"Former Players" from Harry's Way! Vince Carocci

Home Contact Author

15— Former Players

…For Harry DeFrank (and other coaches like him at other schools in other places), the ultimate proposition always comes down to this: After plying his craft for almost a quarter century at a mid-sized Central Pennsylvania Catholic high school, how does he—more importantly, how do others—assess the value…the true value…of his career?

There are, of course, the standard measures…measures like professional achievement, net worth, social standing, contributions to a cause or a community. In Harry DeFrank’s case, some apply. Some do not. But what matters most—what really and truly matters, to him and to them--is what the young women whose lives he touched over the course of his 23-year Trinity coaching career have to say on the subject. The Lady Shamrock basketball alumnae--they are the best jury to render the final verdict.

When you reach out to them, you don’t hear many references to wins and losses, championships won, championships lost…though there certainly were plenty of those to talk about if they wished. What you hear, instead, is a litany laced with gratitude for what the man taught them in their formative years. You hear it repeatedly, repetitiously …so repetitiously, in fact, as to be almost predictable after a time.

They say when they played for him, they knew they were learning a lot about the game of basketball. But what they didn’t know, what didn’t register with them immediately was what else they were learning. Or how varied the lessons were. Or how much of life’s ground the lessons covered. They really didn’t come to appreciate all of that, they say, until they had moved on--some to take their playing careers to the collegiate level; some just to further their education; some to enter their career tracks at an early age.

Some stayed close at hand. One who did was Cecilia (Gibbons) Kapusta. Ceil was a starting guard for the Lady Shamrocks in 1982 and 1983 when DeFrank joined the Trinity staff as an assistant to Jeff Thompson. After her graduation, she passed on college and chose to remain close to her Central Pennsylvania home.

When DeFrank was named as Thompson’s successor for the 1984 season, the first call he made was to Steve Bischof. The second was to Ceil Gibbons. He asked her if she would be interested in joining his staff as JV coach. She said she would. She was 18 at the time…

When she learned that a book manuscript about Harry DeFrank’s career was in the works, she on her own initiative asked if she could offer her reflections on the role “Mr. D” played in her life. Here, in part, is what she wrote on the subject:

“My years as an assistant high school coach under Mr. D’s leadership between 1984 and 1994 were fertile ground for learning some valuable life skills. Credit must be given to him as my mentor at the time who probably never realized that my years of coaching with him taught me time management, stress management, humility, gentleness and so much more…”

We received letters from Harry DeFrank’s former players as this manuscript was being written. Here are some:

Dear Coach DeFrank

I thank you for inviting me to be a part of Trinity girls’ basketball again eleven years ago, and giving me the opportunity to transition from player to coach in a program saturated in such tradition. I love working with the girls, and you’ve allowed me to do that in the comfort of my alma mater.

I hope this book signifies to you how many peoples’ lives you’ve touched, and that your name will forever be a part of Trinity High School history because you’ve put so much of yourself in what you do.

Thanks again for letting me be a part of it all.

Love,

Kristi (Dunleavy) Britten

Class of ’89

Dear Coach,

Wow, there are so many memories and things I have to say that I don’t know where to start. I can remember back to when I was in grade school and you were the talk of every basketball player because you were the coach everyone wanted to have. I tried so hard to impress you and worked my butt off everyday in hopes that I would be able to play for you at Trinity. It was so exciting when you took a chance on all of us freshmen (Kara, Jill and me). I never thought I would be a starting guard as a freshman at Trinity high school. But you gave me a chance and it was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I can never thank you enough for that because playing for you was a remarkable experience I will never forget...

You were more than just a coach to me and I love you for that!! I miss playing for you, but I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU! Thanks again for everything. You’re the best.

Love always,

Samantha Ramus

Class of 2003

Of the 150 or so players who wore the Lady Shamrock uniform during DeFrank’s tenure at Trinity, the one who clearly would be classified as a DeFrank protégé would be Rita Balaban.

