By Michael Letendre
BRISTOL – When the Bristol Eastern boys basketball team plays Lewis Mills on Friday from the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium in Bristol, the Lancers are going to honor one of its all-time greatest coaches.
Eastern will be honoring Mike Giovinazzo, who enjoyed plenty of success in that gymnasium over his 34 varsity seasons as head coach of the boys basketball team.
And between his success on both the hardwood and the baseball diamond at BEHS, the honor was long overdue.
It’s going to be a special night as Eastern will be unveiling a tribute that will hang from the rafters of the gymnasium for generations of athletes to see.
“That’s going to be a very special night for all the coaches, the players, and for the school,” said Eastern coach Bunty Ray.
Giovinazzo is the winningest coach for both the Eastern boys basketball and baseball programs, earning a combined 941 victories, several Colonial Conference and CCC South titles, a state championship in baseball while mentoring countless athletes who have come through both programs.
His baseball squad in 1986 won the Class L championship and he took his 2009-10 basketball team to the semifinals of the Class L tournament – wining the league title in the process.
Giovinazzo learned from the likes of coaching legends in town such as Jim Bates and Dave Mills and passed those teachings on, as well as his own, to the kids and athletes that played for him.
“We talk about tradition, you talk about wearing the uniform,” said Ray when talking about Giovinazzo. “They’ll be plenty of people here. That’s going to be very good for the kids to see.”
Giovinazzo is an icon in the city of Bristol and his contributions to BEHS, and to the community in general, have not gone unnoticed.
And it was time for a coach, who truly enjoyed teaching young adults and always passed the credit on to everyone but himself, to enjoy a little bit of adulation for his contributions to the Bristol Eastern sports family.
“A lot of times, [players are] in the moment and don’t realize what’s around them and what’s done for them. Coach G’s done more than anybody,” said Ray. “His teachings have been passed on. It’s good for [the kids] to show respect for somebody who has earned it.”
