Won 566 Games at Sacred Heart and Gorton High Schools
Coach Volpe sitting, with Sacred Heart Stephen Marcellino, left, and Assistant Coaches
Chris Harris, 2nd right, and Sean Brown.
By Dan Murphy
A tradition created over a decade ago to honor a legendary Yonkers Basketball Coach John Volpe continued last week before a packed house at Sacred Heart.
The game honors Coach Volpe who won 566 games while coaching at both Sacred Heart and Gorton. Friends, family , alumni and many Hall of Fame members from the Westchester and Yonkers community were in attendance.
Among the many tributes to John, the current coach of Sacred Heart, Stephen Marcellino thanked Coach Volpe for inspiring his team last year to achieve the best record in Sacred Heart’s hundred year history, winning the city and state CHSAA championship and winning the New York City Mayor’s cup defeating the best PSAL team.
The game was a challenging contest for both teams, with Sacred Heart ultimately prevailing 54-39. Marion Morgan of Sacred Heart led the way with 21 points.
John Volpe was a legendary high school basketball coach in Yonkers. He began his coaching career in 1959 at Charles E. Gorton High School (Gorton High School), where he served as head varsity boys’ basketball coach for 33 years until 1996. During his tenure at Gorton, he amassed 446 victories at that single school—a record for Section I at the time—and he accumulated more wins than any coach in any sport in Yonkers history up to that point. He was also a Social Studies teacher at the school for 37 years before retiring from teaching in 1996.
He then continued his career at Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers, serving as head varsity boys’ basketball coach. His career victories included 14 Yonkers City championships, 8 Section I titles, and 2 Regional crowns. Three of his players advanced to the NBA, including Charles Criss and James Bostic (both Yonkers Sports Hall of Fame members).
For his accomplishments, Coach Volpe was inducted into multiple Halls of Fame:
• Yonkers Hall of Fame
• Westchester Hall of Fame
• New York State Basketball Hall.
His legacy endures through the annual Coach Volpe Basketball Classic, a matchup between Gorton HS and Sacred Heart. Coach Stephen Marcellino has organized this annual event to recognize Coach Volpe as one of the greatest coaches in New York history.
Coach Marcellino has continued the tradition of coaching excellence at Sacred Heart, leading last year’s team to its best record in the school’s history and a CHSAA city and state championship. For his accomplishments, he was named the New York State high school coach of the year by BCANY, the Basketball Coaches Association of New York.
Coach Marcellino noted during the festive ceremonies that while wins are important, the most significant achievement of any coach is “…the development of student athletes to prepare them for college and life. We are so fortunate to be able to recognize the accomplishments of Coach Volpe who has been a model for all of us who coach”.
