Tom Diana, Andrew Athanas, Stephanie Joannon inducted into state HOF

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. — The first time Tom Diana was asked to coach a boys basketball team, his answer was, “I have no desire to coach. I don’t have the patience for it. It’s not for me.”

Talk about a change-of-direction move. Diana, just out of Southern Connecticut State, eventually agreed to the request of his former Island Trees coach, Rob Young, that he coach the school’s summer team in the Hicksville league.

Said Diana, “In the first game, the moment the ball went up, I knew what I wanted to do.”

Diana has done it so long and so well that on Sunday, he was one of three Long Island coaches among the 12 persons inducted into the 2016 New York State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Glens Falls Civic Center. Diana has won 320 games since becoming the coach at Uniondale in 1996.

Also inducted were Glenn girls basketball coach Andrew Athanas, who has won 369 games in a 31-year career, and former Port Washington girls basketball coach Stephanie Joannon, who was the first Nassau female coach to win 300 games and currently is the Section VIII coordinator for the sport.

“This day is a reflective time and you get to look back on things you accomplished and it makes you remember great times and great memories,” said Diana, who was surrounded by family, friends, former players and numerous Long Island high school basketball coaches. “It’s not about me but about many people and players over the years.”

When pressed for a favorite player or Uniondale team, Diana conceded, “They all start to meld together. If you ask me what year they played, in my mind, they all played together. We’ve probably had 15 college captains from our program, and that’s something I’m very proud of. It’s saying that what we’re teaching is what other coaches want their players to be like.”

The teaching and the succession of captains will continue. “To be honored when I’m actively coaching is probably the most special part of this,” Diana said. “You’re being recognized for a great success, but at the same time, you’re still goal-setting for next year.”