Larry Starr's second act reminded him of the joy of coaching
When the 2021-2022 basketball season came to an end, Larry Starr was certain that his coaching days were over.
Heading the girls program at Monacan High School had been all-consuming with year-round training and the rigors of the regular season.
Leslie Bacile, his assistant and former player, was set to succeed him, his legacy was secure, and truth be told, he really had nothing left to prove.
During his 17-year tenure, his teams had amassed a 343-92 record, won four state championships (2015, 2016, 2017, and 2020) and five regional titles, and made 10 state tournament appearances.
What could be better, he thought, than watching from the stands, supporting his protégés, offering advice if asked, and taking quiet pride in his career of distinction?
Very soon, though, he realized he missed coaching and began to think about returning to the sideline at, perhaps, a small school in need of a program builder.
The only stipulation was that he wouldn’t compete against Bacile, her twin sister Kara (Steward), or R.J. Spelsberg (Monacan boys), whom he had known since they coached together at Maggie Walker Governor’s School two decades earlier.
One thing led to another, and he was offered and accepted the position of head girls basketball coach at Blessed Sacrament Huguenot, a VISAA Division III signatory located in Powhatan County.
“At first, I had a hard time with it,” he said. “These kids played multiple sports, so maybe three or four were coming to pre-season (workouts). I had a rule at Monacan that you participated (in basketball) three seasons, or you weren’t going to play. Couldn’t do that out there, and, of course, the level of competition is a lot different. But the more I stayed with these girls, the more I enjoyed it.”
The year before Starr arrived, the Knights finished 5-13. His first year, they went 12-16, then 10-11, and this past season 13-10.
“We’re forever grateful that Larry came here three years ago,” said BSH athletic director Chuck Thomas. “What he’s done for our girls basketball program goes far beyond the wins and losses. It’s more about the work ethic he’s taught and the foundation for what it takes to be successful that he’s established. That part has more value than anything.”
Now, Starr is moving on once again.
He and Carol, his wife of 46 years, are relocating to State College, Pennsylvania, where their daughter Mallory Devore lives so they can be active participants in the life of their only grandchild, Stone, who’s seven years old.
Former Monacan and Lynchburg College standout Abby Oguich, his assistant the past three years, will succeed him.
“We feel blessed to have Abby because she played for Larry and learned to coach from him,” Thomas said. “It’s a natural progression for her to take over where Larry left off.”
This time, Starr isn’t hanging up his whistle for good, or so he hopes.
He still loves teaching the fundamentals and the X’s and O’s. He loves the game planning and management. And he loves making connections with his players and conveying the lessons that they might not understand in real time but will inevitably apply to challenges they face later in life.
“I had such a good time (coaching this year) and the kids were so great that it got me hungry to coach again,” he said. “I don’t want to retire. I want to go up to State College and coach.”
He’s sent his résumé to several high schools in the State College area hoping to secure a position as either a head coach or assistant with a girls or boys team. Some programs in the area are top-flight. Some are evolving. He’s good with either.
“I’m excited,” he said, “but at my age (66), people might not be interested. Right? I worry about that. They don’t know me. People down here do. We’ll see what happens. I just hope somebody will take a chance.”
Starr hails from Toronto, Ohio, a small industrial city located on the Ohio River near the West Virginia line. He was a three-sport star (football, basketball, baseball) at Toronto High and is a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame.
A wishbone quarterback in high school, he went on to play fullback and running back at Division III Washington & Jefferson before transferring to Bowling Green. He spent nine years in the Army (infantry and quartermaster corps), pulled his last tour of duty at Fort Lee, and remained in the Richmond area.
In the year since, he’s taught at Louisa, Prince George, and, of course, Monacan where he served two years as Natalie White’s assistant before assuming the reins of the program.
He and Carol have three daughters. In addition to Mallory, Meredith lives in Virginia Beach and Megan in Finland.
“In Toronto where I grew up, everybody stayed there,” he said. “It would be nice if all our children were together and we weren’t making this move at this time in our lives.
“My wife and I have been talking about it for two years. What’s most important to us at this time of our lives? Our grandchild. He has special needs. We just want to be with him.”
What still excites Starr about coaching?
“I didn’t know that answer until this year,” he said. “I had three 8th graders in our top 7. Two started. When I saw those kids start to come together and the things we’d been teaching for three years finally kicked in, that’s what excites me.”
The fire, then, still burns.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “I didn’t get excited when we got beat by 50 (by Grove Christian) in the (VISAA, Division III) quarterfinals, but the game before that, we won at the buzzer against Randolph-Macon Academy, a team that’s probably better than us. It was so exciting to see those girls get excited. To see them come together was really cool.”
