It is with great sorrow that the Office of CSI Athletics & Recreation announces the passing of Matty White. A prominent fixture within the College of Staten Island athletics department, White didn't set any records as a player at CSI and you wouldn't find his name in the list of all-time winningest coaches, either. Instead, Coach White spent 17 years on the CSI men's basketball sidelines, assuming an assistant's role behind a trio of head coaches who are quick to deflect all of their achievements in his direction. Those years of service, along with an incredible basketball resume garnered him numerous awards and fanfare, but the Staten Island native's primary calling card was his unwavering commitment and approach to every student-athlete he touched. He is survived by his extensive family, including his wife, Dolores, sons Kenny, Kevin and Matthew, and daughter, Sharon. White lost his battle with kidney cancer peacefully at his home on Sunday. He was 74.
A 2008 winner of the Staten Island Advance's History Award, appropriately named annually for a sports pioneer who has positively contributed to the history of Staten Island, and a 2009 member of the Staten Island Hall of Fame, White started at CSI in time for the 1988-89 season; the swan song season for-then head coach Howie Ruppert, one that ended with a 24-7 record, a CUNYAC Championship, and a trip to the NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament. The next year, CSI named former student-athlete Tony Petosa to the position, and the former pupil admitted leaning on White in more ways than one.
"He was my mentor and my friend,” said a subdued Petosa. “He had such an effect on so many. He always had so much to give. He was a selfless man who was truly an educator. I miss him already.”
Over 300 wins later, Petosa is still quick to cite White as a source for all of CSI's achievements, which have included a trio of conference championships.
"His influence on me alone has been huge," Petosa stated. “With the kids, he always had time. He had such a passion for the game and he enjoyed working with our student-athletes immensely. He was a pleasure to be around and the man could talk basketball for hours. It's unfortunate that people will never know just how profound of a basketball guy he was, because you would never be able to talk about it enough.”
Coach Petosa's sentiments seem par for the course, as White's impact on the Staten Island basketball community stretch as far back as the 1950's. Then, he was a highly-touted high school basketball standout, recruited to play at LaSalle Academy in Manhattan. There, he became Staten Island's very first 1,000-point scorer, earning him a scholarship to Washington DC, playing collegiately at Georgetown University.
Then-LaSalle coach Dan Buckley called White, "The greatest athlete ever to come out of LaSalle." Indeed, White's accomplishments, which included a CHSAA Championship, earned him a place in the CHSAA Hall of Fame.
His Georgetown experience wasn't much different, as White was quick to impress, leading his freshman team in scoring and earning a varsity role in each of the next three seasons, averaging double-figures while locking down on the opponent's best player.
When Georgetown celebrated 100 years of basketball, White was among its 100 best players, sharing the spotlight with such stars as Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning.
From there, White toured on the professional circuit, but what ultimately found him was his passion for coaching, and the coach found himself at Monsignor Farrell, St. Joseph's, and St. Raymond's, before landing back at his alma mater of LaSalle.
In the mid-80's, White found himself back on Staten Island, teaching and coaching at Port Richmond High School before receiving a call from Ruppert at CSI asking for assistance. White ended up calling CSI home for 17 years, giving Petosa and his many pupils an old-school approach on a changing game.
Former CSI basketball student-athlete and current Staten Island Advance sportswriter Dan O'Leary wrote of Coach White in his web blog - "I was lucky enough to play for Coach White. It was a blast. Every day, every practice. Whether he was performing a Saturday morning, practice-opening "eye check" on some of the over-21 members of the team (if you get my drift) or telling us that if we could get the square passing drill down, we'd get to perform the halftime show of the women's game the following week, wherever Coach White was, there was a laugh nearby."
White's light disposition was contrasted only by his passion for basketball and his approach to doing things the right way, 100% of the time.
Former CSI Athletic Director Jason Fein agrees, stating that White's approach extended far beyond the basketball court.
“Coach White was one of the most caring, compassionate educators I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with,” said Fein. “He was always supportive of each and every student-athlete, and for that reason alone you'd be hard pressed to find anyone that ever played for him that wouldn't sing his praises. But he was also always supportive of me and what we tried to do in the department, and would regularly offer an attentive ear and a kind word in almost every situation. His role was far greater than that of an assistant coach. They don't make them like him anymore. I will miss him greatly.”
“He was one of a kind,” says Brian Gasper, a former four year standout who shared the sidelines as an assistant, and later Interim Head Coach in 2003-04 when Petosa took a one-year sabbatical at CSI. “As a player, if he was tough on you it was because he saw your potential and wanted you to fulfill it. Coaching with him, he would let you know how a team should be run and what he expected out of you. He did everything so well. When it was time to coach, he was all business and when we celebrated he was best coach to joke around with. He helped me grow as a player, coach and person.”
Now a father of two and a member of the Coral Springs Police Department (FL.), Gasper notes the growth away from the court was the one he appreciates most from White's lessons.
“He taught me that if I was going to do something in life, that I needed to put my all into it. He stood behind me not only as a player and when I was appointed interim Head Coach, but also when I left CSI. He believed in me and wanted me to succeed. He was a genuine, classy guy who never wanted to be in the spotlight. I really appreciate knowing him and he will be deeply missed.”
“My father used to say that winning only counts in wars and surgery," said Kenny White when his father was inducted into the Staten Island Hall of Fame last year. “He always said coaching is about helping and making it fun."
CSI will be naming its Men's Basketball Coaches Award, given annually at its yearly Awards Banquet the Matty White Men's Basketball Coaches Award. The Athletics Department had hoped Coach White could unveil the honor himself on May 21, when the next installment of the banquet is held, but it was not to be.
His family will be donating money to the College of Staten Island's Basketball Tournament of Heroes in memory of Matty. If you would like to donate please make checks payable to the CSI Association and write "Tournament of Heroes" on the memo line. Please send donations to Head Coach Tony Petosa at the College of Staten Island, 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island NY 10314.
Services for White will be given by his family at Hanley Funeral Home, at 60 New Dorp Lane in Staten Island. The wake viewings will take place on Thursday and Friday from 2-4pm and 7-9pm. The burial will be on Saturday at 10:30am at our Lady Queen of Peace.
