The man who now sits atop the all-time basketball coaching wins list in New York state has always been one of a kind.
Anyone who knows or had the pleasure of watching Benjamin Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio man a sideline can attest to his uniqueness.
Basketball and helping young men navigate high school and what comes after has been his life’s work since he took over the reins of his alma mater’s boys basketball team in 1981.
I knew it from the first time I witnessed the passion and manic energy Naclerio pours into his coaching during my high school days at St. Francis Prep. We scrimmaged Cardozo one season and Naclerio didn’t just coach that game from the sidelines, but every inch of the floor — walking, running, jumping around the perimeter of the court, yelling praise and criticisms at his players that way for a good portion of the game and stopping only when he needed to walk onto the court to give instructions