McLegends coaching role a memorable return for Sam Cameli

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Former Thornton boys basketball coach Sam Cameli retursns to his old stomping grounds Saturday for McLegends X. | File photo

McLegends X

When: Saturday

Where: Thornton High School, 151st and Broadway, Harvey

Time: 11 a.m. Game 1: Beggars Pizza Lady McLegends vs. 2011 Girls High School All-Stars. 2 p.m. Game 2: Coca-Coca McLegends vs. the 2011 Boys High School All-Stars

Admission: $7 Tickets: Available at Thornton High School, contact Bill Mosel at (708) 255-4122; the SouthtownStar office at 6901 W. 159th St., Tinley Park, contact Phil Arvia at (708) 633-5949; the Olympia Fields McDonald’s, 2400 W. Lincoln Highway; the Lincoln Oasis McDonald’s, I-80/294 east of Halsted Street.

HOOPLA McLegends X Pre-Party

When: 4 to 10 p.m. Friday

Where: Lincoln Oasis (over I-80/294 in South Holland, east of Halsted Street)

What: Silent auction of sports memorabilia; games and giveaways for the kids; appearances by magician Blake Alexander (4 p.m.), the Thornton High School pep band (5 p.m.), Ronald McDonald (6:30 p.m.), the Jesse White Tumblers (7 p.m.), singer/songwriter Julian Keyz (7:30 p.m.) and the Southtown All-Stars (8 p.m.).

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Updated: January 23, 2012 2:11AM

It had been a long time since Sam Cameli had stepped inside the fabled Thornton gym.

Sixteen years, to be exact.

To the common fan, the first time inside the Wildcats gym is a memorable experience. They don’t make gyms like Thornton’s anymore.

It has character. The shiny floor, the balcony seating, the famed Lou Boudreau room. It reeks of history and success — a history and success Sam Cameli is a part of.

He spent 13 years there as basketball head coach, guiding some of Thornton’s most talented teams through the 1980s and early ’90s.

Cameli was so overwhelmed by his return to the school Wednesday, the 76-year-old asked Thornton athletic director Bill Mosel if he could spend some time alone inside the gym.

Cameli wanted time to reflect, to take a trip down memory lane and recall the great memories. If his eyes welled up with tears, no one would be around to witness it.

“The memories of all the great ballplayers I had, the great games and the big crowds we had ... ” said Cameli, his voice trailing off. “Back then, everybody came to see Thornton play. That’s changed a little bit from what I understand. There are a lot of great kids at Thornton who love to play basketball and love to win. There are no great coaches. There are great players who help coaches win.”

And win is what Cameli expects to do Saturday when he leads the High School All-Stars against the McLegends at Thornton.

It wouldn’t have mattered where McLegends X was played, Cameli would have wanted desperately to win. It’s in his DNA.

The 1952 graduate of Bloom High School is a throwback. Cameli wore his heart on his sleeve as coach, as emotional and demonstrative a coach the area ever has witnessed.

He demanded his players play hard and respect the game.

More than anything, he made certain his players realized the responsibility they had putting on the Thornton uniform.

Expect the same passion Saturday.

“I watched last year’s game and I saw a lot of kids come down the court and jack up a 3 (-pointer) before anyone of their teammates were down the floor,” Cameli said. “That’s not how I want to play basketball. You’ve got to pass the ball, set up and be in rebound position.

“This group of kids is capable of doing that. These are kids with some real talent. My job is to get them to play smart basketball. They have to do what I tell them to do. There’s only one person who calls the shots — that’s me.”

And if the High School All Stars heed Cameli’s advice, they likely will register the victory.

That would snap a five-year losing streak to the McLegends and allow Cameli to walk out of Thornton’s gym — likely for the final time — a winner as coach.

“I do know how to make this group of kids a winner,” Cameli said. “After talking to them, I think they believe that, too.”

Cameli did a lot of winning at Thornton. He was 248-89, a sparkling .740 winning percentage. Only Jack Lipe won more games at Thornton — 268 in 18 years. Cameli led the Wildcats to a third-place finish in Class AA in 1982 and a return trip to the Elite Eight in ’83.

Yes, he had great talent. But the old SICA East, with the likes of Thornridge, Eisenhower and Bloom, was a monster.

The end of his coaching career came sooner than he expected in 1993. Thornton’s administration wanted to make room for an up-and-coming young coach by the name of Rocky Hill. Cameli had an amazing stable of talent at the lower levels ready to blossom in Antwaan Randle El, Melvin Ely, Napoleon Harris and Erik Herring.

“Absolutely, I wanted to stay,” Cameli said. “Why wouldn’t I want to stay with those kids coming up. But I’m not bitter. I have no regrets. I’m a human being. You get kicked in the (butt) and it hurts. Thornton is a great community and they didn’t do that to me.”

Cameli never received a proper send-off. Mosel saw the McLegends game as a perfect opportunity to invite Cameli back.

“He’s a Hall of Fame coach and this gives him an opportunity to come back one more time to Thornton,” Mosel said. “For me, when I was a young coach just starting out, Sam was a guy you looked up to. He ran a successful program, and you tried to model your program and yourself after him. I’m excited for him and his family.”

No one is excited as much as the man himself.

“It’s a tremendous honor for me to coach in this game,” Cameli said. “I never expected to coach again, much less at Thornton, in my life. I plan on winning. If you don’t think you can win, then don’t get involved. That’s not just in sports, but in life.”