Oliver Ames boys basketball assistant coach Patrick Brennan passed away suddenly in February at the age of 65.
As it was a year prior, mourning brought inspiration. In 2013, Oliver Ames wrestlers honored their teammate Ness for the rest of the season, including an emotional win from Jake McCabe at the Hockomock League Championships.
In 2014, the Tigers hoops team was having an up-and-down season. They had lost three in a row to put their playoff hopes on the edge. They won two straight, including a rout of first-place Sharon, which was the last game Brennan would be on the bench for.
Just a day after Brennan's sudden passing, the Tigers showed their emotions and edged rivals Stoughton. Oliver Ames went on to win their final three games after Brennan's passing to qualify for the postseason.
It wasn't just the boys program at Oliver Ames that Brennan had an impact on as he was a guidance counselor at Brockton High for 36 years and coached multiple sports for the Boxers.
The Brockton Enterprise covered OA's win over Stoughton:
Amid a large pile of photos, scrapbooks and albums of Patrick Brennan on Paula Brennan's kitchen table is a small piece of paper that she locates.
"This is what one student who was coached by Pat wrote and it really sums him up: 'He made us better than we thought we could be,'" Paula Brennan said on Saturday.
The unexpected death of her husband, Patrick Brennan, 65, on Thursday has stunned the communities of Easton and Brockton. He was an assistant boys basketball coach at Oliver Ames for the past five years. Brennan was also a guidance counselor at Brockton High School for 36 years, as well as a track, cross country and girls basketball coach there.
A moment of silence was held for Brennan before his team, the OA Tigers, played Stoughton at home on Friday night.
The Brennans' four adult children – Alli, Katie, Sean and Michael – attended the game, where the OA co-captain Chris Duggan presented them flowers in memory of their father. OA went on to win the game against Stoughton, 69 to 63.
"Losing was not an option for us," said OA senior forward Nick Cidado after the game.
The inspiration that Pat Brennan brought as a coach made such an impact on Chante Bonds that she is now a coach herself.
"He was such a great coach," Bonds, 30, said Saturday. She is the assistant coach for the women's basketball team at Holy Cross. Bonds was coached by Brennan in 2001 at Brockton High School, when the team won the basketball championship against Pittsfield.
"Coach Brennan loved the game and the love he showed for us made us want to play harder for him," Bonds said.
She kept in touch with Brennan after graduating from Brockton High School and went on to play basketball at Bentley University. Brennan came to some of her games and followed her professional career.
"He was more like a father to me, I went to him for advice. He was such an all-around good guy and had such a huge heart," Bonds said.
Brennan had been named Coach of the Year by The Enterprise, Boston Globe and Massachusetts State Coaches Association.
"He was just great with kids," said Tom Kenney, the former athletic director at Brockton High School. "He was a student of the game and he was able to pass around his knowledge to his players."
The Enterprise covered the game at BSU:
Both teams entered the game with heavy hearts after the sudden passing of former Brockton girls coach and Oliver Ames boys assistant coach Pat Brennan last week. After a moment of silence before the game, Oliver Ames coach Elaine Clement-Holbrook and Brockton coach April Dingwell presented the Brennan family with flowers. Brockton players and coaches also wore T-shirts that had "Coach Brennan" on the back.
"Pat was just so important to both teams and both programs,'' said Dingwell, who along with assistant coach Stephanie Savas played for Brennan at Brockton High. "It shows just what an incredible man he was and how many hearts and lives he touched. It was great that we both ended up in the gym playing each other. It speaks volumes to see how many people came out to support his family tonight.
"Everyone has said to me once I got this job that I have hard shoes to fill here following Pat Brennan and I have always said that I have amazing shoes to fill. He taught a lot of people, including myself, Coach Savas and Coach (David) Rea the game, and he also taught a lot of people how to coach the game of basketball.''
Said Clement-Holbrook: "Pat's daughter Alison played for me. Pat had the opportunity to coach a lot of our girls in travel and AAU basketball, so a lot of these girls had the chance to get to know and learn the game from Pat. It's not just about the person, but it's also what Pat meant to the whole town of Easton and so many people's lives he touched.
"Pat's wife Paula was my first captain at Oliver Ames when I started coaching. I have been fortunate enough to know Pat Brennan for a very long time.''
"He just loved the game of basketball. We lost a great coach, and I lost a good friend," said Don Byron, head coach of the Oliver Ames boys basketball team.
A moment of silence to honor Brennan was held before Friday night's OA boys basketball game against Stoughton, with all four of Brennan's children in attendance.
"He was a colleague and a friend, and I will miss him," said Oliver Vil, who worked with Brennan as the other assistant coach at OA. They had worked together for the past four years.
"We would meet every day at practice, and Pat would send me texts or emails and have plays ready for me," said Vil, who is also the sports coordinator at the same YMCA where Brennan was a member.
That mentoring relationship was something that extended to the students as well, said Vil.
"He was such a positive influence when things went bad during a game and he would tell us little quotes that made us laugh and put things in perspective," Vil said.
#3: Kings of the Mat
#4: The Last Gasp Goal
#5: Honesty, Sportmanship
#6: True Teammates
#7: Six Players Join The Club
#8: A Shot Worth The Wait
#9: Repeat Sectional Champs
#10: The Rivalry Rematch
#11: Vaulting To The Top
#12: Triple Overtime Thriller
#13: The Brick Wall
#14: Making A Big Splash
#15: The Buzzer Beater
Honorable Mention: The Finalists
2012-2013: The Complete Countdown