Rita hailed from an athletic family...(she) began playing for DeFrank as a sixth grader with the Good Shepherd CYO team. But her relationship with him took a dramatic turn a year later when her father, Tom, the respected parliamentarian for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, passed away. “Coach DeFrank took me under his wing,” she remembered during a conversation in December of 2005 in a Camp Hill coffee shop. “He taught me how to drive in high school, he took me to all my driving lessons...

Twenty years after her state championship run at Trinity, Rita Balaban still counts her Trinity teammates among her best friends. “I invited five friends from high school to my wedding and five friends showed up,” she remembers. “We still talk a lot…how we loved our Trinity days. We had such a good foundation for our aspirations and goals. We loved basketball so much we didn’t want to mess it up by experimenting with other stuff. We loved being part of a family atmosphere, being part of a team, having the goal to win a state championship, respecting each other, loving each other enough to get there.”

And what role, if any, did Harry DeFrank have in that?

“He loves the game,” she responded. “And he loves the players. He made us a family. He was different than other coaches I had in my career. There were no stars, no starter cast. It didn’t matter who you were. He talked to you. You’d be shooting fouls and he’d put his arm on your shoulder and ask, ‘How you doin?’ He didn’t pamper his star players. (“Damn it, Rita,” she remembered him reprimanding on more than one…many more than one…occasion) But then again, she recalled, “he’d talk to you, he’d support you, he’d cheer you on. He’s just an incredible person. That’s why a lot of players come back to see him. It’s hard to identify what makes him the way he is. But he taught us to respect each other and to respect the competition. He was a teacher.”

More letters:

Dear Coach DeFrank,

As a CYO basketball player, every girl dreamed of playing under you in high school. When we finally got the opportunity to do so, we were thrilled. Then, when you chose us to be captains our senior year, we hit an all-time “high”. What an honor!

Words can’t express our appreciation for the opportunity you gave us. Your sincere concern for us as players and people was evident in your words and actions.

You are the best!

Thank you, Coach DeFrank.

Sincerely,

Amy Cicak and Teresa (Averill) James

Co-Captains, ’96-’97 season

Dear Coach,

Each time I have the opportunity to share with someone that I was and am a Trinity girl, one of Coach DeFrank’s own, I am humbled by the response: the awe, respect and recognition that I was and am part of something special—the legacy, the dynasty, the legend of Trinity girls’ basketball. But what I cherish most are the memories of love; you cared, and still care about us as people, as young women, as professionals, wives and mothers, and about what we did with our education, our talent, and our selves.

When we came, we didn’t just come to play for Trinity; we came to play for you, Coach. What you taught us about the game became more important than the game. Your core values kept us centered, humble, and focused on our goals, on the court and off.

I love you, Coach, and I will never forget the years I played for you and for Trinity. I cherish the memories, I cherish the friendships and I cherish the bit part I played in your legacy. Thank you.

Kelly (Ryan) Cloak, #40

Class of ’90

Six years separated their playing careers at Trinity High School, but by what they accomplished on the court you would have thought Amy and Chrissy Walker were joined at the hip.

To recap: Both four-year letter winners, a combined 212-36 won-loss record (Amy, class of 93, 106-17; Chrissy, class of ‘99, 106-19), 2,732 combined career points (Amy, 1,302, 5th on the school’s career list; Chrissy, 1,430, 3^rd on the career list) with three state championship appearances (Amy two, Chrissy one) and one Eastern PIAA final (Chrissy) between them.

Amy earned a basketball grant to Rider University in New Jersey. Chrissy earned her basketball scholarship at LaSalle in Philadelphia.

“He put on a tough face at games and at practice,” Amy remembered. “But he’s like a puppy dog when it comes down to it because he’s so generous and kind and a great, great person.”

“He’s very genuine,” Chrissy interjected almost immediately.

“What a good leader he is,” Amy offered. “He’s the perfect mix of somebody who doesn’t let you get away with stuff, but at the same time, he’s there for you. He’s nurturing and you know he’s not really mad at you…that he just wants you to get better. There are a lot of signs of good leadership in how he coaches.”

