Thoughts about basketball from a West Hartford native and former Conard High School basketball player.

By James A. Johnson

This story is about the greatest basketball player in West Hartford high school history.

Enter 6’ 6’’ Riley Fox, 2024 Conard alum, Connecticut Player of the Year, First Team All-State, now a freshman at Yale University. He was coached by Jared Leghorn and  assistant coach Mark Corey. I can write this story because I am a basketball cognoscenti and a former captain of the Conard High School basketball team.

To set the stage for this story it is necessary to go back to an earlier time to fully appreciate and understand Riley Fox’s remarkable gifts and the town in which he grew up. Riley Fox’s academic and basketball success together with his parents’ guidance cannot be separated from the town of West Hartford.

The year 1954 was West Hartford’s Centennial. In order to understand the present, you must journey with me to the past. Nov. 11 is a special day in America that honors veterans who gave their lives for democracy. But, to this writer it has an additional significance. Nov. 11, 1954 is the day my family moved to West Hartford.

At that time, West Hartford was one of the wealthiest incorporated towns, per household income, in the United States, after Beverly Hills, California; Shaker Heights, Ohio; and Greenwich, Connecticut. Connecticut is still the wealthiest state in median family income in the United States. Gotcha! Many of you are thinking, I didn’t know that.

Keep in mind there were a plethora of wealthier areas and communities in America, but not incorporated towns. Today, New Canaan, Greenwich, Darien, Ridgefield, and Westport, Connecticut surpass West Hartford in wealth, with present or past residents that include such illustrious names as Judge Judy, David Letterman, Paul Newman (deceased), Martha Stewart, Regis Philbin, Kennedy/Skakel, Diana Ross, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Ray Dalio (Hedge Fund-Bridgewater Assoc’s), Frank Gifford – NFL N.Y. Giants (deceased), and others too numerous to mention.

According to niche.com in 2024, the best place to live in Connecticut is West Hartford for the seventh straight year. Median household income is $104.281 in 2024 and median home listing price is $499,000. West Hartford population in 2024 is approximately 64,196 and is number 48 of the best places to live in the United States. The demographics are approximately 75% white, 7.6% Black, 7.3% bi-racial, and 6.8% Asian. West Hartford is the home to the largest Jewish population in Connecticut. It is home to Solomon Schechter (private day school) and New England Jewish Academy (co-educational to grade 12).

Although West Hartford’s household income ranking is not as high as it was back in my day, the school system remains one of the best in the United States. This is because of the direction, guidance and professional acumen of such (current and past) educators as Superintendent Paul Vicinus, Tom Moore, Dan Zittoun (Hall), Julio Duarte (Conard), Dr. Don Slater (Hall), Dr. Robert Dunn (Hall), Henry Weyland (Conard), Dr. Karen List (Superintendent), and many others. Also, public officials have enhanced the town such as Mayor Shari Cantor, state Sen. Derek Slap, state Rep. Tammy Exum, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and former and current athletic directors Betty Remigino-Knapp and Jason Siegal. If you think the University of Hartford with former President Gregory Woodward and University of Saint Joseph with President Rhona Free are not prolific – think again. In 2024, U.S. News and World Report nationally ranked Hall at 362 and Conard 564 out of nearly 18,000 schools surveyed. Both Conard and Hall rank in the top 10 among all Connecticut high schools and top 3% in the nation.

Conard 1957

Off to brand new Conard High School in the fall of 1957 where I renewed my friendship from an earlier period with Howard Hochman (physican), Richard Gitlin (attorney), Nancy Shapiro Berman (homemaker), Don Blumenthal (college professor), Marilyn Kravitz Slovitt (homemaker), and a few others. Howard Hochman is a skilled surgeon and Richard Gitlin is one of the best international bankruptcy-reorganization attorneys in the United States – right now.

I watched outstanding sophomore Ed Driscoll on the varsity from the stands and inquired to a senior student if Ed was better than Ray Moore. His answer was a sharp and immediate: “Not yet!” Now you have some idea how good Ray Moore (Hall 1956) was as a basketball player. Ray Moore was the career-scoring leader in West Hartford and tallied 36 points in one game. Legend has it that he was drunk during that outstanding performance. Legend further has it that an opposing player complained to his coach that he could smell alcohol on Ray’s breath. At this point, Ray had 30 points, so the coach told the player: “Find out what brand Ray Moore is drinking and I will get you some.”

