Fistfights between coaches and referees? New York City’s once deep and proud basketball culture, particularly within the inner cities, has continued to disintegrate. Not the talent on the court as much as today’s hoops culture. Especially at the grassroots, AAU and high school levels. Just ask NYC basketball coaching legend Ron Naclerio, who will be starting his 51st season at Cardozo High School in BAYSIDE, Queens NY. That’s six years as an assistant and 45 as head coach, sending numerous players to college and the NBA, including Rafer Alston, Royal Ivey and Duane Causwell.
Ron Naclerio Calls Out NYC Basketball Culture: Coaches, Players, Parents Fighting
In addition to being a huge part of the NYC basketball culture, Naclerio has managed to deal with changes in the PSAL, his school administration, eligibility rules, the challenges of COVID and whispers that he might want to hang it up soon. Add in the changes in society, social media and how kids are coached, taught and disciplined and coaching is more thankless than ever at the public high school level.
Naclerio, who is doing his summertime rounds at various parks and tournaments took to Facebook to voice his concerns with what he experienced this past weekend.
“What has transpired in NYC Youth Basketball the last two days has me more than shaking my head and searching for answers,” New York City public schools’ all-time winningest high school basketball coach said. “Yesterday in a game in Brooklyn a coach punched a referee in the face. Today in a game in Queens in which Cardozo was playing the Referee punched the opposing coach in the face and then the coach punched the referee back in the face drawing blood. It was ugly. Praying NYC doesn’t get any uglier!”
These reports are truly disturbing, and basketball is a competitive sport, especially in the inner-city where it can be a true ticket out of hard times for certain kids. Naclerio has sent hundreds of kids to college, and many have used basketball and the life principles taught in the game as stepping stones to becoming a productive citizen. But none of these players, Naclerio says, would have been successful if they didn’t buy into his system, respect authority and the game.
High School Hoops Coaching Legend Says Bad Element Has Entered The Game
Times have changed. Not only is NY not considered a mecca of hoops, “there’s no discipline,” Naclerio tells The Shadow League. “A bad element has entered into the game. There’s no toughness and being an asshole is common.”
Naclerio says the players today are too sensitive, they don’t take directions well and the overall comradery and respect within the game has taken a hit. Naclerio was inducted into the NY State Basketball Hall of Fame in Troy NY in April of 2024. He was also inducted along with Top75 NBA star Carmelo Anthony, streetball legend Joe Hammond and WNBA legend Tina Charles into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame.
Ron Naclerio Entering 51st Season Coaching Hoops At Cardozo High School: Looking To Pass Jack Curran’s 972 Wins
Over his half century at the modest, multi-cultural public school, Naclerio has managed to become the winningest coach in state public school history, with 961 victories and counting. He broke the previous 754-win record in 2016. Things did not start off so well for Naclerio — in his first season at Cardozo, the team finished with a 1-21 record. That is a fitting beginning to the juggernaut he has built. His accomplishments at the school are easy to see. In addition to taking three city titles, Naclerio’s squads have made 40 playoff appearances, 21 Elite Eight finishes, 10 Final Fours and six championship appearances.
Naclerio’s win total is just 11 wins short of tying legendary Archbishop Molloy coach Jack Curran for most wins in NYC basketball history. Naclerio says his team “wasn’t that good last year and only finished 22-7.” That’s still a very respectable total and Naclerio expects to be even better this season and the next two seasons, as “most of my better players are juniors.”
Ron Naclerio Trying To Become First NYC HS Hoops Coach To 1,000 Wins
Naclerio expects to break Curran’s record at some point early in this season and then will become the first NYC basketball coach to win 1,000 games in his career. It’s something that is important to a man who once had aspirations to coach in college or the pros but now understands that he has lived his calling to the fullest.
Taking kids from underserved areas and providing them with a culturally-enrichening and enlightening time at Cardozo. Teaching his players about life lessons, sacrifice and dedication, no matter if they were from the projects or the suburbs. He is truly a part of the culture as I previously explained in a three-part story on him back in 2015.
As he expects to pass Curran this upcoming season, Naclerio also credits the coaching legend with influencing his development in the craft.
“I looked up to Jack and did my own version of the things he did. Subconsciously I learned and saw and did. When I go to Molly and walk back where his office used to be, it’s used by other people, but all of the memorabilia is still on the wall. Naclerio might get more wins than Curran, but he personally doesn’t feel he will ever get the same respect from his school’s administration, who in a change of principals removed all of Naclerio’s memorabilia, photos and banners from his office, locked him out of it and moved him to another office in the school without consulting him almost a decade ago.
Plenty Of Elite Players Still Born In New York City
He continues to keep the spirit of public HS hoops alive. From holding outside practices during COVID, to dealing with whatever drama comes at him while advocating for his basketball players. While Naclerio doesn’t like the vibe in NYC culture, he says rumors of a talent deterioration have been overblown.
“They’re saying that but if you look at a lot of these prep schools, they have kids from NY City,” Naclerio said
Naclerio used five-star point guard and top-20 national prospect Deron Rippey, who is from Brooklyn as an example. He attended the prestigious private school Blair Academy as a high school student which has led to offers from the elite basketball programs in the country. Syracuse basketball, Alabama, Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, N.C. State, Tennessee and Texas are all trying to recruit the guard, Naclerio’s point is, his dad honed his hoops skills in BK.
NYC Oversaturated With AAU Teams: Weakens The Pot
Naclerio also mentioned how oversaturated AAU teams are now. Back in the day, the teams were limited so only the best of the best got slots. When it was time to represent your city, the super teams of elite players were undeniable.
“Over-saturated with AAU teams now, so the 24 best players in the state might be spread across five and six teams,” Naclerio tells The Shadow League.” The OG coach also isn’t a huge fan of NIL deals, as his purist nature just won’t allow him to accept the sudden shift to pay-for-play. He feels that valuable principles will inevitably be lost over time when playing basketball in college is totally about financial gain.
“With all of the money being thrown at them they will go to the highest bidder…I can’t believe a kid can stay in college four and five years and make more than they would in the NBA,” he said.
Dr Emil Naclerio Saved Dr. Martin Luther King’s Life After ‘Prince of Peace’ Was Stabbed In 1958
Naclerio, 67, played baseball at St. John’s University and later spent three years in the Chicago White Sox system, before injuries retired him to coaching. His father, the late Dr. Emil Naclerio was the heart and lung surgeon who saved Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s life when he was stabbed back in 1958. Naclerio tells The Shadow League that on October 23, 2014, Dr. King’s oldest son Martin Luther King III came to Cardozo and personally “Thanked Me” on behalf of what my father did in front of a packed auditorium.
Times are changing, but the one constant in NYC hoops is Ron Naclerio walking that sideline in the orange and blue for Cardozo HS and breaking another record.
