Nolan retires at Secaucus; Taglieri leaves Lincoln
The Secaucus athletic community bid farewell to a legend last week when the state’s premier volleyball coach, Maria Nolan, decided to retire after serving the last 27 years serving the high school in that capacity.
Nolan wants to spend more time with her family, watching her son, Joe, play football at Hofstra, while daughter, Andrea, continues to grow.
And after 27 years, 16 NJSIAA state championships – the last seven in a row – 522 wins, umpteen BCSL titles, seven undefeated seasons and an elaborate legacy of greatness, Nolan takes her bow.
It’s a ledger of success that has not been seen in any volleyball program in New Jersey, much less any athletic program. Think about it. Other than St. Anthony’s basketball team, which program has been more successful in the area? The answer: None.
Nolan’s teams were an astonishing 238-6 over the last 10 seasons. Can you fathom those numbers? Those numbers explode off the page, making you rub your eyes twice to see if they’re real. Guess what? They are.
Nolan will be sorely missed. She was a professional coach through and through. Her dedication and devotion to her teams, her players and her school had no peers. Her dedication is probably the biggest reason why the Patriots were so successful over the years.
And Nolan gets to go out on her terms, on top, leaving a legacy of greatness and leaving the Secaucus program in fine shape.
She deserves the congratulations and applause that come when someone retires. Although she will be missed – on a personal and professional level – she is leaving to do what she wants to do, which is what we should all aspire to do with our lives.
Coach, all the best and have fun with watching Hofstra Pride football in the fall.
Now, I’ll never have to worry about misquoting her ever again…
The Hudson County sports family is about to lose another long-time favorite, as Lincoln High School athletic director and Hoboken native Marc Taglieri is leaving the Jersey City school to become the AD at Roselle High. We wish Taglieri well in his new assignment…
Speaking of Lincoln, it appears as if former NJCU and St. Peter’s grid coach Roy Miller will not be considered a candidate for the football coaching vacancy left when Tom Ferriero resigned at the end of last season. It was rumored that Miller might take the position, but now, it looks as if current Lincoln assistant and former Marist standout Adonis Blue is the leading contender…
Rumor has it that former Snyder All-State performer and NBA star Rafael Addison could be in the running to replace Artie Rubin as the basketball coach at Snyder…
When you watch the NCAA Tournament this weekend and you hear the name of Chauncey Bryant playing for McNeese State, yes, that is the same Chauncey Bryant who played for St. Anthony a few years back. Bryant is the starting point guard for McNeese State, so the area has another player in the NCAA Tourney, other than the Peahens of SPC…
Congratulations to St. Peter’s Prep standout tight end Will Rodger, who accepted a package to attend Harvard and play football there in the fall. Let’s see, a Prep grad going to Harvard. Sounds like he’s going to make more money than me in a couple of years…
West New York’s Santiago Chi is making his mark with the Seton Hall baseball team. Chi had three hits and two RBI in Seton Hall’s win over Rider last Saturday. The slick fielding Chi should see plenty of action this year. Chi’s teammate at Memorial, Jayson Rodriguez, is also with the Pirates, as a pitcher…
Did someone just mention a baseball result? Yes, the start of the local baseball season is just a few weeks away. Practices and scrimmages have already begun. It’s such a good feeling to talk about baseball. Means summer is right around the corner…
Congrats to St. Anthony’s Elijah Ingram for his selection to the McDonald’s All-American basketball team. Ingram will join the 23 other top players in the country for the game April 4 at Madison Square Garden.
Ingram becomes the fifth St. Anthony product to play in the game, joining David Rivers (1983), Bobby Hurley (1989), Rodrick Rhodes (1991) and Anthony Perry (1996).
“That’s not bad company,” said Ingram, who will play for St. John’s next year. “I am very proud to be considered with those players.”
It looks as if John Valentin has secured a spot on the Mets’ Opening Day roster, which means one thing. His high school coach, Mike Hogan, has to be twisting in the wind a little that one of his former players is actually playing for the dreaded Mets… — Jim Hague