Welcome Home: New WHS Basketball Coach

We talked to new Winthrop High School boys basketball coach Michael DiMarino and he’s certainly excited and enthusiastic about his appointment to the top position in the Vikings’ hoop program. DiMarino has big shoes to fill. His predecessor, Dave Brown, put the Winthrop program on the map once again and brought a great deal of pride to the school, winning a state championship at the TD (Boston) Garden and numerous NEC titles.

We have watched DiMarino develop his coaching skills, first at Savio Prep where the varsity came within three points of a state title, and then at Masconomet Regional where as an assistant on Frank Shea’s staff again, Masco has become a perennial Cape Ann League title contender. DiMarino grew up in Winthrop and is well familiar with the great support our teams receive from the town, not to mention the Viking Pride Foundation and new 11 Foundation: In Memory of Mike Mason.

The selection committee that consisted of such basketball giants in this town as hoop legend Chris Tsiotos and former summer league co-commissioner Phil Lundberg has made an excellent choice in Michael DiMarino.

The large number of candidates who sought the position is a tribute to the elite status that the program attained under Dave Brown’s stewardship. DiMarino, a Winthrop resident, was selected from an outstanding pool of applicants and we’re sure that Mike will show why he is so well-thought of in the basketball community. We also should note that he is a tremendous classroom teacher; he was voted the Massachusetts history Teacher of the Year for his work at the Rumney Marsh Academy in Revere.

We congratulate Michael DiMartino and welcome him home to Winthrop basketball. We’ll see you in the State Tournament in March.