FAMILIES PUSH TOMEY TO 500 WINS
The timing couldn’t have been better.
Instead of playing Bishop’s — one of its fiercest rivals — in an empty gym, Francis Parker was able to admit fans to boys basketball games for the first time Tuesday.
That fact wasn’t lost on Parker coach Jim Tomey as he thanked his family — wife, Annemieke and, daughters, Lauren, Maddie and Suzanna — for their support after he posted his 500th career win, a 52-50 nail biter.
Tomey is the sixth San Diego coach to join the 500win club, with Ray Johnson (El Camino) leading the way at 792. The others are John Singer (Helix), Tom Tarrantino (New York, Carlsbad, Army-Navy, Bishop’s, El Camino), John Olive (Torrey Pines) and Mike Haupt (St. Augustine).
Johnson, Olive and Haupt are still active. Tarrantino is taking some time off but has plans to coach again.
“I’ve missed a lot of family things to coach basketball,” Tomey said after the game. “I can’t thank them enough for their support. They’ve put up with an awful lot.”
Two other families have been intimately involved in Tomey’s 500 wins — 210 at University of San Diego High, 290 at Parker.
The Waltons — brothers Luke and Chris and cousin Kam — were part of close to 100 wins at Uni. Luke and Chris are sons of Hall of Famer Bill Walton. Kam is the son of NFL lineman Bruce Walton, Bill’s late brother.
Brothers Kimo and Vinny Ferrari have been part of 57 wins at Parker, and Vinny is only a junior.
“Luke’s mother (Susie) is my godmother,” said Kimo
Ferrari, a freshman basketball player at Brown University who is home for the summer. “So I would bet the Waltons have more wins that the Ferraris.
“Between the families, we’ve been involved in a lot of victories, and I’m proud of that. Coach Tomey is able to get the most out of everyone he coaches.
“He’s smart. If we didn’t have a game coming up, we’d practice hard, get after it. If we had a game coming up, we went light, saved our legs, but worked on the mental part of the game.”
Tomey’s 400th career win was a home game in January 2015 against La Jolla Country Day and coach Ryan Meier, who is now at Mount Miguel.
Meier left Parker for La Jolla Country Day, opening the job for Tomey.
“What an amazing accomplishment 500 is,” Meier said. “And a lot of those 500 were against me.
“He not only molds his
guys into good players, but into men, husbands and fathers.”
The mental part of the game didn’t elude Luke Walton, who played 10 years in the NBA and is now the head coach of the Sacramento Kings.
“Jim, you’re an amazing man, coach and father,” Walton said on an impressive postgame video tribute set up by Parker Athletic Director Anthony Thomas.
“Now that I’m a coach, I realize just how hard it is to do what we do.”
Tomey spent 10 years as the head coach at Uni, leaving to join Steve Fisher’s staff at San Diego State. After three years, Tomey was named head coach of the SDSU women’s program in 2002.
That, however, wasn’t a good fit; he resigned after three years and a 25-58 record.
Not long after, he was hired at Parker.
“I lucked out,” said
Tomey, who played collegiately at Eastern Michigan. “All I ever wanted to be was a teacher and coach. So I’ve been blessed.
“And I’ve been blessed with great players and families along the way, families like the Waltons and Ferraris.”
Kimo Ferrari said Michael Clark, Tomey’s assistant coach for the last 10 years and a man who played for Tomey at Uni, is a big part of Parker’s success and a part of the family.
Dozens of Tomey’s players have gone on to play in college, including Kimo Ferrari (Brown), Dalante Dunklin (UCSB, Metro State, San Diego Christian), Chris Walton (San Diego State), Luke Walton (Arizona), Josh Merrill (UC Santa Barbara), Matt Blakely (UC Santa Barbara), David Abramowicz (SDSU) and Evan Fitzner (Saint Mary’s, Indiana).
“Coach Tomey had a positive impact on me,” Fitzner
said on the video tribute. “I don’t know if I’m a college player without him. Those 500 wins are a testament to him.”
At 62, how long will Tomey coach? Will he see 600 wins?
“I love practice, I really do,” Tomey said. “So as long as I’m having fun, have players who love the game and want to learn, and have an administration like we have here at Parker, I’ll keep going.”