COURTESY PHOTO
Saugus resident David Sacco (center) is the new head boys basketball coach at Winthrop.
By HAROLD RIVERA
Former Pope John XXIII basketball star David Sacco has always heard positive remarks about the sports programs at Winthrop High. This winter, Sacco will get a chance to be a part of the Vikings community.
Sacco, a resident of Saugus, was tabbed by Winthrop Athletic Director Matthew Serino to be the Vikings’ new head boys basketball coach.
“I was really excited,” Sacco said. “I grew up right next door to Winthrop. I’m familiar with their sports programs. They’ve had great success in both girls and boys programs. Peter Grimes had success, Dave Brown had success. I was ecstatic when I found out I got the job.”
In his playing days, Sacco was a star center at Pope John in Everett. He still stands as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,331 points. At Pope John, Sacco, who grew up in East Boston, also played baseball and football. After graduating in 1994, Sacco took his talents to the gridiron at Plymouth State in New Hampshire, where he played tight end.
Sacco began his coaching career when he returned to his alma mater in 2000 as an assistant basketball coach. He became the head coach of the Tigers in 2006 and held that position until 2013. Most recently, Sacco held a one-year stint as an assistant for head coach Paul Moran at Saugus.
Now that he’s returned to leading his own program, Sacco’s looking to bring Winthrop back to the level of success it has been known for having.
“It’s a longstanding tradition, that’s for sure,” Sacco said. “You go back to the days of Chris and Nick Tsiotos, Peter Grimes and the teams he had, Dave Brown and the teams he had with Dino Mallios and those guys. It’s been a longstanding tradition. It’s my job and our staff’s job to get the program back and running to its heydays of success. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
Soon after being appointed head coach, Sacco had the chance to meet with his players. His initial impression of the team is that the group carries a strong mix of experience and talent. Winthrop reached the state tournament last season but bowed out after a loss at St. Mary’s in the quarterfinals.
“I had the opportunity to meet all the guys,” Sacco said. “It’s a senior laden team. They made the tournament last year. It’s a chance for these guys to come back and have a better year than they did last year. We have experience, but experience won’t lead to success unless we work hard.”
Hard work will be one of the values that Sacco will preach to his Vikings this upcoming winter.
“We have our kids playing in two summer leagues,” Sacco said. “We’ve hit the ground running. The kids are super excited. I tell them that just because we have a lot of guys coming back that doesn’t mean that you’ll be given the opportunity. Whoever works hardest will get that playing time.”
Sacco has also had the opportunity to gain more familiarity with the Winthrop community through a handful of recent events. He spoke at the Chris Tsiotos Court dedication ceremony in June.
The impression he’s received from the Winthrop community has been a positive one.
“The community has welcomed me with open arms,” Sacco said. “The first week when I got the job, my phone was ringing off the hook. Half of those people were people I didn’t even know. They told me about the team and how great the kids are.”
“I’ve been to a couple events at Winthrop and the people have basically adopted me as a Winthrop townie,” said Sacco, who also coaches the Saugus American Little League baseball team. His son, 12-year-old Nick, plays on the team.
Once the winter comes around, Sacco’s plan is to have the Vikings off and running. The new coach has lofty goals for his team and reaching them won’t be easy in a competitive Northeastern Conference.
“We have to make the state tournament,” Sacco said. “It’s not going to be easy. We haven’t had 10 wins since 2011. The second goal is to win the league. The third goal is to get a home game. I can remember seeing St. Mary’s play Pope John at Winthrop and the place was packed. The fourth goal is to win a state championship. It’s not easy but you have to have lofty goals for these kids to reach.”
Sacco also hopes to re-establish the identity of tough, hard-working players that Winthrop basketball has traditionally been known for.
“When you come to watch us play, you’ll know that we’ll play clean basketball but we’ll play hard,” Sacco said. “We may win by 20 or lose by 20 but we want people to know that we have tough, hard-nosed kids. That’s what identifies Winthrop kids. That’s what you’ll get from myself as a head coach and from my players.”