It’s never easy to replace a legend. Gene Bartow tried at UCLA to fill John Wooden’s shoes as men’s basketball coach and failed miserably. Jay Leno was never that successful in taking the place of Johnny Carson on the “Tonight Show.” It’s safe to say that Shemp never cut it as a replacement for the immortal Curly with the “Three Stooges.” And really, was Woody ever a fitting fill-in for Coach on “Cheers?”
So can Damel Ling actually replace Bill DeFazio as the girls’ basketball coach at Marist High School? Needless to say, DeFazio, the HCIAA’s all-time leader in girls’ basketball coaching victories, is a tough act to follow.
But the bombastic, explosive and lovable DeFazio retired at the end of last season, turning the reins over to Ling, who for the last three seasons was the boys’ coach at Hudson Catholic.
“I can’t walk in and do everything exactly the way he did,” Ling said. “I think the girls could tell that there was going to be a difference. I have a different way dealing with things. They’re doing exactly what I want them to do. They’re listening to what I have to say. They still have a little problem executing right now, but that will come with time. They have to get used to the fact that I get directly to the point.”
Ling wasn’t a totally foreign guy to the returning Marist girls. He was at a lot of their games last year and has been a familiar face to them.
“I think that helped with the transition,” Ling said. “When Bill made the decision to retire after last season, getting me in as the new coach calmed things down right away. They knew me, knew what to expect. They knew that there wasn’t going to be a drop off, that we expect to be the same type of team that Marist had with Bill as the coach. I think that made the transition easier.”
Ling is fortunate to have three standout players returning in senior guards Desiree Denmark and Ashley Vazquez and center Antoinette Blake.
Denmark was a Hudson Reporter All-Area performer two years ago for the Lady Knights. She had a disagreement with DeFazio last year and was removed from the team, but she’s back this year.
“They called a meeting to announce me as the new coach and Desiree showed up,” Ling said. “I did not want to know what happened before. We had a clean slate and she’s been a joy to have.”
Vazquez was a Third Team All-Area honoree last year. Blake is a fine post player who has the potential to be dominant. The trio forms one of the more formidable groups in Hudson County girls’ basketball and all three should be double figure scorers this season.
“They’ve been through it all,” Ling said. “They’ve even pulled some of the freshmen aside and have told them what they have to do. I’ve learned to lean on them as much as they lean on me.”
Alexis Wilson is a 5-4 freshman who will start with the talented trio. Wilson will take some pressure off Vazquez handling the ball and she’s fit in well with the rest of the returning Lady Knights.
“You can tell by the way the other girls react to Alexis that she’s walked in and fit right in,” Ling said.
Sophomore Angela Randle is a 5-7 small forward who will get her fair share of shots.
“She’s probably our best shooter,” Ling said of Randle.
Freshman Ebony Wood is a 6-0 center who will give Blake some relief down low. Devina Simon is a 5-7 sophomore who will back up Vazquez and Denmark.
There are other holdovers as well from the DeFazio regime. Assistant coaches Angela Henderson and Erica Cubile have also returned, giving the Lady Knights some stability and familiarity in the coaching ranks.
Of course, DeFazio is still around, working at the school, but he’s decided to step away from the team.
“He’s been great with everything and he’s there if I need him, but he’s decided to distance himself,” Ling said. “But if I need anything, he’s a big help.”
It’s hard to ignore a guy who only has 570-plus wins under his belt.
Ling is enjoying making the transition from being a boys’ coach to a girls’ coach.
“I’m having a ball,” Ling said. “I’m not leaving the gym with a headache every single day. It’s good to enjoy coaching again. I’ve put a lot of pressure on myself to want to win right away. I can’t do what Billy did here. No one can. I just want to continue the success.”
Chances are that Ling will have a little more success than Shemp or Woody did in their replacement attempts. The Lady Knights will be battling cross-town rival Bayonne for Hudson County supremacy all season long.
We’ll have more on other local basketball teams during the weeks after the New Year. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.