By Josh Krueger, Staff Writer, Newport Daily News
March 28, 2014
NEWPORT — Jim Psaras did his best to sum up 29 years of coaching in a few pages — no easy task. Not surprisingly, he had a lot to say. One thing he didn’t need to say, though, was he did not arrive at this decision easily.
It was written all over his face.
On Thursday night in front of a small gathering of friends, family, colleagues and former players, the longtime Rogers High School boys basketball head coach officially announced his retirement from the job he’s held for the past 26 years.
“There are things about coaching here that I will miss. I’ll miss the players and the camaraderie with my coaches. I will miss trying to come up with strategies and game plans against the best coaches and teams. I will miss making a difference in young people’s lives,” said Psaras, reading from a prepared statement. “I will miss all that, but if I don’t coach again, I won’t feel like I didn’t finish the job. My passion for the game will always exist. I finished my job here, and the journey was a dream come true.”
Psaras finished his career at Rogers with a record of 421-245 (.632 winning percentage) and three state championships in 1990, ’91 and ’93.
He spent a year coaching the Thompson Middle School boys, one as the Rogers freshman coach and one as the J.V. coach and assistant to varsity coach John Dias. When he took over the head job, he had lofty goals.
“When I became the coach in 1988-89, my goal was to coach 30 years, and my other goal was to win 10 state championships. Let’s face it, I was 23 and had no idea how difficult that would be,” Psaras said. “I was so young. I did not understand the difficulties and challenges of trying to achieve such high goals.”
While he didn’t quite reach those goals, Psaras still put together quite the impressive coaching resume.
“I watched him coach his first two years, seventh and eighth grade, and ninth grade, and the kids loved him,” Dias said. “His work ethic, he put more time and effort into it than a lot of coaches did. He was willing to learn. He matured every year, he got more and more into it and then he got to a point where he was the best basketball coach in the state for years and years.”
Psaras won 13 coach of the year awards during his tenure, the most recent being the Division II-South Coach of the Year after the 2007-08 season. He had opportunities to coach at the next level, as his predecessor did, but decided he was content where he was.
“I was a head coach in high school, and … that’s what everybody wants to be — a head coach,” Psaras said. “I started to realize I was a head coach at a special place. This is a wonderful place to coach … and it was special. I had special kids, we had a special community and I was lucky to be part of it.”
The reason the Rogers boys coaching job was open for Psaras to take in 1988 was because Dias accepted an offer to be an assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island. Having been down that road, Dias said Psaras made the right call staying put.
“I left here in ’88 to go to URI and coach at the college level. He hit the nail on the head. We all love being head coaches,” Dias said. “I spent three years at URI … and it was not the same as being the head coach at Rogers, or any other high school. He made a great decision.”
Stepping down was the right decision, too, no matter how difficult it may have been.
“I look forward to spending more time with my children, Julia and Will,” Psaras said before pausing to collect himself. “I look forward to further supporting my children in whatever they want to do. My love for them is what matters the most. My love for this school and this basketball program can never be taken away from me. For that I am grateful.”
While he’ll no longer be the boys basketball coach, Psaras certainly will attend Rogers games from time to time. When he does, he said it might be difficult to turn off his coaching instincts.
“I’ll probably be yelling at the officials,” Psaras said, drawing laughter from those in attendance Thursday night. “I’ll probably yell something to one of the assistants. ‘Do this. Try that.’ But I’ll be sitting next to my kids, or former players that go to the games now. It’ll be different, but at the end of the day, I can go home and not have to worry about game tape, scouting reports, what’s going on with the kids in school — if they’re absent, sick, academics. I’ll be able to enjoy watching basketball.
“It’ll be tough, but it’s going to be interesting for the first time in 29 years being able to do something during Christmas, take a February vacation, go away for a weekend — things I just haven’t been able to do.”It’ll be an adjustment for other coaches, as well, not having Psaras on the Rogers bench. “He was the dean of Rhode Island high school basketball,” said former assistant Kevin Lendrum, who now coaches the Middletown boys. “You kind of think, ‘Who’s going to be there now?’ Not that anyone who jumps in won’t do a good job, but it’s like Mike Krzyzewski leaving Duke.” Psaras, 50, has been around a long time, but he got some laughs when he misread part of his speech, giving himself nine extra birthdays.
“For 29 of my 59 years, I have called this place home and it will always be my second home,” he said, momentarily confused by the laughter. He then caught his mistake: “Twenty-nine of 50. I aged nine years.”
Psaras said he first had the thought his career might be coming to an end early in the season.
“I knew it was time for me to step down when I brought the wrong uniforms to our game this year at Mount Hope. We needed to be black,and I brought white,” he said. “That was a sign.” In January, he gave it some more serious thought.
“Mike (Newsome) has kept me around the last four, five years, talked me out of the thought,” Psaras said. “I kept looking back at the time and the commitment I made and I just thought. After wins and losses, I make sure I look at things on both sides and I just felt at this time that it’s the right timing for me, for my children.”
Psaras said he hopes his successor is, like him, a Rogers graduate. Newsome would fit that bill, and said he’s learned a great deal from Psaras during his time as an assistant coach. “One of the major things I learned was to have class. He had class,” Newsome said. “He never went overboard to the point you felt like the program was about Jim Psaras more than it was about Rogers High School. It’s about Rogers High School and being proud of being a basketball player at Rogers and a Rogers student.”
Whoever the next Rogers boys basketball coach is, Psaras said he will be around and available should that person seek his input or advice on anything. For some general words of wisdom to his successor to be determined, Psaras offered this: “Trust your instincts, be committed to the important little things. Those little things are the difference in kids’ lives,” he said. “Make all the kids accountable. Make sure you share their passion with them. Make sure that they understand that this is a special place, this is a special town and the tradition at this school in every sport and everything it’s stood for, for over 100 years, is a heavy weight to carry. But make sure as competitive as the situation may get, you have class. Because people are always watching.” Going forward, Psaras could be one of those people watching, and his opinions and ideas almost certainly will be valued.
“Today we don’t lose Jim Psaras as head of our basketball program. I have just gained a lifetime consultant here,” athletic director Jim Cawley said during his opening remarks before turning over the floor to Psaras. He then quipped, “There’s no pay.”
On a more serious note, Cawley expressed his gratitude on behalf of Newport and Rogers High School.
“It’s an emotional day … It should not be a sad day, but a day we celebrate. We celebrate the fact that, for the past 29 years, the student-athletes at Rogers High School have had the opportunity to learn basketball, and life skills most importantly, from this man,” he said. “He’s a man who’s passion and knowledge for the game of basketball has transcended all boundaries and brought fabrics of this community closer together for generations. For that, this program, this school, this city, this state should be thankful.”
Psaras was thankful for the opportunity, and the memories it provided.
“This was not a decision that was made lightly. I’ve had a wonderful run at Rogers. I leave with the greatest sense of pride in what we have accomplished here, and I’ve always tried to do the right thing,” Psaras said. “My time here at Rogers has been a wonderful journey.”
