EMMANUEL COACH NETS 7OOTH WIN
Emmanuel coach wins 700th
The trophy display in the lobby of the Jean Yawkey Center on the campus of Emmanuel College showcases the proud and successful history of Saints basketball.
The coach responsible for much of the hardware was too preoccupied to take notice yesterday.
Andy Yosinoff was active calling plays and setting defenses as the Saints took on the Lasell Lasers in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference women’s basketball game.
Forward Fiona O’Dwyer registered a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds while guard Bria Tiro nailed five treys in Emmanuel’s 76-49 victory. The colorful celebration that followed a routine January win belonged to Yosinoff, who recorded his 700th career victory.
“It’s amazing that when I started here in the Blizzard of ’ 78 we had a tiny little gym that wasn’t even regulation,” said Yosinoff, a retired special education teacher from the Boston public school system.
“The Emmanuel experience is a family atmosphere. We are loyal to each other, we stay together and it shows what a small school like Emmanuel can accomplish when we outwork other people.”
Yosinoff’s day was emotionally enhanced by the presence of several former players who helped put seven centuries in the win column. Yosinoff’s father Louie, of Pawtucket, R.I., the 94-year-old “Godfather” of Saints basketball, was a front row spectator.
“This is really great because he is an amazing guy, he works really hard and he’s basically dedicated his whole adult life to Emmanuel basketball,” said Brianne Bognanno of Canton, a 1,000-point scorer and guard on the Saints team that went to the 2001 Final Four.
“I am very proud to have played for him. He has an amazing winning tradition. He is primarily a defensive guy, during practice it is always defense and rebounding first. He’s high energy during practice and that rubs off during games a lot.”
Over his 36 years at Emmanuel, Yasinoff has compiled a 700-229 record —a stellar .752 winning percentage.
Yasinoff ranks third in Division 3 women’s hoops history in wins and he joined UConn’s Geno Auriemma and Barbara Stevens of Bentley as the other New England women’s coaches to reach the milestone. The Saints have been to the NCAA tournament 17 times with 14 GNAC titles. Yosinoff was elected to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
“It is about all the great kids that I’ve had play for me and that’s what gives me the greatest satisfaction,” said Yosinoff. “I wouldn’t be at Emmanuel winning 700 games if it wasn’t for the great players I’ve had over the years.”
Coach Carla Flaherty’s Lasers were determined to delay the celebration and they made that apparent with an 18-6 run in the first half.
The Lasers took a 22-16 lead with 5:30 to play on a pair from the line by Kayla Vincelette. Emmanuel (14-5, 5-0 GNAC) retaliated with a 19-3 run inspired by Tiro’s 3-point shooting. The junior from Saugus dropped a pair of treys in the final 31 seconds to put the Saints up 3525 at the break.
The Saints finished with precision in the second half. After Lasell (8-10, 3-4) cut Emmanuel’s lead to 48-41 on a Ginelle Cola layup with 10:27 to play, the Saints countered with a 15-1 run that put No. 700 in the bank.
“I’m happy this is over with because a lot of people were talking about it,” said Yosinoff. “The only thing I care about is winning the GNAC and getting back to the NCAA tournament.”