A win over Salida gives Manitou Springs boys hoops coach Ken Vecchio his 500th victory
MANITOU SPRINGS — On a lukewarm February night, Ken Vecchio doesn’t want to reflect on any of his 500 career wins. He just wants his team to get ready to take No. 501.
But that didn’t stop athletic director John McGee and the fans at Manitou Springs High School from taking a moment to congratulate the man who has helmed the Mustangs for 31 years.
With a 60-36 win over Salida in the Class 3A Tri-Peaks district tournament, Vecchio became a winning coach for the 500th time in his career.
“(It’s been) a lot of years, a lot of good kids,” Vecchio said. “It’s all good at this point. I’ve had lot of fun doing this and I’ve gotten to be around a lot of good people during that time.”
It’s been quite the roller coaster ride. Vecchio has come close to playing for a state title, making the 3A Final 4 in 1991 with CHSAA hall of famer Justin Armour on the roster.
Despite a loss in the 2010 state tournament, he guided a talented team to the consolation championship, a banner that Vecchio and that team are proud to see hanging in the Manitou gym.
And even with the celebration and recognition afterward, Vecchio doesn’t want the spotlight on himself. He even went as far to make sure that his players didn’t know about the stakes that Tuesday’s game held. He wanted their attention on the task at hand so that this team can work toward a stellar finish to a season that included a 18-1 record.
“We had a couple of rumors going around,” senior Davyn Adamscheck said. “But for the most part we had no idea. You know how he is, he doesn’t like to congratulate himself. It’s always the team first. That’s what we respect about him. It’s never him before the team.”
And it’s been that way ever since he arrived at the school in the fall 1986. He has said on numerous occasions that he doesn’t judge success by wins or how far his teams get in the playoffs. He just wants the 12 or so kids on the roster to take the floor and play the best basketball they possibly can.
“Ken is a fantastic guy and a fantastic coach,” McGee said. “He’s not all about wins, and that’s what makes it so special. You watch a Ken Vecchio-coached team and it’s all about effort.”
Perhaps what’s been most special in recent years is that his son, Brian, has been able to share in the success with him. Of his 500 wins, 439 have come at Manitou. Brian has been on the bench for the last 186.
If the wins that Ken registered while Brian was a varsity player from 1999-2001 were factored in, father and son have been together for well over 200.
But the only focus now for either of them is win No. 501. The Mustangs are back in action in the Tri-Peaks semis against Buena Vista. A win there could set up a rematch with Colorado Springs Christian, who beat Manitou 40-38 back on Jan. 24.
“We’re working on Buena Vista tomorrow,” Vecchio said after Tuesday’s win. “We’ll be ready to play them on Friday. We’re still going one at a time here. It’s worked for us okay so far so we’ll play it like that.”
