I got the opportunity to talk to so many wonderful and exceptional individuals while researching today's feature on the transition from the old gymnasium at Watervliet High School to the new facility that's in the final stages of construction. There were so many amazing stories and heartfelt memories that I wanted to be able to publish them all. Alas, one can only fit so many words onto paper without writing a book on the subject, but thanks to modern technology, I'm pleased to be able to present the thoughts and recollections of some of those people I had the honor to speak to.

Memories

Jim Chartrand, Watervliet alum: “When we were little kids, eight or nine years old, that was the place to be. A big night out for us was to watch the high schoolers play basketball.”

George Mardigan, former coach: “I played in that gym as a high school kid in the 60’s and then I coached in it into the turn of the century. A large portion of my life was spent in that gym. You got to know the little things about the place, just like they talked about in the old Boston Garden where you’d know after you played there long enough just where the dead spots were.”

Brian Fruscio, Albany Academy coach and Watervliet alum: “I remember playing in the season tip-off tournaments, when Coach Mardigan would bring in some of the biggest schools in the area, and we got some wins over some of them, teams like Colonie, Gloversville, and Utica Free Academy.”

Joe Hogan, former coach: “(Former Ravena coach) Howie Tucker said his kids loved to play there because the court was smaller and they didn’t have to work as hard. On the other hand, when we went elsewhere, our kids enjoyed having more room to operate in.”

Crystal Carroll, Watervliet alum: “When I played, we had to split the gym with the JV and we got half of an already small court to use for practice. We only had seven people on the team back then, too, so that made it pretty difficult to practice five-on-five. Girls basketball was just so far behind back then.”

Walter Bowden, Watervliet boys coach: “I can remember coming as a real young kid coming to see the teams while I was growing up. I've got a lot of memories of the 1981 team that was the first Watervliet team to go to regionals, and I was part the string of eight consecutive Colonial Council titles. That was a very special time with some very special teams."

Stories

Mardigan: “Andre Cook’s family couldn’t get themselves into one of his home games, so one of his brothers climbed one of the pine trees that used to be up in front of the big windows and watched the entire game from there.”

Hogan: “John DiBiase's 53-point game was incredible. When he reached 40, people were literally coming out of the stands. I was getting ready to take John out of the game at that point, and Draper’s coach yells down the baseline from the other bench telling me, ‘don’t you dare take him out of this game until he hits 50.’ I think he was right, if we’d taken him out we could have had a riot on our hands.”

Meg Ebenhoch, Booster Club president: “We’ve had a cable running out from the camera that the coaches use to shoot game tape to a TV at the concession stand so that we can watch the game. It tends to impress some of the visiting fans who think we’ve got our games live on television. One night, Coach Mardigan took one too many technicals and promptly came out to the concession stand to watch the game while buying candy for some of the kids.”

Chartrand: “The game against Schalmont in 1982 was a game I’ll never forget. That was the one we had to win in order to stay in first place and we had to go through overtime to get the victory. Then, we clinched the title in our gym (against Voorheesville). Jim Clough, who was a football player, came into the game, and ironically, he was the one that was fouled and the whole thing came down to him shooting two shots. Fans were literally covering their eyes, and everyone remembers that he had to bank the first one in. I don’t think anyone remembers that he swished the second one.”

Atmosphere

Gordie Johnson, girls basketball coach: “Our gym is a huge home advantage for us because it gets loud and it can get hot in there. It can be a pretty intimidating place.”

Mardigan: “We battled on that court with some great Schalmont teams. In the late 1980s, we played them in a game at home, and Dinny Cahill, one of the best referees in the area, pulls me aside and tells me, ‘Butch, I need to have someone ejected.’ So I tell him to just point the guy out and we’d have our athletic director take care of it. He points to a policeman, who was there to provide security for the game! We had to pull this guy aside and ask him to be a little less rowdy in doing his duty.”

Chartrand: “Coach Mardigan would have the custodians turn the heat up to ‘record levels.’ Add all the fans that were there, and that made it pretty hot in there. He was always confident in our conditioning, that we’d be able to play through that, and hopefully the other team would wear down in the heat.”

Fruscio: “We had a student section in the end zone that was simply unbelievable. I still remember in the 10th grade staring down at the court from the entryway about to come out for the game and just being able to hear the fans.”

Bowden: “This is very much an old school gym. The crowd is kind of on top of you, and for a big game, there's nothing like it. It can be a very intimidating place an opponent to come in to play. We've got very knowledgeable fans here in Watervliet that have been following the game for a long time."

Mardigan: “The windows always used to provide a bit of a unique home-court advantage for the freshman and JV teams that would play earlier while the sun was still out. If you weren’t used to it, the way the sun poured into the court could be very difficult to handle.”

Steve Gigliello, Holy Names coach: “Visiting teams need to keep their composure, because you can get rattled easily in that gym. It’s a tough place to play." 

Ebenhoch: “There was always so much spirit in there. When the boys are playing and the girls aren’t, or vice versa, it can get pretty packed and loud in there with the teams supporting each other.”

Carroll: “You could play shuffleboard or croquet in Watervliet and you'd still get all kinds of people who would come out to watch.”

People

Chartrand: “Mardigan hated to lose and so did I. I think that’s why we got along so well. If you look in the dictionary under the term ‘sore loser’ I think you’ll see pictures of us. To play for Coach Mardigan in that building was an honor. He had a tremendous amount of influence on us, not just as a basketball coach but as a man who would teach you life skills.”

Bowden: “Instead of moments, I think of people. I think about people like Coach Mardigan and Harry Tucker. Those two gentlemen are ingrained into this community. They are legends and deservedly so. What they've done for this community can never be topped.”

The New Building

Fruscio: “I’m thrilled for the kids of Watervliet. I’m sure at one time our gym was considered state-of-the-art, but that time has passed. With all of the other schools in the area getting their own brand new gyms it’s Watervliet’s time to get a new gym of their own. I hope the kids understand and appreciate the opportunity they are getting.”

Hogan: “They really needed (the new gym). Until they made the initial improvements to Tucker Gym, they always needed a bigger space because the program was so successful. The community needed a gym like this and it’ll help the program tremendously. I just wish them the very best. It’s a close knit community, and the citizens take lots of pride in it.”

Carroll:  “It's amazing. I'm glad the city has made it possible, but I'm also kind of shocked by it. I loved the old gym, but you have to grow with the times and embrace new things. There's still a lot of nostalgia for the old place."

Bowden: “It's bittersweet. We're excited about the new gym because it's a first class facility, but there are so many memories about this gym that we're leaving. There's so much history and tradition there. There's a lot of nostalgia for the old gym mixed in with the excitement for the new one.”