Demetri McCamey will miss looking at all of the championship banners and trophies.
The St. Joseph graduate is among of hundreds of former basketball players saddened to hear about the closing of the venerable Catholic school in Westchester.
On April 13, St. Joseph principal David Hotek announced the closing of the school after years of financial struggles. The last day students were in the building was May 28, but the doors will be officially shut in August.
McCamey, a former star point guard for Illinois, said he still cherishes visiting his old high school.
“My emotions were stunned because I never thought St. Joe’s would be closing,” he said. “I’m very frustrated and wish I could’ve done a lot more to keep it open. It will always be my home.
“The gym was one of the best I’ve played in, and I still work out in to this day. The best part about the gym is all the banners and championships across the wall and Hall of Fame hallway. It made you want to be great and be the best player could be.”
The 61-year-old school became known nationally in the 1994 documentary “Hoop Dreams.”
But basketball coach Gene Pingatore, the winningest coach in Illinois High School Association history, was the face of St. Joseph for five decades before passing away in July 2019. He coached three McDonald’s All-Americans — NBA superstar point guard Isiah Thomas, Daryl Thomas and Deryl Cunningham.
Junior center Kyle Thomas, who has numerous Power Five offers, wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and finish his career at St. Joseph.
Daryl Thomas, a 1983 McDonald’s All-American, led Indiana to the 1987 NCAA championship. He died in 2018.
“It stinks,” Kyle said of St. Joseph closing. “There’s nothing else I can say. In a way, the school was like a home for so many people, including myself. It’s like getting kicked out of your own house and there’s nothing that can be done.”
Cliff Scales said he was in shock and endured a wave of emotions when he heard the news. Scales, an assistant coach at Wheaton St. Francis, graduated in 1987 and played at Nebraska.
Scales admitted the gym had worn spots from bad lighting to small bleachers to plaster showing in the locker room, but it had a special place in his heart.
“Visiting the gym is liking going back in time because nothing has changed since 1987,” Scales said. “There’s an innocence and pureness to it.
“I had a conversation with coach Pingatore’s friends after he passed. That almost would’ve been a fitting end to close it, just because what he meant to the school. Everyone talks about all the memories there for you can never take that away.”
After serving as an assistant under Pingatore from 1985 to 2019, Bill Riley handled the final two seasons as the school’s boys basketball coach.
Riley confirmed it has been a difficult time the past few months for many current and former players, including former NBA guard Evan Turner, USC graduate Nick Rakocevic, Glynn Watson and Tony Freeman.
The Chargers won state championships in 1999 and 2015.
“The school has been better part of my life, as a member of the community, since I was a young boy in playing tournaments,” Riley said. “St. Joe’s has always been around, so to have to go through this experience has been difficult.
“St. Joseph served the community in such a unique way — probably was one of the most diverse Catholic high schools for many years. The school has meant so much to so many people. It’s just a shame for the community, a huge loss.”
Riley said there are plans to auction off some memorabilia and different parts of the school in the near future.
“It’s been a long run and a blessing to be a part of it,” he said. “It’s something that changed my life and others in so many ways. My thoughts are with the alums and all the young people who had to redirect themselves.
“Coach Pingatore was bursting with pride to be a part of St. Joe’s. I know he’s looking down with a tear in his eyes because the school meant so much to him.”
Marlon London, a 1998 graduate who was a standout guard at Kansas and coached for six years on Pingatore’s staff from 2010 to 2016, said the best way to honor the school and the gymnasium would be with one last hurrah.
“I hope a lot of guys get the chance to pop in there when all is said and done,” London said, an assistant at North Park University. “I would love to organize a random quick run and be done with it. That would seal the deal for everybody.
“There’s so much tradition, and I was fortunate to be a part of it. I know a lot of guys are taking this very hard. For me, going to St. Joe’s was the best decision my parents made. I enjoyed it all — the good and bad.”
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
