By Matthew Rocco
After 30 seasons in charge of the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School girls basketball program, George Sourlis is handing over the reins as the winningest coach in Shore Conference history.
Sourlis concluded the 2015-16 season with 653 wins in his career, paired with 199 losses. His win total is the best mark all-time for any Shore Conference coach in either boys or girls basketball. The record was set in February 2015, when Sourlis surpassed legendary Christian Brothers Academy coach Ed Wicelinski, who won 625 games.
Under Sourlis, the Bulldogs had tremendous success in the postseason. The team won five group titles and 14 NJSIAA sectional championships, including 10 in a row. Sourlis and Rumson-Fair Haven also made five trips to the Tournament of Champions finals.
Despite all that the Bulldogs accomplished on the court, what matters most to Sourlis is his connection to so many student-athletes from three decades at the school.
“The boys coach, Chris Champeau, hosted a retirement party for me in early July, and there were about 70 of my kids there. Some of them flew from all over the world,” Sourlis said. “All the great milestones our program achieved are all in the rear-view mirror. But the life relationships that I developed, with the players and the coaches, those are the real treasures.”
Sourlis, who announced his retirement in April, said his tenure with the Bulldogs felt complete after the end of last season.
“I knew in my heart that it was the right time. It was a difficult decision because of the kids I knew I was leaving behind. But in fairness, I knew if I couldn’t give it my all — it wouldn’t be fair to me or to them. I was always taught that if you’re going to do something, do it right,” he said.
So what’s next for the longtime coach?
“Whatever I want,” Sourlis said, laughing.
“I’m looking forward to spending more time with my family, my children and my wife, and to watching my friends’ kids play. When I was coaching, from Thanksgiving through April, I didn’t have a social life.”
Sourlis will be replaced by Dave Callahan, an assistant coach under Champeau for six seasons. Callahan worked with the boys basketball team during a period of revival for the program. The Bulldogs appeared in their first Shore Conference Tournament championship game in 2011 and won it all for the first time in 2015.
Callahan, who played basketball at East Catholic High School in Manchester, Connecticut, graduated from Villanova University and served five years as an officer in the U.S. Navy. Before joining Rumson-Fair Haven’s program, Callahan ran a travel team and coached at the middle school level.
He takes over a Bulldogs team that lost key players Stephanie Lesko, Nicole Morris and Sydney Sabino to graduation. Still, the Bulldogs will have a strong group of returning players, such as point guard Tory Hyduke and forward Hannah Scanlan.
Last season’s squad went 22-7, finishing third in the Shore Conference’s A Central Division behind St. John Vianney High School and Manasquan High School. The Bulldogs fell one win shy of an NJSSIA Central Jersey, Group II title with a loss to the Warriors.
Sourlis believes the program is in good hands.
“It won’t skip a beat. It will be awesome,” he said. “[Callahan] has a lot of energy and fresh new ideas. There’s not a doubt in my mind that the program will carry on. Dave is a friend, and I wish him well.”
The Bulldogs are already beginning their preparations for the 2016-17 season under their new coach. They traveled last month to the Under Armour Best of Maryland Basketball Tournament, where the Bulldogs competed against top high school teams in front of college recruiters. Rumson-Fair Haven went 2-2 overall. The Bulldogs posted a one-point win over Wayne (Ohio) High School, which advanced to the championship game but lost to St. Rose High School. Red Bank Catholic and St. John Vianney were the other Shore Conference teams in the tournament.