The 2014-15 boys basketball team sat in their locker room, the air tight
with anticipation. This was their night. Senior night. In their way stood the
Windsor Warriors. It was the season's true tipping point: the tournament
clinching game against Fermi was history, but crunch time still
loomed.
Coach Jim Dargati began his pre game
message to his team, and was highly animated. He stared past the losing streak
South Windsor had endured against Windsor, a streak in which was over two
decades old.
"We kept Windsor as our matchup
on senior night, instead of an easier opponent, because this is a team that is
never going to back down from a major battle," said Dargati. "You are focused,
you are determined and you are going to beat them
tonight."
That night the Bobcats took the
hardwood and played it their way. When the final horn sounded South Windsor had
earned a 58-50 victory. Students flooded the court in jubilation and embraced
the players, fathead cutouts raised triumphantly
overhead.
They out-worked Windsor that night,
out-hustled them, and locked them down on defense. They played it the Dargati
way.
Dargati was inducted into the New
England Basketball Hall of Fame (NEBHOF) on August 8. With his new membership he
joins elite company in New England basketball immortality. Additional members
of the NEBHOF include Bob Cousy, Julius Erving, Ernie DiGregorio, Patrick Ewing,
Tommy Heinsohn, Ray Allen, Calvin Murphy, and Rick Carlisle. He also joins his
father, George Dargati, an inductee in
2009.
"I love the history of New England
basketball," he said. "To be a small part of it is very humbling. It's a great
honor to be inducted and the fact I'm joining my father, makes it extra
special."
Several members of the NEBHOF are
affiliated with basketball's ultimate stage in the National Basketball
Association and have engraved permanent marks on the sport. However, Dargati
will continue his quest to create eternal markings of his
own.
Throughout his time as a coach, Dargati
has strived to replicate the mold of a players' coach, yet balance that style
with discipline. His overall mission has been consistent. "[My goal is] to build
a model program based on integrity, character and the drive to 'out work' the
opponent," Dargati said. "[Our coaching staff] emphasizes skill development,
fundamentals, team first attitude, hard work, toughness, defensive and offensive
execution and a commitment to win."
Dargati's
basketball journey commenced with early success, his playing career consisting
of All New England recognition at Loomis Chaffee, All-State Selection at East
Catholic High School, and went on to play college basketball, including one year
under Jim Calhoun at UCONN.
Dargati's
introduction to coaching began as a ball boy, under the roof of one of
basketball's most historic franchises in the Boston Celtics. He watched Celtics
coach Tommy Heinsohn march down the sidelines and address his team outspokenly
in the locker room.
Dargati returned to Loomis
Chaffee and held the position of head coach for 14 years. During that span the
Pelicans evolved into one of the most feared programs in New England. They
salvaged the New England Tournament championship in 2009, and Dargati was
recognized as the 2009 Coach of the Year.
"I
have taken bits and pieces from each coach and applied it to my own strategies
and philosophies," said Dargati. It is the relationship with his players
however, that brings Dargati the most happiness. "The greatest lesson I learned
from them is that there is no other profession that provides you with so many
tools to positively effect the lives of young men," he
said.
Dargati says the best coaching advice
given to him was to be flexible. "I believe the most important step in building
a basketball program is developing a style of play," he said. "But you need to
be flexible so you can change your system to best utilize the abilities of your
players. Although the system that fits a particular team may not be your
favorite, it may be the one that gives your team a chance to become the best it
can be."
Dargati's coaching success at Loomis
Chaffee and South Windsor along with his playing career has landed him in the
Ronald S. Perry category within the NEBHOF. But his story is far from being
complete. The legend has plenty of room to
grow.
Dargati will enter his second year with
the Bobcats after guiding them into the playoffs, and claiming three tournament
wins. They were not stopped until the quarterfinals, ending with a 15-10 overall
record, two years removed from a winless
season.
The school, starved for a state title,
is going on 16 years without a team state championship and has not tasted gold
in basketball since the Tom Roy era of the early
1970s.
Dargati will attack this new chapter
with the knowledge he has gained from being around the sport he loves. He
understands what lies ahead. "I had a great 24 year run at Loomis but I'm proud
to be the SWHS basketball coach," he said. "South Windsor was once considered
one of the best basketball programs in Connecticut. Our goal was to restore that
tradition. This past season was magical and the dramatic turnaround that we
experienced surprised everyone. The key is to find a way to sustain that
success."
With Dargati now at the helm, the
school looks to write a new run of success into their history books. The
prologue to his career as the Bobcats head coach intrigued the town of South
Windsor. After such a turnaround, mirroring his Loomis Pelicans accomplishments
may not be out of the question.
