By:Angela Marshall
His motto, 12-7-4, was printed on the St. Agnes Stags- practice jerseys. You didn-t have to be the best athlete to star on one of Morris- championship teams, but you had to work harder than everyone else. Morris believed in total dedication. His players had to be in top physical shape, better than their opponents.
For 26 seasons, Morris led the Stags, garnering many victories along the way, including one state and 10 Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) championships. His record of four straight CHSAA championships stood unbroken for 30 years before it was finally eclipsed by one of his own players turned coach.
Morris, a 41-year resident of Merrick, was a phys. ed. teacher at St. Agnes and not very fond of basketball when he began coaching in 1961. A lover of lacrosse, he didn-t understand why basketball moved so slowly. So, he changed the game and forced other Long Island coaches to do the same.
St. Agnes basketball became known for its fast breaks and depth in the lineup. Morris taught his players moves like the long jump shot long before they became popular. He was a spectacular motivator, said Brian Moriarty, who played for Morris from 1974 to 1978. Moriarty and his brother, like most of Morris- stars, received full college basketball scholarships.
Morris- message was universal, and his players often applied it to their adult lives. Moriarty said he knows a lot of men who used the hard-work philosophy to advance in the business world. Whether it-s sports or work or [time spent] with your family, you just always give it your all, he said during a 2002 interview after his former teammate, Tim Cluess, broke Morris- CHSAA consecutive-titles record.
Cluess is just one of many Morris players to go on to successful coaching careers. He has spent more than a decade coaching basketball at St. Mary-s High School in Manhasset. Brian Mahoney, who played for Morris from 1965 to 1967, is a former St. John-s University coach, and Billy Donovan is the coach of the University of Florida Gators.
Morris- St. Agnes coaching career ended in 1987 when the school closed. His record was 471-122. He went on to coach for New York Tech, where his record was 67-42, and Mariner High School in Cape Coral, Fla. He retired from coaching at Mariner last spring, finishing with a 150-52 record.
Morris was always the center of any reunion, each player wanting to spend a few minutes with the coach. Even as adults, they still sought his approval.
A few years ago, Moriarty learned that a fellow former player, Tim Crean, had Lou Gehrig-s Disease. He told Morris that Crean was feeling down, and the coach replied, Don-t you worry. I-ll give him a call and build him up.
And that-s just what he did, Moriarty said. He was still there for him, still driving him. He was a great man.
Mahoney, who saw Morris a few weeks ago at a Hofstra basketball game, agreed, saying, He was just a very caring man.
Kevin Morris played for his father from 1979 to 1981. He called it an experience he wouldn-t trade for the world. But being the coach-s son didn-t mean he received special treatment, good or bad. He made sure not to single me out, said Kevin, who now lives in Lafayette Hills, Pa. There were, however, some interesting conversations on the rides home from school at night.
He loved to be around kids, said Kevin, explaining that his father wouldn-t have considered doing any other work besides teaching and coaching.
When he wasn-t at the gym, Morris loved to play golf and watch the Yankees. He split his time between Merrick and Fort Myers, and was planning to move to a new condo in Florida when he died during a workout at his gym.
In addition to Kevin, Morris and his wife, Gail, who died in 1985, had five other children, Susan, of Merrick; Michele, of Saratoga, N.Y.; Debbie, of North Babylon; Christine Amoriello, of Scarsdale; and Michael, of Huntington. They also had five grandchildren. He just lit up anytime he was around them, Kevin Morris said.
A funeral Mass was celebrated at Cure of Ars in Merrick on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
