Altavistas Cartolaro Steps Down
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"Verdana","sans-serif"'>After 21 seasons at the helm, Mike Cartolaro has stepped down as the
Head Basketball Coach at Altavista High School, which
won its third consecutive State Championship last month.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>In a statement released to the media,
class=SpellE>Cartolaro noted that it was with, "bittersweet feelings,"
that he announced his resignation as the Head Coach at Altavista,
a place that has been near and dear to his heart,
compiling 403 of his 502 career victories there.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"It's tough to walk away from this program because it's a great
community and we raised our kids here," Cartolaro
told VirginiaPreps.com. "My son, A.J., played
for me. My daughter, Ashley, was a
cheerleader. Altavista
basketball has been apart of the family and it's just
who we are. This decision is just the
right thing to do at this point."
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Cartolaro
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>,
55, is leaving Altavista to accept a teaching
position, along with athletic administrative duties, at Parry
class=SpellE>McCluer High School, his alma mater.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> It was a move based on family, allowing him
to be closer to his 80-year-old father.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"The biggest priority is my father.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I grew up in Buena Vista and we actually
moved here from Bristol 21 years ago when my kids were small to be closer to
him," Cartolaro said.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The Cartolaro family has gone
through some challenging times. Before
his family moved to Buena Vista, Cartolaro's mom
passed away from cancer and his sister died from the results of a car crash not
long before her passing.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"I think all coaches have a clock in their head.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Sometimes it's about situations and timing is
everything. Sometimes it works out and
sometimes it doesn't," Cartolaro added.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> "I actually had the offer last year to come home,
but really wanted to see if we could three-peat, so I walked away from the
offer last year."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Before coaching, Cartolaro
was a player at Parry McCluer, participating in the
longest game in VHSL history, a five-overtime loss to J.J. Kelly in 1977.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He went on to play his College Basketball at
Emory & Henry. From there, he got
into coaching with stops at Monacan, Orange County and Virginia High.
style='mso-spacerun:yes'>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>At Altavista,
class=SpellE>Cartolaro built a dynasty.
The Colonels appeared in six State Championship games under his reign,
winning four. They made nine State
Tournament Final Four trips in 14 years and won eight regional titles.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>With five senior starters in the lineup - UVA football
signee Juan Thornhill, backcourt
mate Meche
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Maulbeck,
twins Darius Johnson and
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Demetrius Johnson along with varsity
basketball newcomer Donavan Montague
- the Colonels beat Honaker 57-44 to complete a 25-3 season with a third
straight state title in basketball. They
became only the tenth school in VHSL basketball history to win three State
Championships in a row and third at the Group A level,
joining Drewry Mason (1982-84) and Bland County
(1962-64).
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>While there is no plan in place to get back on the
sidelines coaching starting in the 2015-16 campaign, Cartolaro
isn't ruling out a possible return down the road.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"I've gotten a nice offer for working at Parry
class=SpellE>McCluer right now," Cartolaro
said. "I would never say never to
coaching, but right now my dad is truly the number one priority and it was a
good opportunity to go home."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Regardless of when or if he returns to coaching, Mike
class=SpellE>Cartolaro and his Altavista teams
have left an indelible mark on Virginia High School League basketball, one that'll
be hard to match in years to come.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
*** Stay tuned to VirginiaPreps.com for more on
class=GramE>Cartolaro, including our
recent Q&A we conducted on the Colonels' three-peat! ***
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";text-decoration:none;text-underline:
none'>Matthew Hatfield
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>
serves as State Basketball Analyst for
href="http://www.virginiapreps.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>VirginiaPreps.com
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, part of the Rivals.com
Network. Check out
href="https://www.twitter.com/hatfieldsports">
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Hatfield's Twitter page
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> for more sports related updates,
and you can also read his work in the
href="http://www.suffolknewsherald.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Suffolk News Herald
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>.
To contact Matthew, please e-mail
href="mailto:hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com">
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, and don't forget to listen to him
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