After a thrilling 24-1 season the Lady Sailor basketball team was met with a shocking blow at their end of the season banquet, their coach was retiring. For seniors, Shannon Brady, Christine Collins, Kate Lemire and Megan Otto this season was meaningful enough.
A trip to the Boston Garden, a South Sectional Championship, and an almost undefeated season is nothing to hang their heads over. And the same goes for Coach Brian Buckley.
Deciding the week before the season ended, Coach Buckley informed Athletic Director Rick Cash that he would not be coming back for his ninth season with the Lady Sailors. During his speech he looked into the faces of all his players and said “I didn’t tell anyone else, because I wanted you to hear it from me.”
No doubt the team will be strong next year, but Coach Buckley could not have asked for a better note to leave on. Loved by his players, past and present, his impact on these countless athletes will stay with them forever.
The memories of a trip to Boston Garden made first as a player his own senior year of high school, and then this past March as the coach of the Lady Sailors will forever stay with Coach Buckley.
Congratulations to the Lady Sailor Basketball Team on an amazing season and congratulations to Coach Brian Buckley!