A gratifying life full of hoops, education and family has Reni Dolcetti savouring his first year of retirement.
Dolcetti, 59, takes his son Marco’s dog, Ruger, for long daily walks and enjoys hiking, snowshoeing and kayaking with his beloved wife Glenda. Reni also does some woodworking and is thankful he’s alive after a bout with cancer in 2010.
“The doctors wanted to amputate my right wrist, but I asked them what my options were. I had 30 radiation treatments and I’m now cancer free. I go for annual check ups.”
A 6-foot-8 forward in university and with Team Canada, Dolcetti attended the all-boys St. Charles College growing up in Sudbury. His father, Giovanni, served Italy in WWII and died, at 97, in 2010. His mother, Gina, was a seamstress. Reni is the youngest of three siblings.
“I was six-six in Grade 9 so I knew was destined to be a basketball player. I’d spend summers playing pick up all night on blacktops and then I’d ride my bike home.”
St. Charles won several Northern Ontario school titles and Dolcetti pocketed numerous all-star awards. He tangled on the court with Rocky DiPietro, who went on to star for the CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Dolcetti played for two years – first season under coach Ken Shields – for the Laurentian Voyageurs in Sudbury before transferring to the University of Victoria in 1977.
Shields, who was known as being demanding, rarely smiling and rarely handing out compliments, moved to Victoria and recruited Dolcetti, turning him into an extraordinary player.
The Vikes bounced the Brandon Bobcats in the 1980 Canadian final at the Calgary Saddledome with Dolcetti earning tourney MVP. He then joined the Olympic program with the likes of Jay Triano, now an assistant coach with the Portland Trail Blazers.
“I tried out in the spring of ‘80 in Ottawa and we toured Canada and went to the U.S. Development Centre in Denver for high altitude training. We played in the America’s with Brazil, Argentina and Venezeula at the Roberto Clemente Coliseum. We came second, losing to Puerto Rico, so we qualified for Moscow. The Americans had already qualified so we didn’t have to play them.
“We heard Jimmy Carter had pulled the U.S. out of the Moscow Olympics and we got a call saying Canada had done the same. It was very emotional. We were all together and on a bit of a high after qualifying. We had figured there was a small chance we would go to the Olympics so it was an incredible low. We were all honoured at a dinner in Toronto. They recognized all the Canadian athletes that were on the Olympic team.”
Dolcetti was then at a crossroads, wondering if he should join the workforce as a teacher or pursue playing pro in Europe, which was in the developmental stage with no salary guarantees.
He landed his first teaching gig at Charles Bloom in Lumby, teaching phys-ed, math and socials and coaching Grade 8 boys and girls hoops for five years. Glenda, who played field hockey at UVic, where the two met, got on as a counsellor at Bloom. Glenda now teaches at Seaton.
Reni split the next 30 years at VSS and Kalamalka, coaching senior boys hoops at VSS and senior girls at Kal. The Lakers, led by phenom Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, claimed the 2009 senior AA provincial girls title.
“Not only is his passion and enthusiasm for the sport of basketball contagious, but he is also one of the most kind-hearted and generous people I have had the pleasure of meeting,” said Laker grad Claire Nyrose. “On the court, Reni inspired us to work hard in order to achieve our goals. He went above and beyond the commitment of a normal high school coach, always willing to help us improve our skills, even if it meant coming in on weekends and holidays to practise ‘just a few more foul shots.’
“Most importantly, Reni taught me that good sportsmanship extends beyond the gym. He always treated not only his players, but also our opponents, other coaches and referees with kindness and respect.”
Nyrose is finishing up her bachelor of science in Global Resource Systems at UBC and is currently on exchange at Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Olivia Vardabasso was also on that championship Laker team and recalls Reni spending free time in the gym going over basic skills with his players.
“He was more than a coach; he was a mentor, and someone who always pushed me, and all the other girls he’s coached, to be the best we could be,” said Vardabasso, now nursing in Kelowna.
“I always had my doubts on whether I had what it took to move forward with my basketball career past high school, but Mr. Dolcetti had unwavering faith in me. It’s amazing how much a player’s confidence can improve, when she has someone behind her every step of the way, believing in her ability to be the best she can be.
“He engrained hard-work ethics in us, and taught us to never give up, regardless of the circumstances. Without this teamwork and strength we never would have been as successful as we were, especially when it came to winning our provincial title in Grade 12.”
Dolcetti had a blast learning from legendary Canadian coach Jack Donahue.
“I loved Jack. He had coached Lew Alcindor who became Kareem Abdul Jabbar, in high school in New York. His experience was overwhelming. He just knew every facet of the game and he was so calm with the players and our team really gelled under his coaching.”
The 1979-80 Vikes were the first team in the Canada West conference to go 20-0.
