Liberty gives Gorski chance to coach again
The former Boardman coach was hired Wednesday by the TAC school.
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
LIBERTY — No one is happier that the 7-11 Connector is open than Boardman High teacher Dan Gorski.
Wednesday, the Liberty Board of Education hired Gorski, who’s taught history and business at Boardman for 29 years, to be the Leopards’ varsity boys basketball coach.
“It’s not bad at all,” said Gorski of the drive he will be making most every day this fall and winter. “I live on Western Reserve Road so I just get on 680 to the 7-11 Connector to Belmont Avenue. I think it takes 22 minutes.”
Gorski’s journey to take charge of Liberty’s program has had a few twists. For 16 seasons, Gorski was Boardman’s varsity coach. Among the players he coached was Terrance Dials who went on to play for Ohio State.
After the 2004-05 season, Boardman did not renew Gorski’s contract.
A 1974 graduate of Ursuline who played collegiately at Adrian (Mich.) College, Gorski wasn’t ready to give up the game.
“For the last two years, I’ve been looking around because I wanted to continue coaching,” Gorski said. “Basketball is my passion.”
Mooney connection
He applied for Mooney’s varsity position that went to Steve Leslie. Gorski then coached Mooney’s freshman team and was going to be the Cardinals’ junior varsity coach.
“Mooney was very nice to me,” Gorski said, “but this is nice.
“I’m very excited and very humbled to have the opportunity to be the head coach of a program again,” Gorski said. “This place just has a lot of positives going for it.
“I think that Jeff Whittaker has done a tremendous job with the football program, I know [girls basketball varsity coach] John Hritz very well,” Gorski said. “Both have had good success here.
“The kids, so far, have been very excited,” Gorski said. “The administration has been so friendly.”
Principal John Young said he received 10 applications to replace Burt Stellers, Liberty’s coach for the past eight seasons. But only two of the applicants had varsity head coaching experience.
“I prefer the experience, but I was really looking for someone who would interact [well] with the kids,” Young said. “A father figure for the kids was more of a priority.”
Plenty of support
A perennial contender in the Trumbull Athletic Conference, Young said Gorski asked him “if the job as good as everybody is saying?”
Young replied that the coach would receive total support from the administration plus strong community backing.
“That really got him excited,” Young said. “His success in the past also was [important].”
None of the applicants are employed in the Liberty system. Young said he’s not concerned that Gorski teaches elsewhere.
“It really wasn’t an issue. John Hritz is retired and lives in Poland, and does a phenomenal job with the [girls team],” Young said. “There’s no problem with him not being a member of the staff.”
Gorksi said Atty. Jamie Dunn, long-time Poland High girls varsity coach, will be an assistant. Dunn led the Bulldogs to the Division II state tournament in 1998 and 2000.
“With the success he’s had, I am looking forward to working with him,” Gorski said.
Another assistant will be Ryan Philibin.
Because of his experience coaching Boardman in the Steel Valley Conference and the Federal League, the biggest mystery for Gorski will be the TAC.
“That’s the most unfamiliar thing,” Gorski said. “We didn’t play a lot of these teams so that is going be different. But I think we can compete.”
williams@vindy.com