Varsity basketball

One Saturday a classmate called me to inquire if we could go to a movie. I kindly told her that I already had a date with a basketball. The first game of the season was Wethersfield at Conard.  Ron Morrisette, a 6’ 2’’ guard, knocked down 30 points with his picture-perfect jump shot and the other guard, 6’ 0” John Pinchera, had 21 points. The next game of the season was at Platt High School in Meriden where Ed Driscoll set the gym on fire with his 29 points. He made 14 of 20 deep shots from the floor.  Shortly thereafter word got out that Conard had a tandem that you just had to see. Driscoll and Johnson packed the gym to standing room only. Mr. Outside and Mr. Inside. Ed was pumping in jumpers from 20 feet and I was shooting from 18 feet and closer and blocking at least three shots per game.

It was as if I was saying, “Get that weak stuff out of here” or “Thou Shalt Not Enter the Lane.” I use to snuff opposing players’ jump shots like spit on a birthday candle. Let’s not forget Billy Julavits with his quickness and playmaking and Don Coppen who could really shoot and drive to the basket. Bottom line, if you were between ages 12 and 22, the place to be on a Friday night at 8 p.m. was in the Conard gymnasium. You would hear a cacophony of cheers, dribbles and squeaking sneakers. And, you would see a great jump shooter (Driscoll) and a sky walker (Johnson) together with Mike Nyquist, Julavits, Coppen, Hornbruch, Burke, Blumenthal, and Fiske in 1959 and Bill Dunn and Ted Krynowick in 1960.  And, how about those pretty cheerleaders Betsy Burns, Linda Neilson, Nancy Bergenholtz, and Carol Shimansky (all Sedgwick cheerleaders except Shimansky) to name a few.

Coaches

Things worthwhile generally do not just happen. Good luck is what is left over after intelligence and effort have combined.  Now if you are wondering how I became a basketball star the answer is easy. It is a universal answer that embraces all sports and professions. It is based on the same principle or answer by a drunk wrapped around a street light post to an inquiry by a neatly dressed young gentleman carrying a cello: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” – Practice, Practice, Practice.  I had a personal coach in addition to a team coach. Ed Rosmarin was my personal coach who instructed me not to bring the ball down on offensive rebounds because opposing players will be able to tie me up or steal the ball. He instructed me to use my superior jumping ability and tap the ball with one hand into the basket at the apex of my jump. Timing is the key here. You must be able to anticipate when and where the ball will bounce off the rim. I mastered this offensive move that caused opposing coaches to shake their heads in disbelief to see my extended hand at or above the rim.

Best player

The best player I faced or guarded in high school in my senior year was 6’ 2” Jimmy Lawrence of Hall. Jimmy was a forward with a textbook jump shot and could put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. He had a magnificent shooting touch and was very deceptive on his drive to the basket. How good was Jimmy? He fouled me out in the fourth quarter. This was the first and only time in my two-year varsity career that I fouled out of a game. Keep in mind that I was the premier CCIL defensive player in the decade of the 1950s and 1960s, both vertical and horizontal quickness with tremendous elevation – but not against Jimmy Lawrence on that one enchanted evening. I wish I had a video because it was a great performance – one-on-one. At the end of the season Jimmy was selected to the All-CCIL Team along with Ed Driscoll and yours truly. In 1960-61, Jimmy’s senior year, he broke Ed Driscoll’s career scoring record and averaged 21.7 points per game and was Hall’s top rebounder. In fact, Jimmy Lawrence was the best and most skilled offensive player in West Hartford in the decade of the 1950s and 1960s. Notice his shooting form and where the ball is released. He is the only player I could not reach to block his shot.   

                                        

For those of you who remember Jimmy Lawrence, in addition to basketball we had something else in common. We both were driving around town in late model convertibles – Jimmy in a Dodge and me in a Ford. Today, you can find Jimmy Lawrence living in one of those affluent towns in Fairfield County mentioned earlier in this article or in his winter home in Florida.

Now it is time to list [my] All-Time West Hartford Public School Basketball Team. At the top of this list has to be 6’ 6” Riley Fox who graduated Conard in 2024 and now is a freshman basketball player at Yale.

*Riley Fox, Conard, 6’ 6” – 2,166 career points, 29.4 ppg., 12.8 rebounds, shot 51% from the floor, scored a record 50 points in a single game and is a straight “A” student. He completed his basketball career as the 16th all-time Connecticut scorer with 2,162 points. His younger brother Aidan, I understand, is a very good player at Conard.

Riley is now coached by James Jones, the winningest men’s basketball coach at Yale surpassing Joe Vancism – who I vividly remember back in the day. James Jones is one of the most successful coaches in Ivy League history and guided the Bulldogs to five Ivy League championships and in 2015 was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2019, Coach Jones received the Ben Jobe Award as the top minority coach in Division I men’s basketball, and many other awards.

