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Carroll's Gary Turcott: "Un-Retired"

By Dominic Shelden

Story Created: Jan 18, 2012 at 7:30 PM MDT

Story Updated: Jan 18, 2012 at 11:44 PM MDT

For 19 years Gary Turcott Coached the men’s basketball team at Carroll College.
During his tenure as head coach he was known for his fiery competitive side, and the genuine compassion he displays for everyone he meets.

“He is just the sweetest man, he has the biggest heart you’ll ever find in a guy. He just truly cares about each and every one of us. And I think he just has a passion for basketball, and you can really see that through his interactions with us, and he just loves every one of us, and we dearly love him too,” says Carroll senior forward Amy Allen.

Since his retirement two years ago…coach Turcott is now back as an assistant coach for the women’s basketball team. And the most difficult thing for coach Turcott this season might just be remaining in his seat when he disagrees with a call.

“They’re not interested in my advice as an assistant coach. They would listen when I was the head (coach), but that’s actually been the hardest part for me,” says Turcott.

“I’ve caught a couple of stare downs from the officials, and I’m like ‘why are you looking at me?’ and they say ‘I’m not looking at you, I’m looking at him (Turcott).’ So I don’t know if he’s struggled with it too much. I think he pretty much gets his two cents in, he just has to sit down when he does it,” says Carroll head women’s coach Rachelle Sayers.

Even after two years of retirement…Coach Turcott is still at the top of his game when mi it comes to coaching

“He expects everybody to give their best effort regardless of what your role is on a team or in a situation. He’s really good at holding people to that,” Says current Carroll head men’s coach Brandon Veltri.

“People are just drawn to him because of his vast knowledge, and the character that he is. People want to learn from him, they want to be around him, and they want to enjoy the time that he’s here with them,” says Sayers.

With how much he’s enjoyed this season, and how well he gets along with Coach Sayers…it’s tough to say just how long coach Turcott will remain un-retired

“I think the best thing at my stage in life is just to take life a day at a time, and a year at a time. I’m going to be here coaching tomorrow. And when the season’s over, if coach Sayers wants me back, then we’ll have that discussion. But it’s surely been a great ride so far,” says Turcott.

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