CJ boys hoop: Staley will retire after season

Joe Staley, who along with brother Jim Staley combined for nearly 1,000 boys high school basketball wins, announced on Wednesday he will retire as the head coach at Chaminade Julienne following this season.

Joe Staley, in his 34th season as CJ’s head coach, carried on a grand tradition of Eagles basketball excellence, which included state championship teams in 1966 and ’70, both coached by Jim Turvene. Staley also played for Turvene and graduated from Chaminade in 1972.

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Staley took over as head coach at CJ in 1985. CJ clinched its 12th Greater Catholic League Co-Ed North title last month. The Eagles also won nine district titles and made four final four finishes under Staley, finishing as the Division II state runner-up in 1991.

“Chaminade stuck through me through the thick and thin,” Staley said. “We had a lot of good years and some years we struggled, too.”

On Monday, CJ (16-3) was named No. 1 in the D-II state poll for the second straight week. However, CJ also suffered its second straight loss, 57-48 at Cincinnati LaSalle on Tuesday. CJ lost 62-55 to No. 1 Cincinnati Moeller (D-I) on Saturday.

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Staley will take a 449-343 career record at CJ into Friday’s game against visiting Fenwick. CJ should earn a No. 1 seed in the upcoming D-II sectional coaches’ meeting on Sunday.

“It was really exciting for me because I’d always been a Chaminade guy,” Staley said. “There has never been a day where I got tired of coaching. I liked every part of it. I liked open gym and weights and scrimmages, and I still do. But I don’t want to be one of those guys who maybe losses his competitive intensity and I don’t want to wait until that happens.”

His brother Jim Staley, a 1969 Chaminade grad who played baseball at Ohio State University, had a 540-270 career coaching record at Wilmington (six seasons), Trotwood-Madison (10) and Centerville (21). He was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association hall of fame in 2014. Jim is in his first season as CJ’s freshman boys basketball coach.

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Together, the Staley brothers have a combined 989 career coaching wins.

Joe also coached his sons at CJ, first Joe Jr., then John. Joe Staley Jr. is a member of CJ’s coaching staff.

“The most special part was coaching my sons and after that you remember the good teams,” Joe said. “I haven’t enjoyed a team more than the team we have this year. We have great kids and they’re overachievers. You always hope this happens, but it’s rare.”

Joe Staley will be recognized for his teaching and coaching career at CJ prior to the final regular-season game against visiting Carroll on Friday, Feb. 15.

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