Editor’s Note: The following is a column from Tim Clouser, who was the boy’s varsity basketball coach at Sachem from 1968 to 1978. Coach Clouser was 116-77 in 10 seasons and won League I Coach of the Year honors in 1977.
In May of 2016 I attended the second induction of the Sachem Athletic Hall of Fame. I taught at Sachem and coached boys’ basketball from ‘68-78. It was great to see so many former coaching colleagues recognized for their achievements. I always respected, admired, and enjoyed working with inductees Frank Schmidt, Bill Batewell, Ken Freidheim, Jack Mahoney, Tom Sabatelle, Fred Fusaro, and Risa Zander. Two of my former players, Mark Graebe ‘75 and Shawn McNamara ‘78, were honored as well. Also inducted was Jimmy Fabian ‘66, an excellent all-around athlete. His two younger brothers Mike ‘70 and Eddie ‘72 both started and played on the ‘69-70 team that produced Sachem’s first winning boys’ basketball season and first berth into the Suffolk County playoffs. It was seeing the Fabian family at Flanagan’s after the ceremony that inspired me to write this tribute to that ‘69-70 team.
The culture surrounding Sachem basketball had been dramatically shaped two years prior by Coach Bob Maher. I was lucky enough to be his JV coach and learned much about building a team. Coach Maher’s ‘67-68 team won a then school record eight games. When Coach Maher took a position upstate after the season, I vigorously pursued the opening. I liked what he was leaving behind and I liked what was coming up.
My first varsity team at Sachem in ‘68-69 played in a very strong League II. Bay Shore with Jimmy McLauren and Deer Park with future NBA player Bob McCurdy sat at the top. We played four guards and a very clever Rich Harmon ‘69 inside. Ed Usinger ‘69 (an All-County soccer player) and Captain Ron Russ ‘69 (Sachem’s football quarterback) teamed with Mike Fabian ‘70 and Kieran Canter ‘70 to play tough defense and deliver the ball to Harmon who scored inside against bigger defenders. The team finished 7-11 but it was clear Sachem basketball was gaining positive momentum. Rich Harmon’s play earned him a scholarship at Dowling College. Mike and Kieran returned to lead next year’s team.
As a coach I always loved preseason the most – with everyone competing hard and buying in. The ‘69-70 team certainly had a great preseason. Box out drills resulted in stitches and as time went on the ball was finding the bottom of the net more and more. When shots weren’t falling a couple of young sophomores, Tom Durham ‘72 and Ed Poggi ‘72, were getting lots of offensive rebounds. Tom and Ed would be joined by another sophomore, Mike’s younger brother Eddie Fabian ‘72, in the starting lineup.
The unselfish senior leadership from Mike Fabian and Kieran Canter helped make the decision to start three sophomores a good one. This lineup allowed us to bring three strong juniors off the bench – Gary Graebe ‘71, Greg Wojciechowski ‘71, and Willie Thomas ‘71 – who all played huge minutes. Greg and Willie would go on to earn scholarships from Marist College a year later. The juniors’ great presence and performance on this team was testimony to the positive influence of good DNA. Gary is the older brother to Mark Graebe ‘75 – perhaps the best natural athlete ever to play at Sachem. Greg is the older brother of Sachem East football coach and Hansen Award winner Mark Wojciechowski ‘85. Willie Thomas’ brothers, Jerome ‘72 and Wilbur ‘68, also played basketball for the Sachem Arrows.
None of the three starting sophomores had even played JV as freshmen, but junior high coaches Steve Rich and Tom Sabatelle had them ready and well-schooled. Ed Poggi was a tall forward who did it all. He defended other bigs. He could score and he really rebounded. Tom Durham was even taller than Ed and would soon attract the attention of college recruiters. Despite being truly sensitive and gentle off the court, he was a hard-nosed and ferocious rebounder. Both Ed and Tom would become older Sachem hoops brothers. Ed’s brother Doug ‘76 played on very strong teams a few years later. The Poggi brothers had a similar skill set, surely honed in childhood games of one on one. Tom was the older brother to future Sachem Hall of Famer Barbara Durham – who would specifically attribute her success to driveway basketball battles with her sibling.
Eddie Fabian, Mike’s little brother, was the point guard. He had a game like Steve Nash. He scored plenty when we needed him to but he much preferred to pass. He was called “the little red head” and impressed thousands the night he used his spin dribble to go by future NBA player Foots Walker in a play-off game versus Southampton. He was cool and calm. He would go on to lead Dowling College to over 130 wins during his four year career.
In my 40-plus years of coaching I never had a brother combination like the Fabians. They were outstanding players who defended, scored, and assisted – all while being incredibly coachable. The beauty of their brotherhood was contagious. When we installed our version of the “4 corner” delay game it was Mike who quietly came over to me and suggested that Eddie play the role of the ball handler in the middle. I think we called it “SPIDER FOR A LAYUP.”
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention three other senior members of this special team. Tim Tenaglia ‘70 was a very talented guard whose performances were severely hampered as he was recovering from serious leg surgery. It had to be frustrating not to be able to play more, but I do remember him scoring an impressive 10 points in the 4th quarter against Patchogue. Jody Brown ‘70 and Tony Campo ‘70 were two players who had not been part of the team as juniors. While their playing time was limited, their authentic selflessness made them much appreciated by their teammates. Jody and I shared the same birthday.
I was a young coach who, as Clyde Frazier would say, was “yearning and learning.” This group gave me a template for building teams over the next 40 years. I strived to find and develop players who found joy in passing like Eddie Fabian, or who went after rebounds rebound like Tom and Ed. Mike and Kieran were the model for defenders who found joy in applying relentless full court pressure. Those two also taught me about leadership – mostly leading by example but never shying away from confronting words and actions that undermined our team concept. Every time in the future I coached a brother combination, they heard my speech about the contagious kinship that emanated from Mike and Eddie. Throughout my career I would be on the lookout for players, like all of those on the ‘69-70 roster, who did not care who scored or who got the credit.
The team went 10-4 in league play. All four of those losses were to Bay Shore and Deer Park. We played them both very tough the second half of the season, but their experience and talent proved to be too much for us. We received an at large bid to the county tournament where a loss to Southampton ended our season.
The Sachem boys’ basketball program began to improve with the ‘67-68 and ‘68-69 seasons but the ‘69-70 team cemented this change. Like Phil Jackson’s book, hoops became sacred that season. The team packed gyms with loyal fans, and college recruiters began finding out how to get to Lake Ronkonkoma. I regret having delayed so long in writing this tribute as the wait may have led to some revisionist history. My apologies if some memories of this team are inaccurate, but they are undoubtedly recollections and remembrances of joy.
Tim Clouser, Varsity Basketball Coach, Sachem High School, 1968-78