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caption:
Recognition
Killingly High School Director of Athletics John Krot, left, presents former Redmen coach Scott Derosier with a plaque in recognition of his 25 years as basketball coach, while Derosier’s son, Tom looks on.
Killingly says
farewell to coach
Scott Derosier
By Ron P. Coderre
“I can proudly say that I did things the right way and that is great peace of mind.”
Those words spoken by former Killingly High School basketball coach Scott Derosier summed up his feelings following his emotional thank you to those in attendance at the Killingly versus Stonington basketball game Jan. 2. Derosier was honored at halftime when he was presented a plaque by Athletic Director Jon Krot in recognition of his 25 years as coach of the Redmen.
Reading from prepared notes, Derosier thanked everyone from the Killingly community, including the school administration, his former assistant coaches and all those players who “put on a Redmen uniform” during his tenure.
Pulling back from the microphone to compose himself a number of times, Derosier continued his emotional remarks thanking his parents Joan and Art Derosier, his girl friend Annie Daly, “the love of my life,” and his two children, his daughter Gina and his son Tommy, both of whom he had the honor of coaching during his career.
Derosier, who was stricken with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2009, endured six months of intense chemotherapy, which brought his disease into remission. In 2012 Derosier and Annie were shocked to discover that she had breast cancer.
“Suddenly our roles were reversed. After showing me a whole new world and providing me with strength and courage when I needed it most in my life, I was allowed to return the favor when she courageously fought her own battle one year ago,” said Derosier pulling back tears.
In referring to his son and his daughter, Derosier said, “Coaching your own children can be one of the most difficult things in the world. Many (parent/child) relations can be ruined. For me, coaching my two kids has provided me with some of the most rewarding experiences of my life and stories to tell their children.”
A 1977 graduate of Killingly, where he was a three-sport standout, Derosier noted that being able to coach at his alma mater was something he had always dreamed of doing. The first six years of his coaching career were spent on the junior varsity level under coach Rich Lebel. Upon Lebel’s retirement, Derosier ascended to the varsity level for 19 seasons where he was credited with 195 victories.
Although he has many memories not all of them are directly related to winning games. The first move Derosier made upon taking the reins of the Redmen program was to name Ben Desaulnier his team captain on Oct. 8. The next date he recalls with clarity is Oct. 29, when Desaulnier was killed in a tragic automobile accident. It was at that point that the new coach realized that the “games are not as important as life itself.” This was a philosophy he carried to his players throughout his coaching career, as his aim was to help his players grow not only on the court but as men prepared for the real world of the future.
He remembers all of his players but five in particular bring a smile to his face, as they all went on to college athletic careers as players. Shane Gibson, who is currently at Sacred Heart University, Josh Dinerman, who went to Malloy, Dan Piccione, who played at Bryant University, and Patrick Crowley, who played at Stonehill College, make Derosier proud to think he had some influence on their lives. He also mentions “Big” Jon McRae, who had an outstanding football career at Northeastern University.
He notes that wherever he goes he constantly hears from many of his former players. Two players who were the “glue” of his teams Michael Moran and Justin Cyr continue to be a part of the fabric of his life.
In his first varsity game as a coach Derosier’s team lost a heartbreaker against Windham when the Whippets scored the go-ahead basket with three seconds remaining on the clock. He received a modicum of satisfaction in his next contest as Killingly bested a great Marianapolis team coached by Chuck Bourgeois by a score of 39-37. This came the year after the Golden Knights had just won a State title.
“Every time I’d see Chuck Bourgeois I’d tease him about the win. He had his championship ring with the number 1 in the center and I’d tell him that was a reminder to him that my first coaching victory was against him. We still laugh about that when we see each other,” said Derosier.
Another game that comes to mind is a 65-61 victory over Norwich Free Academy in which Killingly trailed 40-20 at halftime. “In the locker room at the half I told the team to go out and have fun they had nothing to lose. They had fun all right. They scored an amazing 42 points in a 12 minute span to pick up a win that I had already written off as a loss.”
Derosier, who’s been working in research and development and testing at Rogers Corporation for 35 years, says he’s not ready to retire completely. His retirement from coaching has provided him with the opportunity to enjoy some free time and reflect on his family and life in general. He plans on taking in some high school games, especially at Killingly and will assist as the color analyst on occasion for WINY Radio broadcasts.
“I don’t know how I managed everything that I did for the past 25 years. I was fortunate that my company realized the value my coaching at Killingly meant to the community. But now I have the opportunity to take a breath and take control of my time rather than be restricted by a 20 game schedule,” said Derosier.
At the end of his emotional words upon receiving the accolades and plaque from John Krot, former coach Scott Derosier received his second standing ovation of the evening from the crowd on hand. It was well deserved.
It was Killingly High School’s, the community and local high school fans way of showing their appreciation and saying a well deserved thank you to a man who had helped hundreds of young students grow into responsible men and community citizens.