Here is a list of some of Riley’s statistics provided by Coach Mark Corey:

• Height: 6 ‘6”
• Weight: 195
• Career points: 2,166 (16th all-time in Connecticut)
• Most points in a season: 736 (29.4 ppg senior year) he is also 2nd and 3rd on the Conard all-time list with 632 (24.3 ppg sophomore year) and 571 (23.8 ppg junior year)
• Most points in a game: 50 (sophomore year against Bulkeley) 7 games over 40 points
• Most points in a playoff game: 42 in a double overtime win at Farmington in the first round of the state tournament in his junior year. We were down 14 points with 3 minutes and 32 seconds left and then Riley hit 5 consecutive three-pointers and got fouled on a 6th attempt and made all 3 free throws to send the game to overtime. I’ve never seen anything like it.
• Most career rebounds in Conard history: 834
• 2nd most rebounds in a season: 320 senior year (Chris Lacroix had 340 in 1974/75)
• 2nd most assists in Conard history: 195 (Declan McCann class of 2023 had 242)
• Highest 3-point percentage in a season: 42.0% senior year (81/193)
• Most varsity wins in Conard History: 60

Coach Mark Corey informed me that Riley Fox was the best teammate and hardest worker. He truly cannot say enough good things about him and believes he will have an outstanding career at Yale and beyond.

*Jack Phelan, Conard, 2000, 6’ 3”. Set the 4-year scoring record at Conard with 1,178 points in 1996-2000. There is a ball in the gym lobby with his point totals. He is one of three players with 1,000 career points. The other two are Jack Riley and Aidan Maloney, 2017. Jack played college ball at University of Vermont.

*Jason Qua, Hall, 1986, 6’ 5”. Coached freshman basketball at Conard 1994-95. Later was the head basketball coach at Wethersfield High School; Clark University 1990, a four-year member and two-year captain of Clark basketball team. He finished his career with 1,796 points, which ranks him third among Clark’s all-time scorers. Jason was an All-American by (NABC), inducted into New England Hall of Fame, played professionally in Japan and many other accomplishments.

*James “Scotty” Coleman, Hall, 1988, 5’ 11”. Averaged about 20 ppg in his senior year. Labeled the greatest ever at Hall. Known among coaches and fans as “Baby Jordan.” Coleman had a 40-inch vertical leap and would dunk over people. Coleman attended Mattatuck Community College later consolidated into Naugatuck Valley Community College for two years. Transferred to Oral Roberts University and was a two-year starter.

*Tony Newman, Hall 1955, 6’ 2” a tremendous rebounder and scorer. Tony could dunk the ball with ease. Played with Ray Moore and Dick DelMastro. Very possibly the greatest threesome ever at Hall. This writer played with and against Tony in the summer in some of the greatest games at Morley Elementary School along with a bevy of players from the greater Hartford Area such as Bob Pollack, Dick Delmastro, Larry Gofberg, Pat Burke, and NBA John Egan of the Houston Rockets.

*Ray Moore, Hall 1956, 5’ 9”. Guard, co-captain in 1955 and captain in 1956. Ray had the whole package, shooting, ball handling, and passing. Set the three-year career scoring record in 1956 and had a 36-point game.

*Dick DelMastro, Hall 1955, 6’1”. Co-captain, a great shooter, ball handler, and team player. Beat 1954 state champion Weaver twice in 1955.

*Jimmy Johnson, Conard 1960 – 6’ 1’’. Team captain, a tremendous leaper, rebounder, team player, scorer, and shot blocker who would bring the crowd to its feet with his stylish play. It is not that he defied the laws of gravity, but rather he was slow to obey them. A two-time All-CCIL selection. According to legend, Ed Driscoll and Jimmy Johnson were so prolific that two gambling bookies asked two sportswriters which one was likely spoil the point spread and posed this question: “If you were in a room with coach Larry Stewart, Johnson, and Driscoll and you had a gun with two bullets what would you do? Both sportswriters as they were walking away turned and said: shoot Johnson TWICE!

*Jimmy Lawrence, Hall 1961, 6’ 2”. 790 career points in three years, had a textbook form jump shot that was deadly accurate, good rebounder and team player. A two-time All-CCIL selection. The best offensive player in the decade of 1950s and 1960s.

*Ed Driscoll, Conard 1960, 6’ 2”. Very possibly the greatest three-sport star in West Hartford history. Co-Captain of the football and baseball teams. A great jump shooter, rebounder and team player. Broke Ray Moore’s career scoring record in 1960. A three-time All CCIL selection.

