Krause: Silvio getting a second chance

Jim Silvio is getting the second chance he’s hoped for since 2004, and there are no doubts in his mind who he can thank for the opportunity.”There are a few people I have to thank for this,” says Silvio, who was named yesterday as the head basketball coach at Malden Catholic. “First, there are Kevin Moran and (St. Mary’s principal) Carl DiMaiti, and then I have to thank Buzzy Barton and (English principal Andy) Fila. Without them, I never would have been given this chance.”Four years ago, Silvio lost his job as head coach at Bishop Fenwick after a display of excessive emotion during a tournament game between the Crusaders and Swampscott High. There’s no need to get into it here. Anyone who follows high school hoops already knows what happened, and it really wouldn’t be fair to Silvio – four years later – to dredge the whole thing up again.Silvio didn’t kill anybody. He didn’t illegally film anyone. His players weren’t on drugs or steroids, and none of them have ever popped up in a police log.After he lost his job at Fenwick – and was basically hung out to dry by the former principal for almost three months in the process – Moran stepped up and offered him an assistant’s job at St. Mary’s. He stayed there for two years until 2006, when he was supposed to join the English staff with Jack O’Brien, who had just been appointed head coach there.As we know now, that never worked out, and when Barton took over on an interim basis, Fila’s first inclination was to purge that program of all O’Brien’s assistants, including Silvio.But after six games, Silvio – who had formed a strong bond with the English players during the summer – was invited by Barton to rejoin the staff, with Fila’s blessing, and the two of them combined to coach the Bulldogs to consecutive Northeastern Conference/Large titles.”He was great for me,” said Barton, who acknowledges he’s limited in the amount of hands-on coaching he does due to his chronic back condition. “We worked great as a team. He just did yeoman’s work.””We were 31-8 in two years, but wins and losses aren’t everything,” Silvio said. “We’ve had six seniors in two years, and four of them (Bryan Bingham, Jairo Valdez, Winston Bennett and Rafael Perez) are in college.”I’ll really miss the English situation,” Silvio said. “I liked the English kids, and I liked working for Buzzy, and I’m really thankful to Mr. Fila. He always has the kids in mind.”Silvio knows he’s crazy. He’s not shy about joking about it, too. And he’s joining a coaching community at MC with fiery, emotional personalities such as Chris Serino and Steve Freker, so he’ll be right at home.”The craziness ? that’s only one aspect of it,” says Silvio, “but what I do off the court with those kids ? that’s beyond dispute.”If anyone deserves this shot, it’s Jim Silvio. Yes, his excessive passion got the better of him four years ago; yes, he needed to pay a price for it; and yes, this paper – and this columnist, in particular – was out in front leading the charge to make sure it happened.But he’s paid it. Now, it’s time for everyone to move on, and it’s time for Silvio to resume doing what he loves best: running a basketball program.”He really is a head coach,” Barton says. “It’s where he belongs. This is a tough loss for us, but it’s great for him.”Silvio’s commitment to his players was never in doubt. They played hard for him, and he worked hard for them.He’s ready to make the same commitment to the Lancers.Steve Krause is sports editor of The Item.