George hangs up his whistle

After 30 years of coaching excellence, one of my mentors and friends George Kraus has decided to officially retire from coaching basketball. I've had the honor of working with George the last four seasons and it's been an outstanding learning experience. The man is a proven winner who seems to get more out of any given player than even they know they are capable of.

When I was a student at B.A., I remember watching the girls team he coached - led by Lori Taylor and WNBA player Tammy Sutton Brown. Those teams were unreal. He medaled twice at OFSAA with them. He also won titles with Seneca College, the MDHS boys and was an assistant with the women's team at Vermont (NCAA Division 1).

When I began my coaching career at B.A. I knew I had a lot to learn. When I made the jump to MDHS I realized I had more to learn that I ever could have imagined. I know that I'm a better coach today because of the time I spent with George - during games, practices and away from the court. He really is one of the top coaches in the provice, and basketball at the grass roots level will miss him. That being said, George will continue to run his camps during the March Break and summer months. Click here for more info.

Yesterday, Wilf and Sue Tuck threw a big retirement party for George. They invited players he has coached over the last 30 years - from Andy Boss (who played on his first team in '74) to Adam Folker who just finished grade 10. They started the day with a game at a local community center, and ended up with a BBQ at the Tuck's place.

This was also probably my last chance to see a bunch of the guys who are on their way back to their respective college teams for the year. Chris will be a senior at Stonehill, Mike Tuck a sophmore at Loyola, Eugene a sophmore at Long Island, Andrew a freshman at Harmony Prep in Ohio, Mike Folker a freshman at Acadia and Tyler McGarrity a freshie at Windsor. I've worked closely with the last three guys (not to mention Matt Cole goin to Niagara) for years and can't wait to see how they do on their own.

Good luck George with your new business, and good luck boys in pre-season.