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FREMONT – Having devoted more than three decades to the Little Giant basketball program, Friday night Mark Gedeon received a well-earned Thank You.

Former Ross boys basketball coach Mark Gedeon acknowledges a standing ovation from the crowd during a pregame ceremony honoring his 32 years with the Little Giant program Friday night.

The former Little Giants boys basketball coach, who retired last spring, spent 32 years on the sideline, the last 23 as its head coach, was recognized for his contribution to Fremont Ross and the countless lives he touched.

“It’s very flattering, very humbling,” Gedeon said. “It’s not something I really wanted to do. In fact, when (athletic director) Chad (Berndt) first told me about this two weeks ago, I said ‘Absolutely not.’”

Gedeon was coaxed into the evening however, when he realized the night was as much about celebrating the relationships he built for a generation with Ross players, coaches and staff.

“Part of this is not about you, but about the players who’ve been a part of this era of the program and all the great assistant coaches I worked with and the players I had the opportunity to work with, teach and coach, and it’s about them. Trying to look at it that way, I can accept it a little bit.”

A collection of about 20 former players throughout his tenure turned out to see their old coach. And many of those who couldn’t attend, sent him messages of support and appreciation.

Girls varsity basketball coach Juan Vela played under Gedeon from 1996-2000 and said Gedeon specialized in getting the most out of his players and teaching the game.

“He always motivated you to do more, challenged you to do more,” Vela said. “He was a such a great teacher, if you didn’t learn it, it was because you didn’t want to learn it. He explained things very well, you knew exactly what he wanted and what the gameplan was going into the game.”

A group of former players returned to show their appreciation for coach Mark Gedeon.

When Vela joined Gedeon’s coaching staff, first as part of the junior high and JV team, he gained a new appreciation for his preparation on a nightly basis.

“Every game there was a scouting report and it wasn’t just one page and they just listed five players,” he recalled. “It was all their quick-hitters, in-bounds and out-of-bounds plays, their defenses — what they do in certain situations – each player, what their strengths and weaknesses are, it was five or six pages for every game and I was just amazed.

“I didn’t know basketball was this complicated.”

While he is no longer roaming the sideline, Gedeon can still be found in the gym, only it’s been in the stands, watching his former players, including his son, junior Ben Gedeon.

“It’s a different type of stress level,” he said of watching rather than coaching. “I still get nervous. I still analyze and try to decipher what is going on on the opponent’s team and at the same time try to support the current coaches and players the best I can.”

One of the prominent reasons Gedeon retired was his health. Since reducing the stresses related to coaching, he said he’s seeing the benefits.

“It’s something that I can still see weekly is getting better and better,” he said. “I’m still working toward getting where I want to be, but a lot of things have improved greatly. Quality of life is such an important thing, I learned that a long time ago, but I was too thick-headed to do it for myself.”

While standing center-court, receiving a rousing standing ovation from a packed Purple Pit, isn’t exactly a comfortable feeling, he appreciated the opportunity the night gave him to reflect and be show gratitude to those who helped him as well.

“It’s tough on personal sense to get the attention on myself but, at the same time, it’s great knowing there have been so many people with me on the journey and not too many people can say they’ve done what they always wanted to do.”

 
BOYS GOLF
BOYS SOCCER
CHEERLEADING
CROSS COUNTRY
FOOTBALL
GIRLS GOLF
GIRLS SOCCER
GIRLS TENNIS
VOLLEYBALL
BOYS BASKETBALL
GIRLS BASKETBALL
SWIMMING & DIVING
BOYS WRESTLING
BOWLING
BASEBALL
BOYS TENNIS
SOFTBALL
TRACK & FIELD
CHEERLEADING
GIRLS WRESTLING
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