For 27 years, Bob Hagen was synonomous with basketball in the
Gilroy area. Indeed, Hagen set the standard for hoops all over the
Central Coast region.
For 27 years, Bob Hagen was synonomous with basketball in the Gilroy area. Indeed, Hagen set the standard for hoops all over the Central Coast region.
In a long and distinguished coaching career at Gilroy High, Hagen’s accomplishments are legendary — a 405-209 record, a total of 14 league champions, four regional champions, eight-time league coach of the year, several times state coach of the year and, the crowning achievement, National Coach of the Year in 1973.
Now, the annual basketball tournament that bears his name — the Bob Hagen Memorial Tourn-ament — is approaching the immortal Hagen’s longevity.
Inaugurated in the late 1970s in honor of Hagen’s passing, the tourney is a year away from its silver anniversary.
And, the tourney remains as popular as ever, according to Gilroy High Athletic Director Jack Dailey.
Dailey, who has worked everything from the snack bar to the hospitality area, has seen great teams and great players, such as Gilroy’s own Derek Bruton and Jeff Garcia, Aptos’ Trent Dilfer and Harbor’s Tim Young, just to mention a few.
And, Dailey said the tourney, which raises thousands of dollars a year for the boys hoops program, is an ideal way to enter the Winter Break for the students and the athletes, and a great source of entertainment for the fans.
“It’s a great tradition, a great way to end the semester and go into vacation,” Dailey said.
And, there’s also a JV tourney held at the same time in a nearby auxiliary gym.
So for some great hoops and plenty of tradition, stop by Gilroy High and check out the action this weekend.