When asked what they took to college and beyond from DeFrank’s coaching, their responses were somewhat surprising.

Amy was the first to answer. “College basketball is completely different,” she said. “Everybody’s coming in on scholarship. Everybody’s good so you really have to compete more to play. Coming from Trinity, we never had a problem accepting fault…criticism. We would get it (in college) but I would know it was for a reason. If you did something wrong, you were told and you understood why.”

“Chrissy: “Definitely! As a good coach, you should be doing that. Some people thought they could do no wrong. And when they were told, they didn’t like it. That wasn’t Coach DeFrank’s style. He didn’t do that with anybody….even if you were the best player on the team. You weren’t allowed to do whatever you wanted. It’s a team game. All the parts fit. He firmly believes in that, and he taught that to us…”

In a senior class essay contest, Jill Glessner wrote this about her playing days at Trinity High School:

“The past four years of my high school basketball career can be summed up in two words—Coach DeFrank. He was my coach, but also my mentor. He helped me grow not only as a player but as a person. Coach never ‘sugarcoated’ his words. He expected the best from his players, especially the ones with the most talent. He pushed me to speak out and to lead, two skills I will continue to use in my everyday life.

“During the recruiting process, he communicated with every interested coach either by letter or phone. He also talked to the coaches about other girls in our league. It always amazed me how he could find wonderful things to say about our opponents.

“He is a very selfless man. He had over 400 wins but never credited himself for one. The success always was attributed to his players. I am proud to have had Harry DeFrank as my coach and will always have him as my mentor."

May 15, 2003

As a basketball playing junior at Loyola College in Baltimore, MD, she penned this short note to her high school coach:

Coach:

Even though I might have hated you more days than liked you (just kidding)…I can honestly say you have not only made me a stronger player, but also a stronger person. I truly feel blessed to have played for such a legendary man. And I thank you.

Jill Glessner

Class of ‘03

Denise (Lamay) Juliana remembers being a “tomboyish 12 year old,” new to the Central Pennsylvania region when she first met Harry DeFrank. Her retired naval officer father, Urban, and the family had moved to the area from Norfolk, Virginia. She played basketball for DeFrank at Good Shepherd and at Trinity…

She, too, remembers how much he taught her about basketball and how he instilled in her some of the love he had for the sport. But what she remembers most is what he taught her about other aspects, important aspects, of her life to come. She put it this way:

“.. Being one of seven children, my parents couldn’t take me to nearly all the sporting events I wanted to go to, and “Mr. D” would often drive me…It was during those rides that I realized that he wasn’t just teaching me about basketball, he was also teaching me about the game called Life.

“We were on our way to (Bishop) McDevitt one morning and seemingly out of the blue, he started talking about the fact that I would be going to high school soon and would be exposed to many things, not all good. Particularly, I would be exposed to drugs and he made it clear, not in a scolding way, that he desperately hoped I would not get involved with that sort of thing. I realized then that he cared about me not just as a player, but as a person and I vowed at that moment not to do anything in the future that would disappoint him.”

Denise was a teammate of Ceil (Gibbons) Kapusta in the 1983 and 1984 teams that went 51-10 under Jeff Thompson, including that state championship appearance her senior year. She went from Trinity to Villanova University in Philadelphia where as a walk-on she earned a spot on the Lady Wildcat roster. The first person she called to share the news with, after her parents, was Harry DeFrank.

More letters from more players:

Dear Coach DeFrank,

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for helping make my high school memories some of the most treasured moments of my life. When I think back on those years, some of the greatest times I had were playing basketball, and I have you to thank for that. We always had so much fun, and that was due to the success we had under your leadership.

