After 35 years, Roger Pires retired from teaching this year but he remained committed to Parkland Secondary School’s senior boys basketball team.
“I’ve been coaching here for 32 of those years,” said Pires prior to a Tuesday night tilt against Reynolds in his home gym. “And during those three years I wasn’t coaching here, I was coaching my kids’ lacrosse team.”
This season, however, will be his last, he says, making his retirement complete.
Parkland has a senior-laden squad this year, made up mostly of Grade 11s and 12s. There’s one Grade 10 player on the team and Pires said that the school’s junior program is large enough right now to ensure the senior team is able to reload next year.
This year’s group is quick and tall, but is suffering with a few injuries right now, Pires said. One of their taller players is injured and won’t be available until January. Even so, Pires said he thinks his team will do well in league play. Overall, he added, coaching has been very rewarding.
”Last weekend (Parkland hosted a tournament) we had around 120 boys out playing,” Pires said. “I’d rather see that, than see those 120 kids out on the street.”
