Slam dunk for the Rye High basketball program.
It does not suck when one of your supporters is the head coach of the New York Knicks.
At its last meeting, the Rye Board of Education approved a gift of fifteen new uniforms for the Boys' Varsity Basketball Team from Mike and Laurel D'Antoni, valued at approximately $2,000.
Rye has a girls basketball team as well. They’re the ones with the inferior locker rooms, right?
Charmian,
Have you ever met Coach D’Antoni?
I have, he is a really nice guy and his heart is in the right place.
Maybe you could give this a different approach…especially considering the time of year!
I don’t see anyone else stepping to the plate, do you?
Like a lot of parents, Mike and Laurel D’Antoni enjoy helping out their son’s team: In this case, the Rye Varsity Basketball team. As some of you may know, the Rye Varsity boys’ team is headed to the Beach Ball Classic, an invitational tourney where they will compete against some of the top teams in the country. It’s great that the boys will be able to do so in new uniforms.
Rye is lucky to have the D’Antoni family be a part of the community for reasons that go beyond their Knicks’ connection. Their son, Mike, is a team player who encourages others, especially newcomers on the team. In the stands, Mike and Laurel exhibit exemplary sportsmanship. They also go out of their way to make all families, including younger siblings, feel welcome. Coach D’Antoni is certainly a public figure, but the snide (and vulgar) tone of this news item was uncalled for. As Rye residents and basketball parents, we think a simple “thank you” would have sufficed.
Debbi Porterfield and Jeff Mangum
WELL SAID DEBBI & JEFF!!!
Jimmy, my dear friend and neighbor – please don’t read ill will into my comment where none exists. I think it’s generous that the D’Antonis have made a contribution to our community, especially coming on the heels of an anonymous challenge donor who pledged something like 1.7 million dollars to build a field house. I hope this is the beginning of a welcome trend. Privately supported athletics means more funds available for necessary maintenance of our school buildings.
With that in mind, I thought I’d mention that one of the reasons the school construction bond included not only new science labs, but locker room updates as well, is because the girls facilities are inferior to the boys. I haven’t seen them myself, but this is what I was told at the school board meeting. If this is the case, then that would be in violation of Title 9, wouldn’t it?
So I thought I’d just mention, since the bond was defeated, the crummy girls facilities, in case some generous person was inspired by the D’Antoni’s act of good will. Perhaps someone else will step up to the plate for our awesome young women athletes.