*Bill Dunn, Conard 1961, 6’ 5’’. A starter as a sophomore with Johnson and Driscoll, average 12 points as a sophomore, 19.3 as a junior. A great rebounder with quick outlet passes to the guards. Died in an automobile accident in summer of 1961. If he returned to Conard for his senior year he would have broken scoring records established by Ed Driscoll and Jimmy Lawrence.

*Dick Distel, Hall 1964, 6’ 4”. Averaged 17 ppg in his senior year and was a strong rebounder. Without question one of the best players for coach Dave Deacon in the 1960s.

*Fran Spadola, Conard 1965, captain, averaged 16.4 ppg. CCIL Basketball Championship-first CCIL Championship for Conard or Hall.

1970s

*Gary LaRocque, Conard 1971, Univ of Hartford a two-sport athlete. All-American shortstop, inducted into University of Hartford Athletic Hall of Fame, Assistant General Manager/ Director of Player Development with MLB St. Louis Cardinals. Retired Sept. 6, 2024.

*Steve Chotnier, Hall 1973: 1,197 career points

*John Nelson, Hall 1975, Captain, First Team-All CCIL, All-State Honorable Mention, 1,313 career points.

1980s

*Carl McKenney, Hall 1981: 1,054 career points

*Dave Sebolt, Hall 1986 (sister Sue played for Tara Vanderveer at Stanford)

1990s

*Marcus Camby, Conard 1990, 6’11”. Played one year and transferred to HPHS and a State Championship. University of Massachusetts. Hall of Fame and NBA 1996-2013, and many other achievements.

*Eric Paliwoda, Conard, 1993, 6’6”. Captain, a dedicated, hardworking and skilled player under Coach Benyei. Eric was heavily recruited and chose West Point and earned rank of Captain. Died 2004 in Iraq. (https://www.steel-hearts.org/store/p/cpt-eric-t-paliwoda)

*Kirill Misyuchenko, Hall 1994, 7’0”. Played at The Citadel

*Greg Kulewic, Class of 1995

*DeShawn Hawkins, Conard 1998, 6’ 4’’, 15 ppg, Elms College, Masters in Social Work at University of Saint Joseph, founder & CEO The Talented Sports Co.

2000s

*Kenyatta Madison, Conard, 2001, California State University-Stanislaus State, BA Kinesiology. Certified NCAA, AAU, Positive Coaching Alliance and USA Basketball Gold Coach. Played professionally in Italy, Mexico, and Germany.

*Aaron Smith, Hall 2005, All-Central Connecticut Conference (CCC), two years, averaged 15ppg and 7rpg junior year, and around 20 ppg and 12 rpg during senior year.  All-NESCAC at Middlebury College, and led them to Elite 8 and Final 4, which was the most successful time in program history. Finished with over 800 career points.

*Dan Brocke, Hall, 2017 All-CCC as a junior and senior; All-State as a senior (18ppg/double digit rebounds); finished with 988 points; walk-on at UConn.

Honorable Mention: Jack Islieb, Hall 1958; Mike Kaplan, Hall 1959; Paul Lorch, Hall 1960; Ted Kryznowek, Conard 1961; Jim and Graham Bly ,Hall 1962; Steve Fish, Hall 1963; Mark Walker, Conard 1976; Corey Cockfield, Conard 1995; Oliver Brown, Conard 1997; Bryan Hairston, Hall 1999; Ramone Manning, Conard 2001 set the single game record of 41 points; Alex Prestley, Hall 2007; Riley Carroll, Hall 2011.

This is to acknowledge Coach Eddie Litos, Coach Mark Corey & Coach John Benyei for their assistance in the preparation of this article.

For the uninformed Conard Coach John Benyei was a two-time First Team-All-State Basketball player at Wolcott Tech in 1975 and 1976. He scored over 1,000 points at Wolcott and played four years at Central Connecticut State University under Hall of Fame Coach Bill Detrick. In 2013 Benyei was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

To all my classmates, teammates, friends and acquaintances who help shape my character and personality – thank you! I sincerely hope that they have learned as much from me, as I have learned from them.

In conclusion, Grantland Rice, the Dean of Sports Journalists, said it best: “When the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name, he will not write if you won or lost, but how you played the game.”  True to form and substance, this is, Hall – Conard: Basketball.

James A. Johnson is a former basketball captain at Conard and a two-time All CCIL selection. Today he is an accomplished attorney and an active member of the Massachusetts, Michigan, Texas and Federal Court Bars. Jim concentrates on serious Personal Injury, Entertainment & Sports Law, Insurance Coverage and Criminal Defense. He is a proud ambassador of West Hartford and can be reached at www.JamesAJohnsonEsq.com.

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