Mitch Calvert
Paul Noonan was recognized last week for his 15 years of volunteer coaching with the Muskie boys’ basketball program by the Rainy River District School Board.
“His leadership has contributed towards the successful achievement of numerous awards, NorWOSSA championships, and, in [2001], he took the Muskie team to OFSAA,” Human Resources manager Diane Ross noted in announcing the recipients of the yearly volunteer awards at last Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
“Though awards may be an example of success, the real recognition is to say thank you for taking the time for basketball practice,” she added.
After two years as the junior boys’ coach, Noonan has patrolled the sidelines for the senior squad for the last 13 years, committing countless hours to practices, games, and weekend tournaments.
That reign will end this coming winter, however, as Noonan will relinquish his whistle and clipboard to a still-to-be-determined newcomer.
“I’ve decided to step away for at least a year anyway, and sort of reassess things and decide whether it’s something I want to continue doing or not,” Noonan explained.
“I’ll continue to do some officiating, and at different times I’d be happy to step in on an interim basis or whenever a team needs help, but I informed them now because I wanted to give them ample time to beat the bushes, so to speak.”
Noonan will be a hard act to follow—especially in a town not known for being deep with basketball pedigree.
“It’s not a program like hockey where there’s a lot of people with a good background in it,” Noonan admitted. “In a small town like this, there’s often times where you don’t have people with a strong background in the sport of basketball.
“I just figured it was time to step aside and give someone else a chance to do something with the program.”
Noonan said he first took the job as the junior boys’ coach 15 years ago when his son, Michael, was with the program and just continued on ever since.
He also coached both the boys’ and girls’ programs in 2000 while his daughter, Sarah, was on the team.
“My son was in the junior program when I started and I coached him right through his high school years,” Noonan recalled. “And after he was done, I just kept on doing it and have done it ever since.
“I enjoy working with the kids, so that’s probably been the biggest thing that I’ve enjoyed over the years.”
The longtime coach said his most memorable highlight was the team’s lone trip to the all-Ontarios in 2001.
“If I had to choose one, it would have to be the 2001 trip to OFSAA with the senior boys,” Noonan said. “We had a really good squad that year and had some really good results.
“[We] won one of our games and almost won a second one down there, and had a really good showing from that group,” he added. “That’s probably the farthest we’ve ever been so if I had to choose one [memory] in particular, that would have to be the highlight.”
Advancing to OFSAA is a difficult task in basketball, as even an undefeated NorWOSSA season by this past winter’s squad didn’t result in a trip to the provincial showdown after the team lost to a strong Westgate Tigers contingent in the best-of-three NWOSSAA final.
“It’s tough getting through Thunder Bay,” Noonan remarked. “Unlike other sports where you just win NorWOSSA and get through to OFSAA, it doesn’t work that way with basketball, so you have to have a pretty good program to get through.
“We were definitely close and could’ve been there [this year], but it’s one of those things where whichever team is strongest for those two final playoff games is going to move on, and [Westgate] was,” he reasoned.
