Sean Casey celebrates 300 career wins with the 2008–2009 Girls’ Basketball team.
The 2001 Boys’ Lacrosse Team
Sean Casey
It is easy to be awed by the numbers surrounding the 2001 Peddie boys’ lacrosse team. Their undefeated record of 16-0 is in itself incredible, but accomplishing it against one of the toughest schedules in the state made it that much more remarkable. Finishing with a top 15 national ranking amidst some of the most storied and respected high school programs in the nation brought the team to even higher levels of inspiration. But Coach Bob Turco would argue that what made this team unique, special and worthy of our deepest respect was their sense of team.
Girls’ Basketball Head Coach
This team was loaded with depth and talent and was led by Rich D’Andrea ’01 (Georgetown), two-time high school All-American and two-time Dietrich von Schwerdtner award winner for the best goalie in the state. Classmates Eliot Dahood (Stevens), Peter Freidman (Bates) and Dave Paolisso (Georgetown) keyed the offensive production, while Brian Dower (Rutgers), Matt Meehan (Navy) and Matt Alt (Navy) locked down the opponents on the defensive side. Rounding out the team were nine juniors including strong contributors Jackson Kiniry (Butler), Tim Weigand (Villanova) and Rob Lemming (Stevens). One sophomore, David Bauer Jr., would finish his career as an All-American and go on to captain Georgetown. Two freshmen rising stars, Ryan Spitz and Mike Cummins, would continue their careers at top programs (Lafayette and Brown, respectively). On their way to the perfect season, the 2001 team knocked off powerful Lawrenceville twice, the second time in a one-day playoff for state and MAPL championship bragging rights. But most impressive of all was beating the future state tournament champions, Moorestown, in a one-goal epic game that to this day marks one of the most impressive victories in Peddie lacrosse history. Coach Turco, along with trusted assistant Dacque Tirado, extolled the team concept, and the boys came together at just the right time to achieve greatness.
Sean Casey patrolled the basketball sidelines at Peddie for 17 years with incredible energy and success. The Casey recipe of unselfish play on both ends of the floor, combined with the ability to maximize each player’s basketball skills, helped guide the Falcons to several national rankings while sending 17 student-athletes to Division I programs. During his tenure, Casey mentored three McDonald’s High School All-Americans: Bridgette Mitchell ’06 (Duke), Crystal Goring ’05 (Richmond) and Haley Peters ’10 (Duke). Hall of Fame member Lauren Kokotajlo Grace ’99 put Peddie basketball on the map with a miraculous last-second three-pointer to upset Mount St. Dominic in the 1997 Prep A title game. The magic continued through Casey’s final campaign in 2009-2010 as Peddie defeated Blair Academy to notch its 14th consecutive Prep A State Championship. Adding to his prolific numbers, Casey steered the Falcons to 12 straight Mid-Atlantic Prep League crowns with a spotless 77-0 mark. Celebrating nine 20-win seasons, Casey went out a winner by defeating Oak Hill Academy in the nationally-televised ESPN National High School Invitational, giving the coach a final career record of 329-89 (.787). Longtime assistant coach Eric Gustavson said, “Sean knows how to make people, especially his players, feel concerned, valued and appreciated. He was tough-minded, but also loving and generous with a sense of humor and the understanding that it’s necessary at times to have fun. Even more important, perhaps, than the lessons on the court, Sean nurtured and helped his players be successful in academic and social areas as well.” His wife Jill, serving as assistant coach, helped build the enduring culture of the girls’ basketball program. Coach Casey cemented his legacy when he was selected to be the 2010 Naismith National High School Coach of the Year. Fall 2016 33