Victoria defeated the University of Calgary Dinosaurs on home court, earning the program’s third Canada West title and a berth to the CIAU championships. Eli Pasquale and Billy Turney-Loos were named Canada West First Team all-stars, while Gerald Kazanowski and Dolcetti were named to the second team.
The Vikings travelled back to Calgary for the nationals and dispatched University of Windsor Lancers 93-75 in their opener. In Game 2, the Vikes grounded Saint Mary’s Huskies of Halifax 91-75. The Vikings upset No. 1 ranked Brandon Bobcats 73-65 in the finals for their first national title. Shields was named CIAU coach of the year, while Dolcetti was named MVP and all-star.
“The transition from player to coach was tough,” said Reni. “I had to understand that what I took for granted in skills, the kids don’t know. The transition doesn’t happen overnight, it takes years. When I got to VSS, I gained some comfort in my coaching through repetitive basics. For me, it’s about teaching the basic skills in practice, prepare your team for the game. I never quit studying the game so I could try to get my point across better in difference facets.
“The most rewarding part – you can’t have winning teams all the time – is when your team grows and reaches it potential.”
Dolcetti coached all three of his kids – Marco, Melaina and Emma – and made sure it was clear he never gave them any breaks.
“The team needs to know right from the beginning there is no favouritism.”
Marco, a 29-year-old Victoria firefighter, played under his dad with the VSS Panthers.
“I found him a bit tougher on me, but it pushed me to be better and to be accountable. I always enjoyed him as a coach. Funny story: I was playing at Fulton one game and an opposing player ripped my shorts, basically making it into a free flowing skirt with a fancy slit up one side. I was running around in boxers essentially. He refused to call a timeout for me when I asked in passing. I think he was almost mad at me for asking. But, it’s funny to look back on now.”
Melaina, a 27-year-old teacher at Fraser Heights in Surrey, remembers her dad as a coach who got the most of his athletes.
“Some of our teams were not very strong and he’d still get us to the provincials. He really cared. I loved having him as a coach. Although I liked my coaches when I played at university (UBCO Heat), it was the best having him because I could express how I really felt about what was going on.”
Emma, 24, an academic advisor at Gonzaga University in Spokane, where she played soccer, respected her dad’s knowledge.
“In some ways he was harder on us. He knew how hard to push his own kids, but he did it subtly. He wanted us to develop and improve just like the other kids he coached. At the same time, we didn’t want to disappoint him. I think we put extra pressure on ourselves that he might not have been aware of, just because of who he was and the level of athletics he was able to reach.
“What made him such a great coach was how much he cared about the players. He would have players that didn’t have the fundamentals down or weren’t particularly athletic, that just wanted to be involved, and turn them into a key part of a team. He was able to help players find their strengths and utilize them, whatever they might be.”
Tim Thorpe was into football at VSS, but recalls Dolcetti as a down-to-earth educator.
“Reni was my Grade 8 social studies teacher,” said Thorpe, a former Okanagan Sun all-star. “He was a giant to me back then but he was non-intimidating and always made me feel comfortable. He later taught me in senior P.E. and this was easily my favourite class in all my years of high school.
“What I like about Reni is that he is humble and approachable. He has a confidence that is obvious and he gains respect by being himself. I try to use these same qualities that I admire about Reni in my teaching 20 years later.”
As for teaching in the classroom, Reni said: “I loved it. I was very emotional about leaving. I loved the interaction with kids and teachers. I have so many memorable experiences.”
“Reni was a presence in the classroom, the basketball court, and the lives of the students he taught and athletes he coached,” said cohort Morris Vardabasso. “I had the pleasure of working with him as his principal in high school. As a teacher, Reni was the consummate professional. He was passionate about his vocation, and believed in developing character and confidence in his learners. For Reni, education did not end at 3 p.m., as he was an outstanding and tireless supporter of athletic programs his whole career.
“Fortunately, my daughter had the opportunity to play for Reni in her senior high school grades, and I was given a parent perspective of this amazing coach. Reni’s understanding of high level athletics allowed him to develop the body and minds of all his players.”
While Dolcetti has left an impressive legacy throughout the school district, he will be sorely missed in those special lunch-hour exhibitions.
“We never lost a staff /student basketball game when Reni played,” laughed longtime VSS teacher Tom Williamson. “He had to duck through each door at VSS as the doors were six-eight and he is half an inch taller.”
Dolcetti was never asked to play in the Fulton Fat Cats games Friday afternoons.
“We couldn’t invite him. Who would mark him?” deadpanned former Fulton teacher Randy Matheson.
Reni’s modest Coldstream bungalow off Sarsons Road is full of family photos from yesteryear.
“Having coached my own children and seeing all of them play college sports and get an education is very rewarding as well. Glenda was a huge part of raising our kids who used sport as a tool to grow in many wats. I think sports builds character.”
The Dolcettis are a close family with Reni speaking some “broken Italian’ he plans to use on a trip back to the old country once Glenda finishes teaching.
