One final look at St. Joseph High School in Westchester
School was home to Isiah Thomas and Illinois’ all-time winningest boys coach Gene Pingatore.
The all-boys Catholic school which opened in 1960 actually had three different head coaches of its basketball program, but all most people will remember is the legendary Gene Pingatore. Pingatore took over from Pat Callahan in the 1970 season, after the Chargers 6th season of varsity basketball.
A 3-13 season didn’t show a sign of things to come, but when Pingatore passed away in June of 2019 he left a legacy behind like no one in the state had seen. Six trips to the Final Four, two state titles (1999 & 2015), and more wins than any other boys coach in the state, with 1.035. (Dorothy Gaters of Chicago’s Marshall holds the state’s record for total wins.)
Long time assistant coach Bill Riley, was named head coach later that summer. The 2019-20 season would end with the Chargers losing by one point in the regional final to Timothy Christian. It would have been the first regional under a coach not named Pingatore. Timothy Christian would make it all the way to the final four in 2A, before they and every other team lost to COVID-19.
The school eventually went co-ed in 2005, after neighboring Immaculate Heart of Mary High School closed. St. Joseph would move all of its classes to the former girls school and just the gym in the old building was used after 2007.
The results for the shortened 2021 season aren’t easy to find, but it looks like the school’s final game was played on March 12 against St. Ignatius and was a loss at home, 58-35.
Video from demolition in July of 2024, mixed with photos & video from a game I covered there in 2013.
All the game video I shot that day. Unedited.
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