Brian Neal likes to consider himself a focused individual. The boys’ basketball coach at Roger Bacon High School couldn’t help but be a little distracted last Friday night as the Spartans, the No. 7 team in the final Associated Press Division III state poll, hosted Division I St. Xavier on Senior Night.
“Certainly there was a void there,” said Neal.
Roger Bacon athletic director Joe Corcoran passed away two nights prior from an embolism that developed after he had undergone successful surgery for diverticulitis, an inflammation of the colon. Corcoran had his spot in the gym at the Fogerty Center where he could keep an eye on games and everything else and Neal always knew where to find him, even if he wasn’t looking for him.
“Obviously, not seeing him there was a little different. You could tell that there was something missing,” said Neal. “I can usually do a pretty good job of staying on task but I will admit on Friday night my thoughts did wander.”
For the first three quarters the Spartans wandered, too. The effort was there but offensively they couldn’t get anything going and trailed 33-25 entering the final eight minutes.
Call it a Hollywood script or maybe some Divine providence but Roger Bacon pulled out the win, 48-47, when junior forward Carlas Jackson hit a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining for the game-winner. St. Xavier got off a final shot but off is all it was.
There had been little to cheer about at Roger Bacon for two days but that victory provided hugs, smiles and the tears of joy.
For all of the scandals and negativity that litter the sports landscape these days, Roger Bacon’s win last Friday was a reminder why we love these games so much.
They have the ability to bring together communities small and expansive.
Corcoran was 57 years old. He had been the AD at Roger Bacon since 2003. He was on the bench as an assistant coach when the Spartans surprised everyone except themselves by beating LeBron James and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary for the 2002 Division II state title.
Brian Neal was also an assistant on that team.
“This was one of the happiest moments of my life, without a doubt. The school had been through a lot,” said Neal. “Part of it was probably a sense of relief. Part of it was just happiness for the situation, for Joe’s family especially, who all were in attendance, including his wife Linda, and just jubilation for our kids because that was by far the hardest they had played all year and they deserved to win.
“In my eyes, they got rewarded. I’ve been through enough games now that most of them kind of run together but there are a couple of games that I’ll never forget. Obviously our state championship in 2002 I’ll never forget. Friday night is a night I’ll never forget.”
Corcoran had been having stomach issues and had told friends and associates enough that they were aware. He went to the emergency room on Saturday, Feb. 9 and two days later had surgery. All seemed well. The surgery was a success, a biopsy revealed no cancer in the colon and his doctors were optimistic.
This is the third time since 2006 that the school has lost a prominent member of its athletic family unexpectedly.
Tom Roebel, a long-time teacher and coach of just about every sport imaginable, died in February 2006 after suffering a heart attack while driving a daughter to school.
Bill Brewer was the head coach of the 2002 basketball team. It was only time James and his teammates lost a game to an Ohio team. Brewer left the school to take the job at Princeton but his sudden passing in November 2007 from a heart attack hit Roger Bacon equally as hard.
“It brings memories back of when Tom Roebel passed away,” said Dan Starkey, a health and physical education teacher at Roger Bacon and former head football coach.
Alex Meacham, a Roger Bacon grad and former walk-on favorite at UC, now runs Shining Stars Sports. He is still close to his alma mater’s basketball program. When he first heard the news of Corcoran’s passing, he called Neal.
“I knew (Neal) was, as most people at Roger Bacon were, he was mentally stressed out,” said Meacham. “I called him back and asked him if he’d mind if I get a patch made for the jerseys. He said he’d love that.”
Meacham contacted a design group he works with through Shining Stars Sports, headed by Glenn Riley. Riley came up with a patch containing the initials “JC” that included a cross in between the letters. Meacham then contacted EmbroidMe East in Beechmont to attach the patches to the Roger Bacon jerseys.
Meacham delivered the jerseys in time for tip-off.
“Normally it wouldn’t have been possible but I asked people to drop their projects and really do this, that it was that important,” said Meacham. “They all did.”
The Spartans will wear the patches throughout the postseason, which begins tonight with a first-round sectional game against Blanchester at Monroe. Roger Bacon (19-3) is the No. 2 seed in the sectional behind Summit Country Day, the top-ranked team in the state and the defending state champions.
“I think we’re back to normal,” said Neal of the Roger Bacon community. “Hopefully that effort we gave Friday night continues to show through these final weeks of the season.”
