Longtime CBA coach Dave Doemel retires
Led Brothers to program’s lone state title in 2010
Even during the height of his success, Christian Brothers Academy boys’ basketball coach Dave Doemel never made things about himself. The 1971 graduate from the school, who retired from teaching in 2023, has decided to step away from coaching the Brothers after amassing a school-record 415 victories.
After an inauspicious beginning to his varsity boys’ basketball coaching tenure taking over from Jim Pedlow for the 1997-98 season when the team went 3-18, 319 and 3-18 in the Big 10, Doemel got things rolling at the turn of century and led CBA to 10 consecutive Section II title games from 2003-12. The Brothers captured seven sectional championships during that span and won the program’s lone state title in 2010 with a 71-53 triumph over Half Hallows Hills West.
“The wins and losses are there, but I think the kids were the most important thing,” Doemel said. “The experience I had there was long lasting. By announcing this, the influx of messages and well wishes from the players that I’ve had is probably more important and the best thing.”
Doemel, who also led the CBA baseball team to 248 wins during his coaching career, was able to be involved with coaching sons David and Mick. They later served on his basketball coaching staffs along with sister Gabrielle, who starred at Holy Names.
The veteran coach surpassed his mentor Bill Telasky as the school’s alltime leader in basketball wins with 335 in 2019 with a victory over Columbia.
During the Brothers’
dominating run of basketball success, some of the Section II Class AA finals were moved to what is now known as MVP Arena in Albany. CBA played games in that venue where there were between 6,000 to 7,500
fans in attendance.
“The kids got to experience something that most kids don’t get to do,” Doemel said.
CBA, now a member of the Suburban Council following the demise of the Big
10, reached the 2023 Section II Class AA final where the Brothers lost to Green Tech. This season, the Brothers were seeded No. 5 in the eight-team Class AAA bracket and defeated No. 4 Shenendehowa 52-50 in the quarterfinals before falling to top-seeded Colonie 85-66 in the semifinals to finish up at 11-11 overall.
“I never looked at it from the wins and losses aspect, and I definitely didn’t when I first started,” quipped Doemel, referring to his 955 start.
Doemel thanked Jim Smith, the school’s athletic director when Doemel took over as boys’ basketball coach, for sticking by him when some alumni wanted a new coach.
The star player from the state championship squad, 2011 graduate Galal Cancer, guided this season’s JV team to a one-loss campaign and Doemel took great pride in that accomplishment.
“I had some fantastic kids and now they are fantastic men,” Doemel said. “It is great to hear from them and from some of my competitors that I developed friendships with over the years.”