46 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • JUNE 2019
FAMILY & EDUCATION
LI COACH PENS MOTIVATIONAL MEMOIR
continued from page 45
Children’s Summer Day Camps
HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES & CRAFTS FOR AGES 5-7 & 8-11
Tuesday, June 25 – Friday, August 30
9:30am -12:30pm & 1-4pm or 9:30am-4pm
$150/child for 4 consecutive AM or PM sessions
$300/child for 4 full days
• Nature I (Ages 5-7, 8-11): Pond study, trees & leaves, insects
& spiders, nature’s recycling (composting)
• Nature II (Ages 5-7, 8-11): Beach exploration animal habitats,
flowers & pollination, all about birds
• Geology (Ages 8-11): Rocks & minerals, water erosion,
daytime astronomy, fossils, local geology
• Junior Geologist (Ages 5-7): Discovering dinosaurs & fossils,
daytime astronomy, rocks & minerals, erosion
• Native American (Ages 5-7, 8-11): Tools & Artifacts, culture,
pottery, games & legends, fire-making & survival
GARVIES POINT MUSEUM & PRESERVE
50 Barry Drive, Glen Cove, NY 11542 • 516-571-8010
Visit www.garviespointmuseum.com for details
County Executive,
Laura Curran
Commissioner,
Eileen Krieb
“He knows how to form relationships
with people, and in sports, that’s really
important,” says Steve Atkinson, the
current Hills West Varsity Hoops
coach who was Mitaritonna’s assistant
for seven years. “How he dealt with
players…he knew when to and when
not to. He always had the pulse of the
team and that’s an incredible talent.”
Mitaritonna’s love for the game
stemmed from his father, Angelo, who
had a background in NCAA and semipro
hoops during the 1950s. Angelo
used sports to teach valuable lessons
like believing in yourself and treating
others around you with respect.
“My father would make one statement
and ask one question on the way home
from games: ‘I really enjoyed watching
you today, did you have fun?’” Mitaritonna
says.
That sort of levelheaded guidance
helped Mitaritonna deal with the ups
and downs that life threw his way.
As a basketball lover who attended
Archbishop Molloy High School in
Queens, Mitaritonna was cut from the
school’s prestigious hoops program in
his freshman and sophomore years.
As a junior, and with the reality of a
super-talented roster staring him in
the face, Mitaritonna took on a new
challenge: He was brought in as the
team manager. Under the guidance
of the legendary high school basketball
coach Jack Curran, Mitaritonna
soaked in all he could.
Mitaritonna then attended Westbrook
College in Portland, Maine. He made
the division III basketball team as a
freshman. When he moved back home,
Mitaritonna wondered where his love
of the game would take him next. This
was where his underdog story came
full circle — he joined the St. John’s
Redmen, a powerhouse division I basketball
program, as a manager.
Due to a swath of injuries, Mitaritonna
was permitted to try out for the team
as a walk-on. After making the official
roster Mitaritonna was traveling to
away games with the team, participating
in practices, and stepped onto the
hardwood as a member of the team he
followed as a young boy in six contests
during the 1993-94 season.
“Bill was never the superstar but he
was the quintessential team player,”
Hills West Baseball coach Tom Migliozzi,
who has worked alongside
Mitaritonna at Hills West for 20 years,
told the Press. “This life experience lets
him understand the kids who may
struggle with playing time.
“During practice he gives those kids
opportunities to play the game they
love,” Migliozzi continues. “He yells
positive stuff, makes a big deal of every
positive thing these kids do ... it makes
them feel good.”
Mitaritonna translated his personal
experiences as a young player into
lessons for players he coached.
“Maybe a big part of it was that I wasn’t
that good,” Mitaritonna says. "It's good
for kids to look at themselves and say ‘I
need to go practice more. I need to get
better. I tell my son now, ‘Do you want
to be the best player in 7th grade, or the
best player in 12th grade?’”
Mitaritonna formed a reputation for
putting fun first and expressing mutual
respect.
“The most important thing about Bill is
that he is the ultimate players’ coach,”
says Migliozzi. “He is not only a role
model for these kids, he is a confidant,
and does this while maintaining his
authority."
"It’s good for kids to look at themselves and say
‘I need to go practice more," says Billy Mitaritonna.
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