Boys Basketball: Joliet Catholic celebrates Gura’s coaching career

The word which appropriately got used in describing Joe Gura Friday night was love.

Gura is retiring after this season and before Friday night’s East Suburban Catholic Conference matchup with Carmel he was honored by Joliet Catholic, not only for being there for over a decade but for his nearly 50 years as a basketball coach.

“We’ve been blessed that he’s been here,” Joliet Catholic principal Jeffrey Budz said. “I will always remember the words that Joe says to us, ‘I love you and I mean it.’”

That love was in the air on Friday as Gura, a Joliet resident who will be 70 in April, was showered with praise for all his hard work before the game.

“Joe is as passionate about this team as he was about his first team,” Joliet Catholic athletic director Jim O’Brien said.

That passion almost got Joliet Catholic a big win. But Carmel rallied in the fourth quarter for a 63-51 victory.

The Hilltoppers (9-9, 0-7), who were led by seniors Alex Brown (13 points) and Eli Hunter (11 points) led 43-42 after three quarters. But the Corsairs (16-8, 5-3) clamped down on defense in the fourth quarter and also made their free throws, going 15-of-17 from the line in the final eight minutes. Seniors Asher Jackson (23 points) and Bryce Moore (19 points) led Carmel.

But the evening was all about Gura, who graduated from Brother Rice in 1970, has a coaching career which has spanned 49 years. He started in 1973 at age 20 as a fifth grade and eighth grade coach at Bromberek Jr. High in Lemont. After being a part-time coach at St. Rita in 1976-77, he landed a job at Lockport as freshman coach in the 1977-78 season. After being a lower level or assistant coach for 11 years there, including going110-10 in five seasons as a sophomore coach, Gura got his his first head coaching position at Lockport and was there in that role from1988-89 to 1998-99,

That was followed by head coaching jobs at TF South (1999-00 to 2001-02), Pontiac (2002-03,to 2004-05), Plainfield North (2006-07, 2007-08), and after a season as a freshman coach , he was back as head coach at Bishop McNamara (2009-10, 2010-11). He’s been head coach at Joliet Catholic from 2011-12 until now.

He’s led the Hilltoppers to 100 wins in that time including a pair of regional titles and Sweet 16 appearances in the 2013-14 and 2019-20 seasons.

Rather than go for 50 seasons in coaching, Gura decided this was it. He. however, will remain at the school as a history and sociology teacher.

“It’s the right decision,” Gura said of retirement. “We’ve set the staff up for the next coach here. When I first got here I had to recruit in the hallways. But we built it up and have had two Sweet 16 seasons. That’s a testament to the school and the kids that basketball means something here now.”

Gura was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Fame in 2015 and is a 4-time IBCA Coach of the Year. His teams won five regional titles (1991-92, 1992-93, and 1997-98 at Lockport and 2013-14 and 2019-20 at Joliet Catholic) and made a trio of Sweet 16 appearances including going 23-6 and capturing a sectional championship in the old 2-class system at Lockport in 1992-93.

“That was probably my best team,” Gura admitted of the 1992-93 Porters. “We won the conference, won the Thanksgiving Tournament, placed at Pontiac, and went to the supersectional. I hadn’t got my first head coaching job until I was 36 and it was after that I felt that I could win at this level.”

His passion and love for the game has has certainly been noticed by David Mondrella, who played for Gura on the Lockport sophomore team in 1983-84 and has helped him as an assistant coach many years, including being a varsity assistant for him the past 11 years.

“It was never about the wins and losses,” Mondrella said of Gura. “It was always about the kids and the life lessons learned through the game of basketball. That’s what I will take with me from my 20 plus years working for Joe Gura”

While so many in attendance were there for Gura, the person he’s the biggest fan of was there too, just as she had been his whole career. That’s his wife, Karen.

“Karen is the reason I’ve had so much success,” Gura said. “She’s gone above and beyond the call of duty, taking care of so many family things, with our three children, Carie, Carly, and Joey, and allowing me to do this.”

So the love of his life allowed him to share his love on the basketball court.

“What’s important is that I loved not only what I did with basketball but I hope i helped some kids along the way,” Gura said. “I love these kids. I love when we win and I love when we lose because it’s a lesson. If you remember anything, remember that I loved these kids and I’ve had the greatest job on earth for the last 49 years.”