By John Goralski Sports Writer If you wanted to showcase your shooting skills, Coach John Salerno was rarely impressed. The former Blue Knight basketball coach seemed to be more concerned with the little things in the games that usually go unnoticed. Salerno approached the game of basketball like a master at a chess board. So when he stepped into the Southington High School gym at the start of the 1991-92 season, Salerno wasn’t worried about shooting or layups. The Knights were coming off an 0-20 seasonthat seemed to showcase turnovers more than baskets, so Salerno turned to fundamentals. “When John held his first practice each season, the entire workout consisted of how to catch the ball. There was no shooting, no scrimmaging, just learning how to catch the rock,” said former Observer sports writer Jim Senich. “Talking hoops with Coach Salerno was like attending a seminar on how to play the game of basketball. As you would expect, his teams were relentless on the court, and they knew how to catch the ball.” On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the former Blue Knight coach passed away, surrounded by family, in Fort Myers, FL, and he will be missed by Southington fans. Salerno [...]
By John Goralski Sports Writer If you wanted to showcase your shooting skills, Coach John Salerno was rarely impressed. The former Blue Knight basketball coach seemed to be more concerned with the little things in the games that usually go unnoticed. Salerno approached the game of basketball like a master at a chess board. So when he stepped into the Southington High School gym at the start of the 1991-92 season, Salerno wasn’t worried about shooting or layups. The Knights were coming off an 0-20 seasonthat seemed to showcase turnovers more than baskets, so Salerno turned to fundamentals. “When John held his first practice each season, the entire workout consisted of how to catch the ball. There was no shooting, no scrimmaging, just learning how to catch the rock,” said former Observer sports writer Jim Senich. “Talking hoops with Coach Salerno was like attending a seminar on how to play the game of basketball. As you would expect, his teams were relentless on the court, and they knew how to catch the ball.” On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the former Blue Knight coach passed away, surrounded by family, in Fort Myers, FL, and he will be missed by Southington fans. Salerno [...]