Five - At Least - Named to New England Basketball Hall of Fame

And he was surprised again when people started asking him about it.

 

"My high school coach, Paul Procopio, called me when I was watching the Kansas-Wichita State game in the NCAA tournament," the Taconic boys basketball coach said on Wednesday night. "So it was the very end of March that he called me to tell me I was in.

 

"The message to me was: Don't say anything to anyone right now. I haven't said anything. Nobody knows.

 

"Then the emails started flying around the last few weeks."

 

And on Wednesday afternoon, Hoosac Valley sent out a news release announcing that its boys basketball coach, Bill Robinson, would be part of the class.

 

That prompted a posting on iBerkshires.com and, shortly thereafter, an article on the Berkshire Eagle's website naming Heaphy, Pittsfield girls coach Joe Racicot and Hoosac Valley and Springfield College alumnus Rob Burke as additional members of the Hall's Class of 2015, scheduled to be inducted on Aug. 8 at Worcester's DCU Cener.

 

On Wednesday night, Heaphy dropped a couple of other names of people he knows will be inducted, including Hoosac Valley girls coach Ron Wojcik.

 

But Heaphy said he still has not received an official notification from the Hall of Fame of whether he will be going in as a player -- from his days at St. Joe and American International College -- or a player/coach, taking into account his 14 years at Taconic High School.

 

Whatever label he wears, Heaphy is honored to be part of the Hall of Fame.

 

"I was shocked, surprised and humbled to say the least," he said.

 

"I just feel really lucky being in Pittsfield that I had the Boys & Girls Club and Catholic Youth Center to grow up in. To play for Coach Procopio was great. He was a terrific coach and really helped me."

 

Heaphy has helped Taconic reach the Western Massachusetts tournament 11 times in the last 14 years.

 

"We haven't gotten one, but we're knocking on the door," he said, referring to the program's two Western Mass finals.

 

Robinson, Racicot and Wojcik each have at least two. Wojcik's Hoosac girls are coming off three straight sectional titles and two straight trips to the state championship game.

 

Robinson's boys won Western Mass last winter and joined the Hoosac girls at the DCU Center for the state finals.

 

Racicot, who has more three decades of coaching experience, won two titles with Taconic, according to this evening's report on the Eagle's website.

 

Asked about his accomplishments as a coach on Wednesday night, Heaphy focused more on the opportunity it has given him to give back to the community than the wins and losses.

 

"In coaching, you're only as good as your players," he said. "I think we've got a solid program at Taconic.

 

"We've had some really good players who make you look good."

 

And now that the cat is out of the bag about the New England Basketball Hall of Fame?

 

"I came in from walking my dog just now, and there were six text messages on my phone from my players," Heaphy said.

 

"I haven't even told [Pittsfield/Taconic Athletic Director] Jim Abel yet. He's always good about getting things like this out to the public.

 

"He's probably going to give me a hard time about that."