The North Shore basketball community was stunned over the weekend when it learned of the tragic passing of Saugus boys basketball coach Mark Bertrand. From his competitors in the Northeastern Conference and beyond, everyone had glowing things to say about Bertrand.
“He was just a first-class person in every way possible,” said Salem boys basketball coach Tom Doyle. “When we’d meet before games and chat, he wouldn’t just ask about the team but he’d ask how you were doing and how your family was doing. It’s a sad loss for everyone.
“I had actually been on the phone with him five or six times in the few days before he passed, just talking about the season and the logistics of everything,” Doyle added. “To think that he won’t be back out there now representing Saugus is heartbreaking.”
“He was always a great competitor, a great person to talk to and a great coach,” said Swampscott boys basketball coach Jason Knowles, who coached against Bertrand at both the junior varsity and varsity levels. “He knew how to motivate his kids and kids just wanted to play for him. He was everything you’d want in a high school basketball coach.”
Marblehead girls basketball coach Paul Moran, who has known Bertrand since their playing days in the 80s, brought Bertrand in as an assistant coach when he was at the helm of the Saugus boys program in 2008. Bertrand coached the freshman team and the junior varsity team before eventually taking over for Moran in 2018.
“It’s just absolutely heartbreaking,” said Moran. “He was a family man, he loved basketball and he loved Saugus. When I got hired at Saugus, my very first call was to Mark Bertrand. He was Mr. Basketball in Saugus, everything from rec league to high school he was the man to see about basketball.”
Even when it comes to rivalries, like that between Saugus and Peabody, an event like this brings everyone together.
“It’s just such a devastating blow to the entire basketball community,” said Peabody boys basketball coach Thad Broughton. “He was a great coach who cared about the kids, but he was so much more than a basketball coach. When I got that text this weekend, I was just devastated. It just won’t be the same without him on the sidelines.”
Saugus still doesn’t have a definite start date for the winter season, but there’s no question that there will be a big hole on the sideline for many years to come. And Moran thinks that while there’s no way to fill that hole, there’s one thing that might help ease the pain of Bertrand’s loss.
“(Mark’s son) Joe (Bertrand) has been the lead assistant coach at Saugus for the past couple years now,” said Moran. “I’m sure Saugus will do the right thing, and I hope that they give Joe the head coaching job and let him take over if he wants it. He’s the man for the job going forward.”