Coach DeFrank… I will never forget my high school basketball days, and you are such an important part of that. Ever since I was a little water girl in grade school with Emily Biden and Chrissy Walker, and looked up to girls like Lisa Cicak, Amy Walker, Heather Sholtis, and Gia Biden (the list could go on), I couldn’t wait for the day to play for Coach DeFrank. I valued your wisdom, expertise, and knowledge of the game, and appreciated every second that I wore a Trinity uniform and got to play for you. Thank you so much for all the years you dedicated to Trinity High School and to the girls basketball program. You are a legend.

Love and gratitude,

Chrissy Herchelroath

Class of 1998

Coach DeFrank,

I want you to know how significant a role you have played in helping to mold me into the person I am today. The life lessons I have learned were often taught through basketball lessons, many of which came from you. I am forever grateful to you for everything you have given to me, especially the qualities of honesty and hard work.

Above all, you taught me honesty. Although your words were sometimes harsh, they were always true. I appreciate the fact that you never sugarcoated anything. Life isn’t sugarcoated and you taught me this. If I can face the truth comfortably, I can learn and improve. Throughout my time in basketball, even at the college level, you, more than anyone else, treated me as a basketball player, and not just a female basketball player. I think this is so important as women strive for and deserve the same treatment as men. Your players have great respect for you, because you respect us as people.

Your words have always been of great value to me, and you will forever be my Coach.

Love,

Tara Twomey

Class of 1999

Robyne Bostick, 20 years after the fact, still remembers when DeFrank called her off the bench in the final minutes of the 1986 state championship game to replace the fouled-out Rita Balaban. “I still don’t know what you were thinking when you put me in the game,” she wrote. “You knew something that I didn’t because during those few minutes I was in the game, the only thing I was thinking was, ‘Roni (Hergenroeder), please don’t throw the ball to me!’ Because of the confidence you had in me, I learned to have more confidence in myself.”

“Coach DeFrank is a pretty straightforward coach with high standards, so I always knew that he was going to tell it like it was and not settle for things not being done the right way.

“Coach DeFrank coaches with the best interest of his players in mind."

“The fact that he always cared so much for his players is what had made him a great coach and mentor.”

The letters continued:

Coach,

I am thankful for this opportunity to express my sincere thanks for all that you have done for the Trinity girl’s basketball team and for me as a player and a coach. Playing basketball at Trinity High School is something I will never forget. Not only did I learn a lot about the game of basketball in the four years I played for you, but I learned about teamwork, leadership and how to be a stronger basketball player. Your presence on the court brought out the best in me. I know the reason I gave everything I had during practices and games is because of the strong work ethic you instilled in me. You always wanted the best for your players and in return I gave you everything I had as a player. Every day you came to practice ready to push us harder to make us better. And, I respected you for it…

I look back now on what you have accomplished over the years as the head girls’ basketball coach at Trinity High School and I see someone who gave everything he had. Not only were you successful as a coach, but you touched the lives of so many people – young and old. You were definitely a positive influence on my life, and I can honestly say that you did the same for so many young girls that played for you at Trinity or attended your basketball camps.

Thanks for everything!

Love,

Michele (Verotsky) Kieff

#34, Class of ‘90

Gail (Beatty) Davis was a teammate of Rita Balaban and Meghan Finnegan on that 1986 State Championship Trinity team. She went on to play collegiate ball at LaSalle College in Philadelphia where she earned both her baccalaureate and master’s degrees and joined the women’s basketball coaching staff. She later had stints as an assistant coach at Annapolis (where she met her coaching husband, Emmett, who, in 2006, was head coach at Colgate University) and Georgetown Universities. Living in Hamilton, NY with her husband and three children--and still coaching girls youth basketball—Gail Beatty Davis also welcomed the opportunity to reminisce about “Mr. D.”

“He taught me what the definition of ‘tough love’ is,” she recalled. “He was very demanding because he knew what we could do—and he was right.”

By her own admission, Gail said, she played “a very average game” in that 1986 state championship final. Yet both publicly and privately, she continued, when he talked about her play he constantly emphasized the defensive jump ball she forced allowing Trinity to score a critical basket down the stretch. “He never mentioned the fact that I had missed a crucial 1-and-1 (foul shot)…He knew I was disappointed in my performance, but he never let me dwell on that. That’s how he was as a person and a coach.”

