On the basketball court, Paul Connolly has a booming voice. He’s making swift calls and giving players sharp guidance. His native Massachusetts accent bounces off the walls of the gym far louder than all the sneaker screeches and dribbles.
But when he sits down to speak about the end, of his choice to step down from his position as head coach of Newton North High School after 24 seasons with 456 wins, two state titles in back-to-back years, and two more state finals appearances—including one last month, in a 55-52 loss to Franklin High School—he barely whispered.
“I’ve gone through a little bit of a grieving process. I’m very emotional,” said Connolly, 60. He motioned to his open backpack beside him, where he had a few rogue tissues on top of an empty box. “Twenty-four years is a long time, but I know in my heart that I’ve made the right decision. I’m at peace with it.”
He’s been reaching for the tissues often. Since his announcement March 18, his phone has been blowing up with texts from former players and other coaches sharing the impact he’s had on their lives and careers.
One of those texts came from Tommy Mobley, who watched Connolly throughout most of his childhood. He was a water boy for the team while his older brother played varsity from 2007 to 2010, and played on the team from 2012 to 2015. Now, Mobley works in the Boston area as a consultant.
“He’s so disciplined, and he does an incredible job of holding all of his players to a really high standard, and he doesn’t cut it short,” Mobley said. “I still try to use that mentality, just in my own job and the way that I socialize and treat my friends and family, I should always bring my best.”
While he was tough on the court, some of Connolly’s fondest memories play to his soft side. Perhaps his favorite was on Valentine’s Day 2002, when Connolly had just met his now-wife, Amy. In the locker room at Needham High School, Connolly’s first varsity team at Newton serenaded Amy with “My Girl” by The Temptations.
“He would just come out with his harmonica and start playing a couple notes, and we would just get to singing,” said Waseem Givens, a member of Connolly’s first varsity team, who went on to play for the University of Rhode Island and work as the director of youth development for the Boston Celtics. To this day, the team sings “My Girl” at annual alumni games.
“He would love to play music during practice,” Mobley said. “It would be oldies, and he would be joking around with us the whole time, like ‘What do you guys know about Earth, Wind & Fire?’”
Connolly joked that there are some things he won’t miss—especially cutting players at tryouts. But he will miss building relationships with his players and forming team dynamics.
“I always say it’s kind of like an artist with clay,” Connolly said. “You kind of get it and you gotta form it, because every group is different, the personalities are different, the leadership is different.”
Connolly is proud of the program he’s built and the level of players he has produced. Many of his players went on to play in all college divisions.
“One of the things I used to tell my players all the time is, ‘I don’t want your college coach saying, what the heck did your high school coach teach you?’” Connolly said. “And I don’t think a college coach ever said that about any of our players. And I took pride in that.”
Some of Connolly’s players went on to play basketball professionally, including Anthony Gurley, who played internationally after graduating from college. In high school, he was the all-time top scorer at Newton North and captain of the state championship winning team in 2006.
“He prepared me to experience tough coaching and experience constructive criticism,” Gurley said. “When I would go to the collegiate level or the professional, it felt like nothing that I hadn’t seen.”
While his iMessage is filled with former players, Connolly’s camera roll is full of photos of the team manager.
Connolly is in his 29th year as a special education teacher at Newton North. He’s long melded these two passions. One of his former students, Brendan Durkin, who is now in his 30s, has served as the team’s manager since he was in high school.
“Brendan is my guy,” Connolly said as he pulled up photos of his own kids alongside Durkin. He has over 11,000 photos on his phone; he doesn’t believe in deleting pictures of his kids. “Brendan’s a legend in Newton North basketball. He really is. They bring me so much joy, these kids.”
When Mobley was in high school, another one of Connolly’s students was a manager alongside Durkin. He has fond memories of being part of the team with Connolly’s students.
“The day-to-day aspect of having those guys around, it kind of humanized the team,” Mobley said. “I thought it reminded us that we’re a part of a bigger school community here, and this is just an amazing experience to get to be on a team and play a game we love together and bond.”
Connolly knew coming into this season that it would likely be his last year. His players, though, were shocked when they found out.
“He’s been coaching North for longer than I’ve been alive,” said Teagan Swint, captain of Connolly’s final team. “I grew up always seeing him coach at Newton North and assuming he’s always going to be there. It was kind of shocking to hear he’ll be stepping down.”
What’s next for Connolly, he isn’t sure. At 60 he’s “entering the fourth quarter” of his life, as he puts it, and still not sure what he wants to be when he grows up. He will still be working in the special education department at Newton North. He’s considering going back to his roots as an assistant coach, but he’s looking forward to a new challenge and “seeing what’s out there.”
“It’s been a great run. That’s the only way I can put it,” he said. “I’ve been fortunate.”
This story is part of a partnership between the Newton Beacon and the Boston University Department of Journalism.
