Just hours after plotting the course for the next chapter in his coaching career, Oliver Antigua was back at St. Raymond.
“I’m cleaning out my locker as we speak,” he said.
Antigua resigned as Ravens head coach Monday to accept a position as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Manhattan College under head man Steve Masiello. It ends Antigua’s successful 10-year reign as head coach at St. Ray’s, where he won three CHSAA Class A city titles, and 13 seasons altogether on the bench at the Bronx Catholic school.
“I’m really thrilled and happy,” Antigua said. “I live in Riverdale. My family is around. It’s going to be a smooth transition for me. It’s been a little bittersweet today because I had to tell the place where I called home for a long time that I’m moving on.”
Coaching at the college level isn’t an entirely new challenge for Antigua, who spent one season at Pittsburgh, his alma mater, before landing at St. Ray’s in 1999 as an assistant under Gary DeCesare. He was sorry to leave behind next year’s group, which includes seniors Shane Rector and Lorenzo Rojas and talented underclassmen Kayvon Williams, Kahari Beaufort and Shawn Jones. As he cleaned out his locker, memories came rushing back.
“You think about the players you coach and the relationship and the people you helped along the way,” he said.
Antigua went 186-100 and won three city titles as head coach in 2003, 2004 and this past season. Led by Division I-bound seniors Daniel Dingle and Kerwin Okoro, St. Ray’s went 21-10, won the Archdiocesan crown and beat Holy Cross for the city finals. Antigua has coached more that 20 Division I players, including four who have gone on to the NBA.
“It’s never a right time, but it probably felt [like] the best for me,” Antigua said.
Older brother Orlando Antigua’s college career motivated Antigua to take the plunge. Orlando Antigua is John Calipari’s top assistant at Kentucky, is considered one of the nation’s top recruiters and won a national title this past April. While some have made the assumption that the two, who are very close, are planning to coach together at the college level in the future, Antigua said it’s not something they have spoken about.
“We talk hoops all the time,” he said. “We talk about his team. We talk about my team. I can see why that’s a natural progression.”
Manhattan went 21-13 last year under Masiello, who previously served as an assistant at Louisville under Rick Pitino, in his first season. The Jaspers have become a budding destination for local talent with eight players on the roster from the New York City/Long Island area including Rhamel Brown, George Beamon and Mike Alvarado. Antigua believes he can bring recruiting connections in the city, experience and skill development.
“We are very excited about the addition of one of New York City’s most successful coaches who brings a great wealth of knowledge about the metropolitan area,” Masiello said. “Oliver will help enhance our brand in New York City and take Manhattan College basketball to the next level. He is a high character person with great integrity.”
Antigua is the second new hire to Masiello’s staff, joining former Xavier assistant Rasheen Davis after assistants Scott Padgett and Rashon Burno moved on to elevated coaching positions at Samford and Florida.
Rector, the rising senior guard, said Antigua has kept the players updated so they would not be caught off guard. He brought a mix of knowing how to relate to players and still being tough on them when they did something wrong, Rector said. The highly recruited guard, arguably the top player from the city in next year’s seniors class, talked of how close Antigua was to the seniors, who stuck with him after six players transferred out of St. Raymond in the span of two seasons early in their careers.
“It’s a great opportunity for him.” Rector said. “I didn’t expect him to turn down the job. I’m happy for him that he got a college position. … He was fun to be around. He was a good coach.”
St. Ray’s athletic director Ben Aguirre said Antigua’s departure is bittersweet. He is happy to see him progress in his career while also disappointed to lose him. St. Raymond will now start a search committee to find its next coach.
Top assistant and freshman coach Jorge Lopez is the person Antigua recommended to succeed him and is one of the candidates, according to Aguirre. If Lopez is given the job, it would likely ensure the return of the program’s core, according to a source.
“We are not going to rush it, but we are not going to drag our feet, either,” Aguirre said. “This is something we want to get done soon. I don’t want to put a timeline on it.”
Antigua is excited to be part of a program he feels has a rich history in New York City basketball and one which is on the upswing now.
“This gave me a chance to help my family,” Antigua said. “I think it was time to move on.”