The Screaming Eagle sat down recently to chat with St Mary's coach, Paul Girolami...

Screaming Eagle (SE) Hi Paul, thanks for talking to me. Travel down to The Valley on a Saturday afternoon, it will be hard not to see you coaching one St Mary’s domestic team or another, and in truth probably several. How did you first get involved in basketball, did you play as a kid?

 

Paul Girolami (PG) Actually I was a late starter to basketball and I played senior domestic over at Coburg, before the Stadium got burnt down.

SE When did you first get involved with the St Mary’s Basketball Association?

 

PG When my eldest fellow Andrew started with the Sharks I joined the committee the year after (approximately 18 years ago).

SE It seems like you have coached forever with St Mary’s. When did you first start coaching, and how did it come about?

PG When Luke, my second fellow started, I got involved with coaching then (approximately 16 years ago).

SE You would have coached dozens and dozens of teams over the years. What was your all time favourite team that you coached for whatever reason and why?

PG It is hard to answer a question like this as I have been fortunate enough to deal with some wonderful kids and their families over the years. Many years ago there was a team that was struggling and we got together and they worked their way to win the U14D Grand Final. Over the next few seasons they kept working hard, so that in their last season they made U18A grade. We didn’t have any stars and there were no rep ballers in the side. They were a very effective team, they trained hard, they worked together and their teamwork was the feature of their game.

SE I am told you have won a few titles along the way. What would your favourite grand final win be and why?

PG It is tough to say one in particular stands out, because at the time, each of them has been special as not everyone gets to win one and if you don’t put in the required effort and preparation you cannot win one. Probably the Summer 2011 U18A Grand Final against Greenhills stands out, as it was the end of a journey with a special group of kids. It was also a beaut way to finish, playing a very good Greenhills team that had been mighty opponents over many years.

SE You’ve coached some great players in your time, who are you three favourite (not necessarily the best) players to coach and why?

PG You do have the privilege of dealing with many players and their families and there are always wags, scallywags and individuals who keep you on your toes. Marcus ‘Fish’ Nolan for his understated but important contribution, Damien DiMasi who thinks ‘defence’ is to hold open ‘degate’ and Jake Plunkett who in his Mothers words was a ‘butterball’ stand out in my mind. Jake is a tremendous example of the results that can be achieved through hard work. He has changed his body shape over the years and now makes a strong contribution for the DV Youth Men’s team. Jake is also an example that we need to coach and nurture our big players because as they grow older they come into their own and there may not be an immediate payoff.

SE OK, now who are the three absolute best players you have ever coached and why?

PG Sam Gilmore, Aidan Corr and Daniel Girolami. Each of these fellows through their junior career showed a willingness to just get on with it and play, to constantly work hard to improve, to really want the ball in big moments and most importantly, have the understanding of the game, to use their teammates around them to achieve the desired result. Sam has played basketball for Australia U19’s and is currently pursuing his football dream at Port Melbourne VFL. Aidan is currently playing for the GWS Giants in the AFL and Daniel is playing with the DV Men’s Youth Championship team.

SE You have been involved in St Mary’s behind the scenes for many years as well, when did that begin, why and what positions have you held?

PG For virtually everyone involved in the game they start to get involved because they have a child or a sibling involved. Once Andrew started and knowing I had three more boys to come I thought I would like to get involved and help to make a difference. My first year was as a general committee member, then President for eight years, then Boys co ordinator for three years and recently I have just finished another five year stint as President. I am now a general committee member.

SE So 13 years as President, all I can to that is wow!! But you are not the only Girolami involved outside playing at Diamond Valley. What other family members are involved and what do they do?

PG My wife Maree was our boy’s clothing coordinator for over ten years. She was also Luke, Daniel and Mark’s under 8 coach when they started. Andrew, Luke, Daniel and Mark are DV referees. Andrew coaches our St Mary’s boys under 18/1 team and Daniel coaches our St Mary’s boys under 16/1 team. Andrew is currently our club Treasurer. My brother Bernie is also with St Mary’s and at some stage has coached each of his children James, Kaitlyn, Georgia and Megan. He has also been an age group coordinator and committee member. James and Kaitlyn are DV referees. So there is some level of Girolami participation at the Sharks.

SE Girolami involvement? Seems like you’ve got shares in the place!! Having been involved behind the scenes for so long, have you seen any major differences in people wanting to become involved from the time you started to now? How hard is it to get people to put their hand up?

PG If a club is consistent in its approach and is clear in its vision, I have found that it really isn’t hard to get people involved. Of course we should never expect people to come in and run the show from day one but with time to settle in and get the feel of the place people grow into the roles. We have been really lucky with this approach at St Marys in recent times, with people like Steve Hollowood now President, Rob Boek Secretary and Clare Bowkett Vice President and Chief Girls Co-ordinator. The bottom line is we just want to offer a game for our kids, so whether they are Coaches or Team Managers people are always happy to get involved.

SE Extremely well said! Other than winning titles as a coach, what do you see as your greatest moment or greatest achievement at St Mary’s?

PG When I started with the Club we were broke and only had about 22 teams (boys and girls) on the floor. We only had two or three junior rep players and about 4 referees. In recent times we have cracked the forty team mark, have over 35 boys and girls playing junior rep and have over 25 referees at DV. We have endeavoured to grow the game from within our own ranks and the knock on benefit is that by being self sufficient that helps DV to grow. So I see the greatest achievement being the growth in the Club and its contribution to DV by encouraging the kids into other aspects of the game. This is further reflected in that currently Paige Radic, Jake Plunkett, James Penny, Justin Petrie and Daniel Girolami are playing State Championship Youth League for DV.

SE And they are achievement certainly worth shouting from the rooftops!! There have been and still are many other great people involved at St Mary’s over the years. Name a couple who in your mind have made outstanding contributions to the club.

PG This is a tough question as during my time at St Marys it has been very enjoyable due to the many people who have contributed many hours to the welfare and promotion of the sport. Ian Raffa was our Secretary for 10 years and Dean Anthony was boys coordinator for many years. Their sense of perspective and fairness was a great sounding board for me and it is no small part they played in St Marys consolidating its growth and being in its current position.

SE If you could magically click your fingers and have something done, changed, fixed and absolutely in place at Diamond Valley right now, what would it be (don’t be afraid to dream big)?

PG I would love to see at least another three courts with a show court set up, we would immediately fill the venue with training, game fixtures and could further develop basketball in the north east by having the best show court that would attract other games to the venue. We are perfectly situated at the end of the ring road to cater for this.

SE Thanks Paul for taking the time to chat with me. It seems that the more interviews I do the more I realize how many unsung volunteers there are in the DVBA ranks, how many people put in such tireless efforts over many years just to give the kids a place to play.

It’s people like Paul who are the heart and soul of the place, so to you Paul, the Screaming Eagle salutes you.