Finally, as Gail told it, she thought she had blown her chance for a college scholarship when, in a regular-season game with the LaSalle coaching staff in the stands, she fouled out after only a six-point performance. “I sat on the bench next to Mr. D with my head in a towel sobbing, thinking I had no chance of attending any college anywhere.” With that, she remembered her coach turned to her and commanded, “Get your head up right now, young lady!” As a footnote, she observed, she never knew whatever it was DeFrank said to the LaSalle coaching staff during their recruiting process. “But a few months later, I was signing (with the college) on the dotted line.”

And one final letter:

Coach DeFrank:

I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am without you and Trinity basketball. I will always hold my Trinity memories, experiences and friends close to my heart.

One thing that no one can take away from you is your personal drive and motivation to keep excelling to the next level. You, as well as I and the rest of the team, were never satisfied and we knew we could always improve and take each other to the next level. We were definitely young at the time, but you and that team really shaped my attitude and passion for basketball that I continue to have today.

No one will ever be able to take away our state championship rings, our oodles of wins and broken records, but most of all, no one could ever take away the long-lasting friendships we made. I will always think of you, Coach DeFrank, as not only a good friend to me, but someone who will forever be close to my heart.

Thank you, again, for all the memories and for everything. God bless you always.

Fondly,

Kara Stetler #21

Class of 2003

It was left to two of DeFrank’s more recent and most stalwart performers, Jill Glessner and Katelyn Murray, to bring this career assessment to a close. Both earned all-state honors as Trinity seniors and were teammates—Jill as a sophomore, Katelyn as a freshman—on the 2001 state championship team.

Jill, writing from Loyola College in Maryland, confessed she was “scared to death” of him when she was a youngster attending his grade school basketball camps, “I thought Coach mumbled and I was so nervous that I wouldn’t be able to understand him when I got to Trinity,” she remembered.

But reflecting on her years playing for him, she wrote: “Coach DeFrank coached with an iron hand, but it was always in a velvet glove. There were times he reminded me of Walter Mathau in the movie, “Grumpy Old Men.” But I would never trade my experience with him.

“Coach was always hardest on his best players. I learned that if you gave up on yourself, he would give up on you. I was probably always mad at Coach during my four years for some period of time and for some reason. He was tough, but as I look back, it was a good tough. I remember he picked on me one practice. Everything I did wrong, he pointed out and kept yelling at me. And he pulled me aside, and said: ‘When I stop yelling at you, that’s when you should worry.’ As time went on, I began to understand how truly lucky I was to be playing for such a remarkable coach. He was not only amazing coach, but also person, mentor and friend.”

Katelyn Murray—this shouldn’t surprise you—had a similar take on “Coach DeFrank.” She said simply, but directly: “We’d get frustrated with him because he’s the coach and he’d yell at us. But there’s really nothing I would change about him. He’s the kind of person you want to do your best for…learning from him, playing your hardest…just working hard, working on your fundamentals, doing the little things necessary to win games. And that just carries in the classroom and everyday life…just doing the little things and striving to get those little details done. Coach DeFrank is certainly one of the best at doing that. That’s why he’s been as successful and so notable as he has been though out his coaching career.”

So there you have it. From the young ladies who were and are in the best position to judge the effect Harry DeFrank had on their lives. The fact that the perceptions of his players through the years were so repetitive makes them more than repetitious. It makes them true. What his players saw in Harry DeFrank was exactly what they got. Year in and year out, very little changed. They could learn from him if they would…from the highs and the lows; the reprimands and the praise; the victories and the defeats, the championships won and the championships lost. Life lessons they were called, time and time again. By the players, by the parents, by the coaching associates who talked about him from their different perspectives. Harry DeFrank, to be sure, was a successful…a very successful…basketball coach. But by every measure, he was an even better builder of character.