Ralph Blundo beams when talking about his wife, Kate, for the great support she shows him, the encouragement she gives and how she raises the couple's four young children.
But that is only one of Ralph Blundo's good marriages.
The other is Ralph Blundo and New Castle basketball. It is a match made in WPIAL heaven.
Blundo and New Castle tied the knot three years ago, but only when the school board amended a district policy in order to hire one of New Castle's favorite basketball sons. In only three years, Blundo has taken a program falling below mediocrity and restored glory -- and then some.
He has lifted his alma mater to heights never seen before in the WPIAL: New Castle became the first team in WPIAL history to win back-to-back titles with undefeated records. This from a program that was 42-49 in the four years before Blundo took over.
Blundo deflects praise for New Castle's historical two-year run. He tells you one of his pet peeves is coaches who believe they are the reason for a team's success. He tells you he is simply the benefactor of a nice run of talented players and also credits his assistant coaches -- and wife.
But those who know Blundo well, and those who know the town of New Castle, say there is one main reason for this current Red Hurricanes' storm: The 40-year-old guy who is still called one name by many people.
Ralphie.
John Lee is a former WPIAL championship coach at Seton-LaSalle who also coached at three other WPIAL schools. He has known Blundo since he coached him in the 1991 preliminary game of the prestigious Dapper Dan Roundball Classic (Blundo was MVP of the WPIAL All-Stars that year) at the Civic Arena.
In practices the week before the game, Blundo went against the likes of future NBA players Chris Webber, Jalen Rose and Glenn Robinson. Lee loved Blundo's attitude. The two developed a friendship and Lee and Blundo talk regularly these days. Lee is now a color commentator for high school basketball games on the MSA Sports Network (Internet and radio).
"Some kids you just connect with," said Lee, a lifelong Brookline resident. "But here is someone who has seen the town of New Castle at its finest as a young kid and now he sees New Castle struggling these days and he has embraced both of them. There is not a better fit for a coach and a program in Western Pennsylvania, even as far back as I can think of, than Ralphie and New Castle basketball.
"I just think it's a fascinating human interest story. Never mind the coaching. I give him as much credit for just staying there, believing in the people, the town and the New Castle kids. You know, he's a bright dude. He could be doing something else, but he believes in that place."
Ever since Blundo stepped into a gym as a 22-year-old and coached New Castle's seventh-grade team, he longed to be New Castle's varsity coach. But when the job came open in 2010, the school board had to change a policy instituted three years earlier that said a school administrator couldn't also coach. Blundo was assistant principal and had been out of coaching for a year. He didn't think he wanted to apply for the job because of his family demands, but his wife, a former star athlete at Avonworth High School, encouraged him to apply.
New Castle wanted Blundo, but had to rescind the administrator-coach policy before it could hire him.
Before becoming New Castle's head coach, Blundo was head coach at George Jr. Republic in Grove City for a season (1998-99), a New Castle assistant under John Sarandrea for eight years and an assistant at Westminster for three years before taking the one year off from coaching.
Now, everyone from fans to school administrators will tell you they appreciate the style of basketball Blundo has brought to New Castle, but also the way the players conduct themselves in a disciplined way on and off the court. Blundo has been a demanding coach -- with everything from his players attitude toward defense, to the way they dress for practice and how they act at every practice.
"I am demanding, but it's our philosophy that every little thing matters," Blundo said. "You know how a lot of teams just shoot around before practice starts. Our kids never just shoot around. They have to come out of the locker room with their shirts tucked in, their shoes tied, their drawstring on their pants tied and they have to run to a hoop and shoot free throws. Once you're between the lines on the court, you have to run everywhere. If practice is at 3, they shoot free throws from 2:45 until 3, the whistle blows and then they have to toe the line."
Blundo said he is more demanding than any coach was of him. He was a standout guard at New Castle and got a Division I scholarship to Monmouth, where he stayed for two years before finishing his career at Westminster.
But he always came back to New Castle. If you cut Blundo, he will bleed red -- and black (New Castle's colors). He and his family live three houses away from Ralph's parents' home, where Ralph grew up. Every Sunday, Blundo, his wife and four children (Hannah, 9; Ally, 8; Ralphie, 6; and Geno, 3) go to his parents for dinner. Ralph's two sisters and their children also come. Every Sunday. And Ralph's mom cooks. Every Sunday.
It's the Blundo way. It's traditions such as those that have made Blundo the person -- and Blundo the coach.
"I still remember that first day in the gym with that seventh-grade team. Nothing was ever more obvious to me than I wanted to coach," Blundo said, "In particular, I wanted to coach New Castle kids because it was something I just felt I could do very well. Not because I thought I knew everything about coaching, but because of how I understood the New Castle kids.
"New Castle is a very unique community these days and this is a very, very unique type of kid here. It's not something I can easily explain, but there is uniqueness of the way a lot of kids grow up here. I've seen the things they've been through, the poverty, the tough times. There is a lot to understand.
"Obviously being here every single day as the assistant principal helps. I think [coaching] can be a really, really tough job for someone who isn't completely entrenched in this community. You better have the right personality if you're not from this community and have the ability to demand things from players -- and get it from them."
First Published: March 8, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
