KEANmag
27
How does a successful high school basketball coach go from good to
great? For Phil Colicchio ‘90, head coach of the Linden High School boys
basketball team, it happened when he became a father.
“Parenthood has made me a much better coach,” Colicchio explains. “I
know I am still feisty. But i know what parents expect of me as a coach
and mentor. Being a father has made it easier to connect to my players.”
After 20 years of working with Colicchio, Linden Schools Superintendent
Danny Robertozzi has experienced first hand the influence the veteran
coach has on the lives of inner-city players, especially those who may
lack family support.
“Coach has had students on his teamwho are homeless,” Robertozzi said.
“You have kids who come from extreme poverty. The best meal (some)
get all day is the school lunch. Some are growing up in households with
their grandparents or their guardians. For some of these kids, Phil is the
only disciplinarian they’ve had in their lives, but they respond to him.
He’s been doing it for so long now, for so many different types of kids,
and he’s reached so many. He’s made a major difference in the lives of
hundreds of students.”
For some team members, basketball is their only motivation to come
to school every morning. The relationship’s Colicchio has formed
with his players has created an impact not just on his team, but on
the community as a whole. In a state known for its basketball royalty,
Colicchio belongs on any short list of the best high school coaches
in New Jersey. Under his command, Linden High School has won five
Group IV state championships, eight sectional titles, and three county
championships. The Tigers have also knocked off the number one
ranked team in the nation on three separate occasions.
Colicchio, born and raised in Elizabeth, enrolled at Kean and played on
the men’s basketball team during his freshman year. While he excelled
on the court, he admittedly did not fare as well in the classroom. Phil
was academically ineligible to play basketball as a sophomore, but in a
twist of fate, it was during this time that he gained his first experience
in coaching.
Colicchio was invited by his former coach, Ben Candelino, to be a
volunteer assistant coach at Elizabeth High School. It was there that the
coaching bug first bit him and he knew he found his calling.
Colicchio rededicated himself to his studies and with the help of
professors Dolores Shiposh and Richard Bakker, Colicchio was able to
get his academic affairs in order at Kean. The two were, according to Phil,
“extremely patient with me and always willing to lend a helping hand.”
If the support of his dedicated professors wasn’t enough to keep him on
track, Phil also had the unconditional love of his high school sweetheart
Laila, who was also enrolled at Kean. Thirty years later, Laila, now Dr.
Laila Colicchio ‘89, is the foundation for Phil’s belief that his success in
parenting and coaching is intertwined.
Phil and Laila are the proud parents of three children: Tommy, Alissa,
and Gia. In fact, it was a young Tommy that led to Colicchio’s first
meeting Kean University President Dawood Farahi, who is known for
his dedication to keeping the campus beautiful and accessible for his
students. "Tommy was outside playing by the flowers when this man
approached us and welcomed us to the campus. He kept checking on
the flowers; he seemed very protective of his flowers," Colicchio laughed.
Now when his team plays in Harwood Arena (Kean hosts two or three
Linden basketball games each year), two things are certain: first, whether
they win or lose, the Tigers are a family, and second, everyone is careful
around the flowers.
