Tony Lavorato, Jr. enjoying retirement from the game

Basketball has always been a way of life for Tony Lavorato, Jr. back to his days growing up as the son of the head basketball coach at Princeton High School.

He followed in his dad’s footsteps, launching his own successful coaching career over 24 years at Maine South in suburban Park Ridge.

But He found he had to step away from the game to better experience the most important parts of his life - his family.

A year after retiring from the bench, the father of three spent this basketball season watching his son, a fourth generation Anthony, and Amelia, a junior, play for Hinsdale South.

“I saw 63 live basketball games of my kids this year and I could not be happier. Obviously, it’s the most amount of time I’ve spent watching my own kids and enjoyed every minute of it and cheering them on,” he said.

The old coach said he had to learn how to be a parent and not a coach at games.

“I’m not a great fan of the antics that take place in the stands so I go find my corner and I sit there. I try to keep my mouth shut and enjoy watching my kids play,” he said. “What happens is because I’ve been in the business so long, everybody wants an opinion. My line is, ‘I’m just here to watch my son or daughter play.’

“I’m pro coach. I’m always going to be pro coach. It’s a very difficult job and there’s a lot of different ways to do it.”

Lavorato said he’s spending the time he used to spend with his players who want to play collegiately helping his daughter out behind the scenes on the recruiting front, whether it’s running her Twitter account, reaching out to coaches, filling out questionnaires, and “kind of guiding her through the process.”

He also works her out every Sunday, “things I’ve either never been able to do or have the time to do or haven’t been present to do. If Amelia goes on to play, I’m going on the road and worrying about my kids and not anybody else’s.”

Lavorato never did get to coach his son since he teaches and coaches at Maine South near O’Hare and they live in Darien and go to Hinsdale South.

“When they were younger, we tried to figure out a way to move up there so they could go to the school where I taught and coached. And it just wasn’t meant to be. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to coach my son,” he said.

Lavorato took his first timeout from the game during the pandemic in 2020, which gave him his first look to life beyond coaching basketball.

“COVID kind of knocked me out of my routine,” he said. “All of sudden, I had my first Thanksgiving without basketball. I had my first Christmas without basketball. And I’m spending all this time with my family. And now, it’s ‘What have I been missing?’”

The spring COVID season in 2021 proved to be a grind as the Hawks played 23 games in 35 days, the most games of anyone in the state that year. But he also missed a lot of family moments he couldn’t get back.

“It was crazy. Amelia played with Mary Elizabeth, my oldest, when she was a senior. Because of the COVID restrictions, I didn’t have the opportunity to watch the two play together,” he said. “I told my wife (Mary), I think, ‘I’m done.’ She’s like, ‘Don’t be done on this year. Go out on your own terms. Give it one more year.’ So, we ran one more year.”

His retirement affected the whole family because it had been such a big part of their lives.

“It was like we lost a piece of ourselves. There were a lot of tears shed by me and my family,” he said.

Lavorato had just completed his eighth grade year at Logan Junior High when his family left Princeton in 1987 and his dad, Tony, became head coach at Hinsdale South. He said he had great memories living in Princeton at 523 E. Thompson St.

“Some of the most important memories in anybody’s life is childhood memories and I was fortunate to have them in Princeton. What a great town,” he said.

Growing up, he didn’t have favorite NBA players, just favorite Princeton Tigers like John Rumley, who he calls the greatest shooter he ever saw.

“I could go through a list of my top 10 favorite Tigers,” he said. “It was small town basketball, Prouty Gymnasium, coming out to Eye of the Tiger and it was a special place. The community was shut down on Friday and Saturday nights. It was the only show in town. It was definitely a family.”

Lavorato said coaching can be a tough occupation.

“My parents did a great job of sheltering me away from the chaos and the mayhem that a head coach has. We try to do that with our kids, too,” he said. “It’s professional wear. You can’t play everybody. You can’t make everybody happy. The longer you’re at a place, the more people that you upset.

“I think longevity in this profession, you have to have thick skin, you have to have a great supportive administration and you have to be able to have a short memory. I’ve been fortunate to have those things in my 24 years.”

Lavorato, 49, retired with 407 wins, winning his last regular season game in 2022, exactly one more than his father. It really wasn’t by design. It just happened.

“We really never talked about it. He’s the ultimate humble human being. He never wanted any of those accolades,” Lavorato said. “My wife did the research to find his career numbers to have him inducted into the IBCA in 2002. Nobody knew except for my family. None of the players knew.”

Lavorato, Sr. retired in 2000 after 13 seasons at Hinsdale South. He also coached 13 years (1974-87) at Princeton, posting a 179-156 mark.

Lavorato, Jr. already had his dad’s famous “Lav clap” on the sidelines. In May, he will share a spot in the IBCA Hall of Fame with his dad.

“Just to be mentioned with him and his name and someone I looked up to so much, it’s a great honor,” Lavorato Jr. said.

Kevin Hieronymus has been the BCR Sports Editor since 1986. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com