Isiah Thomas said Gene Pingatore taught him the value of hard work — a lesson reinforced during an impromptu return to St. Joseph during Thomas' Hall of Fame NBA career.
"After being in the pros for so long, I came back and Mr. Pingatore and his team were playing in the Proviso West Christmas Tournament and I came in and watched them practice early one morning," Thomas told the Tribune on Thursday. "After practice, I went downstairs and found him in the laundry room and he was washing the uniforms and folding them.
"To me, that was unbelievable. After him winning all those games and championships, he still found a way to take care and do the simple things and always looked out for his players."
Thomas, a 1979 St. Joseph graduate, said he's not surprised at the longevity of his former coach. Pingatore, 80, is one win shy of 1,000 for his 48-year career, spent entirely at the private school in Westchester.
The Chargers play host to St. Rita at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the first round of the Chicago Catholic League Tournament. If they lose, Pingatore would get another shot at No. 1,000 at 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
Photos of St. Joseph boys basketball coach Gene Pingatore, who has 999 career wins as of Feb. 9, 2017.
Thomas is the most celebrated of the hundreds of players Pingatore has coached at St. Joseph. The former point guard, a two-time NBA champion for the Pistons and an NCAA champ at Indiana, said he still visits St. Joseph "quite often," most recently about two months ago.
As a junior in 1977-78, Thomas led St. Joseph to a second-place finish in Class AA. He said one of the secrets to Pingatore's success is his ability to care for his players, and Thomas said Pingatore helped prepare him for success in college.
"I learned how to be a leader on the basketball team and a winner from Mr. Pingatore," Thomas said. "I know I get a lot of attention for being one of the best players to play there, but I can say playing for Mr. Pingatore that every player he coached, he gave each and every player, regardless of what year, his all as a person and coach.
"All the years that he's been coaching, it doesn't matter — one through 15, if you are a starter or bench player — he gives everyone their all. The fact that he's one win away from 1,000 is remarkable."
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
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