Greenwich Marks 50th Anniversary Of Historic Catholic Middle School Basketball Championship

GREENWICH, CT — School athletic rosters turn over each season as student-athletes graduate and new talent emerges, but championship titles and lessons learned endure the test of time, preserving friendships and a team’s place in history long after the final buzzer sounds.

On April 24, members of the 1976 Greenwich Catholic Middle School boys championship basketball team gathered from near and far - with one member even calling in via Zoom from California - at Greenwich Town Hall for a reunion 50 years in the making.

The 1976 team went 32-1 and became the first and only middle school team to defeat all of its opponents in the elite New England Catholic Middle School Championship Tournament, winning the title.

Several players from that team, along with their head coach, Greenwich resident Dave D'Andrea, gathered in the Town Hall meeting room for a brief ceremony to reflect on a season that had as much impact off the court as on it.

First Selectman Fred Camillo, who was one of the players on the team, presented his teammates with a proclamation and declared April 27, 2026, as CMS Basketball Champs Day in the Town of Greenwich.

"These are tremendous, tremendous people. I loved every minute of being with you guys. We shared something that's special, and any championship you get is something they can never take away from you," Camillo said in brief opening remarks. "This really has made my day and my year to see them. The rest of the year is good because I've been able to catch up with some of these guys."

Additionally, State Rep. Steve Meskers (D-150) presented the team with a citation from Greenwich's delegation to Hartford, and Greenwich Catholic Head of School Rebecca Steck delivered remarks from Bishop Frank J. Caggiano from the Diocese of Bridgeport, who congratulated the team on their accomplishments.

Several players also spoke, recalling the impact that championship season — and their coach — had on them.

For Dwight Rochester, who came from Maryland for the reunion, the success of the team started with D'Andrea, who would blast music by The Spinners and other Motown hits during practice.

"We were just pumped up, doing our drills," Rochester recalled, noting that constant conditioning gave the team an x-factor.

"Coach said, 'At the end of every game, everybody else is going to be tired, but you guys aren't because you're prepared.' With that, we just went on and started winning," Rochester added, calling his squad one of the greatest teams Greenwich has ever seen.

Rochester noted that many of the players played together after middle school at St. Mary's High School.

"I'll always have these memories for the fact that you guys are always going to be here in my heart," Rochester said, fighting back tears. "I'll never forget you guys."

D'Andrea utilized all of the players on the team, something George Prince said was different than any other coach he had in his life.

"Even though we had five great players, we all made each other better. The great five couldn't have done it without the other seven," said Prince, who came from Sarasota, Fla. to attend the reunion.

Matt Fox, who travelled from Minnesota, recalled a story that exemplified what the team was all about.

Facing a bigger team in Brunswick School, Fox said D'Andrea implemented a full-court press.

"[Brunswick] had a difficult time getting the ball over halfcourt and just simply running their own offense. At one point, the coach of the other team called a timeout and he mumbled something under his breath, and Dave heard it. He didn't make much out of it, but he came over to the huddle and said, 'That guy just called me a turkey,'" Fox said. "Well, that was about it for that team. We scored 99 points in that game and won 99-26. We said, 'Nobody is going to call Dave a turkey and get away with it.'"

Peter Borchetta, one of the co-founders of Greenwich Catholic Middle School, tapped D'Andrea as his coaching replacement leading up to 1976.

"Being one of the founders, I felt he was a person who had great enthusiasm to carry on the program. We did okay when I was coach, but not as well as Dave. Dave just did a phenomenal job," Borchetta said.

D'Andrea recalled what he believed his role was as the head coach.

"My job as their coach was to hold them accountable for their dreams. It wasn't just to make them win every game; it was to make them play, have a lot of fun, learn sportsmanship, and most importantly, learn a lesson in life on how to win, and more importantly, how to lose," D'Andrea said.

For some, the championship team fostered a love for sports and competition.

Bobby Farrell, now a longtime PGA golf pro, said certain traits and life lessons can be traced to his experiences from 1976.

"What were we, 13 and 14 years old back then? At that age, you don't realize that you learn discipline and confidence," Farrell said. "Being in sports and golf for 40 years now, you don't know where this comes from, but I think back and look back at the times we had, and it definitely came from being on a championship team like this."

Another member of the team, Chris Dehnel, went on to play college basketball at Eastern Connecticut State University. But that middle school team always remained front and center.

"In my final college game, late in the fourth quarter, I got a perfect pass right on my chin. [I shot] such a perfect shot, the net curled up," Dehnel recalled. "The game is over, my career is over, and where do my thoughts go? To this team, because this team got us going."

D'Andrea called the 1976 championship one of the greatest accomplishments of his life, other than his grandchildren being born. He said he's been asking Camillo for multiple years to get the squad back together again.

"It's all about those friendships you make on the court. It's not about the shots you make, the rebounds you get, how fast you run or how high you jump," D'Andrea said in his closing remarks last Friday.

"It's all about the memories."

The team last Friday held a moment of silence for teammate Russell Bailey, who died several years ago.