By Michael Letendre
The Bristol Eastern girls basketball team have been chomping at the bit to finally celebrate a huge milestone victory for veteran coach Tony Floyd.
It might have taken an extra game or two but when the Lancers were able to hang a 41-12 loss against Career Magnet in New Haven this past Saturday, Floyd earned his 600th victory of his career.
The team had a little celebration for their coach on the court after the historic win, acknowledging a truly remarkable accomplishment.
After the game, Floyd was quick to pass the credit to everyone but himself.
“The biggest thing is that I never thought about the wins or all that stuff,” said Floyd. “It wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for the kids, for the players I’ve had in the past and my coaching staff. They’ve all helped accumulate these wins. It wouldn’t have happened without all those people’s support.”
“My staff have helped me get through the games, making the decisions and that kind of input.”
Floyd’s been the coach at Eastern since 1979 – replacing Joan Galati as coach – and over 43 years on the sidelines, Floyd entered the 2022-23 campaign with 594 victories and nearly a 64-percent winning clip.
His squads have won multiple state championships, taking home titles in 1983, 1987 and in the back to back years of 1990-91.
The Eastern squad has multiple CCC South titles and Floyd needed just four seasons as coach before his first state title season in 1982-83.
After missing out on state tournament play in his rookie year coaching, his teams missed the playoffs just once since that time.
His honors and accolades are simply too numerous to count.
Floyd took home the Connecticut High School Coaches’ Association Coach of the Year Award in 1991 and has been actively involved in the sport at the AAU and Nutmeg State Game levels.
Floyd is currently in the top 10 in girls scholastic wins in the state and was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
And he’s had some of the best talent on the court and on the bench at Eastern.
Floyd could go on and on about talents like Donna Elliott, Chryss Watts, Bernice LaFerriere, Laura Lishness, Kathy and Lauren Ferrier, Ginny Ziogas, Shonda Brooks, Ernestine Austin, Taylor Losey, Jordan Ouellette, Ciara Collins and so many more outstanding athletes that have taken the hardwood for him over the years.
And then there’s been an all-star cast of assistants as well.
Current head basketball coach at St. Paul Catholic, Joe More, honed his craft as an assistant at Eastern before winning multiple titles for the Falcons along with Gary Fleming.
Over the years, Vinny Guarda, Mark Camden, Mike Stokes, Tracy Stolle, Justine Burr, and Mike Jessie have all been helping out Floyd from the sidelines.
And the list of assistants is endless which includes former players Beth Lafferty, Amanda Zdun and Hannah Maghini just to name a few that have returned to the bench to lend a hand.
“I’m really happy for the program and the people that I’ve met and the people that have played for me in the past and the present,” said Floyd. “The coaching staffs from the past and present…I would have never had that success of getting to six-hundred without them.”
He’s been doing his thing since December of 1979 which was a completely different world in terms of scholastic sports.
Three-pointers were only being contested in the NBA and even when the shot was brought to the scholastic game, Floyd hardly utilized it.
And to give even more perspective, when Floyd coached his first scholastic games over that first month of December, the country of Iran was holding Americans hostage at the US embassy, President Jimmy Carter announced his bid for reelection and in the world of basketball, American Danny Shouse scored 100 points in an Icelandic professional basketball league game.
“It’s like it was yesterday for me,” said Floyd about his first season as coach. “I enjoy the challenge. We have a different group every year.”
Floyd loves the task of putting together teams and getting his troops to improve as the season roles along.
And once Floyd started to implement his own style from the sidelines, the Eastern girls basketball program was about to embark on a state championship trek through the 1980s.
After winning those titles, some of those players ended up on the collegiate level in all NCAA Divisions.
“Seeing these kids grow as basketball players coming in with some have no skills and developing into really amazing players and going to the next level is really satisfying,” said Floyd. “Also seeing those players achieving to be young adults and going on from basketball and the stuff that they learn from coaching: playing together, communicating with people, setting goals, working with others and getting through adversities, I think that’s made them very successful in life.”
Inexperienced players who have joined Floyd’s program, those girls have all wanted to do the right things and be successful under the BEHS girls basketball banner.
That’s the juice that keeps Floyd coming back for more.
“Even when we have young kids, they still were able to compete,” said Floyd. “That’s the biggest thing. That’s all we want to do is be able to compete out there and have a chance to win a game. That’s what I’m very proud about. When that stops happening, that’s when I’m done.”
“These kids listen and that’s what I’m very pleased about.”
Floyd also loves to see his former players coming back to visit the program, seeing how successful they’ve become with their jobs and career choices.
“That’s the biggest pleasure that I have for seeing those kids have that kind of success,” said Floyd. “I love to be able to have some influence in their lives to help them be successful in their careers.”
How many students has Floyd accomplished that goal with?
Hundreds? Maybe close to a thousand?
Those numbers add up quick when realizing the sheer volume of players who stepped onto the court of the Thomas M. Monahan Gymnasium to play basketball at Bristol Eastern.
And several of those players have become leaders in their fields, mentors in the community and even better human beings with a little influence from Floyd and the Bristol Eastern girls basketball program.
Congratulations to Bristol Eastern coach Tony Floyd for earning a milestone that very few coaches in Connecticut have been able to approach or achieve.
