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JACK RACETTE
Head Coach
Year: 15th
The Drury boys' basketball team and head coach Jack Racette seem to be a good fit for one another.
Since Racette took over the Blue Devils in 2005, Drury has posted double-digit wins and advanced to the Western Mass. playoffs in each of the past five seasons. In 2005, he won the South Division and advanced all the way to WMass. semfinals before eventually bowing out to South Hadley.
In 2006, Racette's squad jumped back up to the North Division and made it all the way to WMass. quarterfinals before again losing to the Tigers. Racette said the the 2006-07 squad was probably his most talented team to date, but they struggled against a brutal schedule and were handed a low seed heading into the tournament.
One year later, the Blue Devils capped off their most successful regular season under Racette, going an impressive 17-3 and making it back to the Curry Hicks Cage, where they fell to South Hadley again in the WMass. semifinals. In 2008, Drury went 15-5 and made it all the way to the Western Mass. finals, but unfortunately lost to arch rival Hoosac Valley on the way to the Hurricanes' state title game appearance.
The Blue Devils had another great campaign last year, going 15-5 and reaching the Western Mass. semifinals again before losing to eventual state champion Sabis.
Racette learned his coaching philosophies studying under the legendary Frank Zoltek after he graduated from Drury in 1983. While a player for Zoltek, Racette was the Devils' starting point guard for back-to-back Western Mass title winning teams in the 1982-83 seasons. A four-year member of the basketball team and a two-year member of the football squad, Racette also won a Western Mass. Super Bowl playing for former Blue Devils' coach Fran Millard.
Prior to being the head coach at Drury, Racette spent two seasons coaching the varsity team at Mount Greylock. In 2004, he led the Mounties to a 12-8 record and an appearance in the Western Mass. semis.
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