Legendary H.S. coach Mathis dies at age 80

Forgive J.C. Mathis if he hasn’t yet replied to your message.

There have been hundreds, he says, relaying appreciation and support for his father, the high school coaching legend Johnny Mathis, 80, who died Thursday morning after doctors couldn’t stabilize his blood pressure.

One caller told J.C. how his father saved him from the trappings of the projects in the Bronx, investing time and commitment to a player who wasn’t very good but needed the structure and confidence. It resulted in a college career and enough financial aid that he needed only to pay for books.

Another former player explained how an accident left him with a disabled arm and depressed, contemplating drug use with his friends.

Mathis (seen in 2007), a community center athletic director at the time, had simple advice:

“Play basketball with your left hand.”

“He said your father really empowered me and he literally saved my life,” J.C. recalls. “He said, ‘I would’ve been doing heroin with my friends if it wasn’t for him.’”

“The amount of people reaching out is completely overwhelming,” J.C. adds. “Hundreds of people who have texted or called. I’ve been trying my best to answer everybody back..”

Johnny Mathis was many things in his 80 years. A star player. A husband. A father of 4. A recreational therapist at the Bronx Psychiatric Center. But most knew him as JFK’s basketball coach.

Through 35 years, Mathis amassed over 700 victories, ranking third in PSAL history. He won the Bronx Boro championship seven times — most recently in 2019 — and two City titles, including with his son, J.C., as the star player in 2000.

“We were best friends,” says J.C., 40, who also played at the University of Michigan and professionally in the G League. “And to do that together — me and him together had been striving for years, trying to win that championship — it was probably the best moment of our shared lives.”

Johnny Mathis’s connection with NYC hoops, the soul of the city, makes it a little surprising that he grew up elsewhere.

A Georgia native, Mathis is a product of the Jim Crow South and wasn’t allowed to play on an indoor court until college. Nonetheless, the 6-foot-7 forward starred at Savannah State, where Mathis averaged roughly 27 points and 14 boards as a senior. .

Mathis is survived by his wife, Marsha, and four children, Dina, Sheila, J.C. and Jarrett.

“He’s my hero, my mentor,” says J.C.