Cape Tech Bids Farewell To Longtime Coach Warren

HARWICH – A 20-year chapter of Cape Cod Tech boys basketball has come to an end.

The school honored its longtime boys basketball coach Brent Warren with a lengthy and heartfelt pre-game ceremony before the Crusaders dropped a 60-46 decision to Mayflower League rival Upper Cape Tech in their season finale Feb. 12 at Cape Tech.

“This was a very memorable night for me,” said Warren, who began coaching the junior varsity team in 2004 before taking over the varsity program in 2006. “I appreciate everything that everyone did.”

The festivities began with a senior day ceremony honoring each of Cape Tech’s seniors before Upper Cape Tech coach Bill Macuch took the microphone and gave a speech highlighting the type of person – and coach – Warren has been during his tenure.

“He was the only coach that gave me the time of day,” Macuch told the crowd. “For years, coaches wouldn’t give me the time of day. Brent, you have no idea the impact you made on a young coach that wanted to make a name for himself and get an opportunity. You did that for me 20 years ago when nobody would give me the time of day and I’ll always be grateful for that.”

Macuch presented Warren with a Lifetime Achievement Award For Coaching on behalf of Upper Cape Tech, a gesture that nearly moved Warren to tears.

“This guy [Macuch] almost made me start crying before the game,” Warren said afterward.

Cape Cod Tech athletic director Alan Harrison followed Macuch with another plaque ceremony commemorating Warren’s time at the school.

It was a fitting farewell for a man who made an impact on two decades worth of Cape Tech students as a carpentry teacher and basketball coach. One of the best parts for Warren was that so many of those people he encountered, mentored and coached throughout the years were in attendance in the packed crowd.

“It was funny,” Warren said, “I had coaches that I coached with and kids that I coached against, and so many players that I coached and one guy that I played with at Nauset in the ‘70s. I didn’t know any of this was coming. The whole time, I was like, ‘Don’t do it. It should be about the seniors because it should always be about the kids.’”

The kids were happy to honor their coach, especially senior Alex Valdovinos.

“I lost my dad freshman year, and ever since then he’s been like a father figure to me,” Valdovinos said of Warren. “He’s always been right there next to me whenever I need anything. For him to be there and offer his guidance and his support, it means the world to me.”

Another senior, Trevor Ryone, said Warren helped instill the importance of working hard.

“He’s definitely taught us to be disciplined, work hard, and never give up,” Ryone said.

Warren said that he knew at the end of last season that this winter would be his last on the sidelines. Part of his decision to step down was that he felt junior varsity coach Kevin Furey – Warren’s likely successor – was ready after more than a decade coaching the school’s JV team.

“I’ve been talking to Kevin about it for a couple of years,” Warren said. “I had been waiting for him to get ready and he’s got a little guy at home. I knew it was coming. I planned on it for a while. I just wanted to make sure that Kevin was ready.”

Although Warren will no longer be leading the boys basketball team, he expects to still make an impact on the players’ lives in future years.

“We’ve got a really talented freshman class and the best part is they are all in my carpentry class so I get to see them every day,” he said.