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Girls: LuHi Head Coach Resigns

For the past 12 seasons Long Island Lutheran has been the elite girls’ basketball program in New York State as head coach Rich Slater has led the Crusaders to a 234-58 record and 4 NYS Federation Tournament of Champions titles. Things will now change though as Slater informed NYCHoops.net on Tuesday morning that he has resigned from his post as head coach at LuHi.

It wasn't a decision that Slater said was easy on him but with so much going on in the world right now, and in his life, he felt as if now was the time to step aside from what he called the best high school coaching job in the country.

"I think everything going on now with the Coronavirus humbled me because I saw Joe Lewinger lose his life and I have two friends in the ICU right now and while I still love coaching, and will coach again, I just felt it was time," Slater said about his decision.

Those weren't the only reasons for Slater as he felt this was a very trying year in general between the ACL injury of his point guard Chardonnay Hartley and seeing the emotional toll that took on her, the leukemia treatment that his Long Island Lutheran assistant coach Taylor Kenney has been going through, and the passing of his mother-in-law.

Combine all that together and Slater said he was humbled to the extent that he felt leaving Long Island Lutheran was the best move for him at this time.

It's the best job in the country according to Slater to coach at Long Island Lutheran but it's also one of the more challenging and at now 60 years old, though he admits he doesn't feel 60, he does have a bucket list of things he wants to do still in his life it's just time he said to step away.

He spoke to the administration at LuHi on Monday morning and had a team meeting online last night to inform his players of his decision with Slater calling that meeting one of the tougher moments he has had with one of his team's as he admitted to not sleeping much Sunday night before letting everyone know of his plans.

What will Slater do now? He's won over 300 games on the girl’s basketball side between his stops at East Meadow, Locust Valley, and Long Island Lutheran and now he says that possibly switching over the coach some boys could be in his future.

"I hadn't really thought about it until recently but yeah I might want to coach guys, but I might want to coach 5th Grade AAU, or I might want to take a year off and go see Celeste at Texas and just travel, I don't know yet," Slater said.

Worse comes to worse Slater says he can always be a volunteer coach with his brother-in-law Wally Bachman, the legendary Hall of Fame head coach at Jericho, that is if he will take him Slater admitted with a laugh.

When things get back to normal though and practices start up again in November that is when Slater says he will feel the sting most as he will miss the practices and working with the players he has grown to love, but it's the lifetime of memories that he will carry dearly with him wherever he lands as he said LuHi is a special place that will always be near and dear to his heart.

"Most people leave a job for a job but I'm leaving a job for no job," Slater laughing said. "I have so many unforgettable memories though and that's what means the most to me."


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