketball history, and the unforgettable 2023 New York State Class A championship.

Only 47 years old, Gaine steps away in the prime of his career. TZ just won the section for the second time in three years, and reached the state Final Four with a talented group returning — but he felt it was time move on. It’s believed the next TZ head coach will come from within the program.

I’ve known Gaine for a long time, and I know he didn’t arrive at this decision easily. He made it a while ago. Honestly, I didn't believe it when he first told me months ago. He'd change his mind. But it's official. One of the all-time greats is taking a break.

Gaine was a bit of a polarizing figure in Section 1. Plenty of coaches and neighboring communities didn’t love competing against him. He’s emotional on the sideline (I’m sure you’ve seen him plead his case to a ref or two for a call). People called their style defensive style as 'ugly' and games were often low scoring. But his teams were disciplined and cohesive. And a record of 301-57 since the start of 2009-10 speaks for itself.

Gaine was all-in, all the time, for his players. Nobody I’ve ever been around earned more trust and respect from their team than he has over the past two decades. I’d be stunned if you found a former player who didn’t consider Gaine one of the most influential figures in their life.

Personally, I feel fortunate to have chronicled his career since the rise of TZ basketball in the late 2000s — from a program few took seriously to one that captured a state title. Gaine and TZ pulled off the unthinkable in 2012, knocking off state power Jamesville-DeWitt in Glens Falls in the state semifinals. In 28 years of doing this, it remains the most incredible performance by a team I’ve ever watched.

From Gaine and his staff, I saw firsthand the work that went into it all. This wasn’t just a run of good talent — in fact, they’ve never had a Division I player. It was about turning players into a family and a basketball team into the heartbeat of a community.

It’s been a long few years for Gaine, in and out of basketball. He deserves the time off, especially to spend with his daughter, Brielle, who has faced her own health battles over the years. As a PE teacher at Tappan Zee, he’ll still be around the school — and in the gym.

If you asked me whether Gaine will coach again, I’d probably say yes.

But the George Gaine Era at Tappan Zee is officially over.

(photo: @lohudsports)

[TZ Boys Basketball @TZhoops]

Vote for X!

https://t.co/vK7rmAFuWS

[TZ Boys Basketball @TZhoops]

Before the win last night Tappan Zee celebrated Rockland County’s all-time leading scorer in Football, Joe Letizia C’13. Joe was also a member of the 2010 and 2012 Section Champions for basketball.

[James Gerosimo @jgerosimo]

@AdamSchefter 5-

[TZ One More Mens League 🏀 @TZ_Mens_League]

4 more days

Tons of off season additions to teams..

- Brendan Hauser joins Team Sheridan

- 2023 scoring champion Jaime Garcia joins Team Camhe

- Nolan Cook, Matt Kowalchuk, Kevin Lynch, Ryan Holder & Keiran Gibson join the new look Team McGann

* Send in your team’s moves *

[James Gerosimo @jgerosimo]

@AJIsTheReal

[TZ Boys Basketball @TZhoops]

The Tappan Zee boys host a Home Sectional Playoff Game today!

🆚 Roosevelt
⏰ 630pm
📍 Dutchmen Arena
📺 Local Live

[TZ Boys Basketball @TZhoops]

The Tappan Zee boys are back home today for the Dom Narcisco Memorial Game.

🆚 Somers
⏰ 3pm
📍 Dutchmen Arena
📺 LocalLive

[Tommy Linehan @tlinehan02]

Excited and blessed to announce my commitment to Robert Morris University.

[New York Jets @nyjets]

You.
Us.
Sideline passes for Dec. 10 against the Texans.

Follow and retweet for a chance to win!

Rules: https://t.co/7XPeO765GL
#GreenandWhiteSweepstakes

[Woody Johnson @woodyjohnson4]

Monday Night Football at Metlife Stadium. You want to be there. I've got two tickets for a lucky fan.

Follow and retweet for a chance to win.

Rules: https://t.co/zv2K2p03fS #LACvsNYJ #Sweepstakes

[Craig Doty @CoachDoty]

Successful high school athletics change a community. Go to a state tournament and watch the community close down their town to come support. It’s more than just the student-athletes too. The band, cheerleaders, alum, parents, grandparents are all greatly impacted. It is SPECIAL!

[TZ One More Mens League 🏀 @TZ_Mens_League]

Final 4 is set for tomorrow!

6:30pm: O’Conner vs TZ24
7:30pm: Linehan vs Dinnegan

Come by 15 Dutch Hill tomorrow for some good hoops 🍿🏀🏆

[James Gerosimo @jgerosimo]

@DrMedia59 Thanks

[James Gerosimo @jgerosimo]

@DrMedia59 Hey will. Thanks for all your hard work. Where are you watching this?

[Woody Johnson @woodyjohnson4]

Week 9, we're going primetime on Monday Night Football vs the Chargers. I've got two tickets in the Metlife 50 Club for a lucky fan.

Follow and retweet for a chance to win.

Rules: https://t.co/Chv6mo2rkL #LACvsNYJ #Sweepstakes

[Tommy Linehan @tlinehan02]

Tommy Linehan(Class of 2025) 2023 Spring Highlights

https://t.co/hHwTe8SmS9