A future basketball coach may have been in the group of 6th grade boys on the St. Rose of Lima basketball team at Hagan Arena during the men’s basketball game vs. La Salle on Feb. 5. Four decades ago, head coach Billy Lange was one of those boys.

Lange was able to connect with his elementary school basketball roots when the kids from his grade school alma mater attended the Big 5 matchup. The boys from the same team Lange played for were able to interact with Lange and the Hawks before the game. 

The kids gave the Hawks high-fives in the tunnel as they took the court. They also met and took pictures with some of the St. Joe’s players after the game. 

Lange, who attended St. Rose of Lima in Haddon Heights before graduating and moving on to Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in 1986, said that St. Rose is a special place. 

“It’s a big part of who I am as a man, as a husband, as a father and as a coach,” Lange said. 

During his time on the team, Lange played under Head Coach Tim Lenahan, who coached there from 1978 until 2005.

“My time at St. Rose, not just as a grade schooler, but the amount of time I spent there after with a guy that was like a father figure to me in Timmy Lenahan, it means a lot,” Lange said. 

Despite moving on from St. Rose of Lima, Lange continues to feel connected to his alma mater. 

“We had a saying in the basketball program there ‘Once a Falcon always a Falcon,’” Lange said. “I’m still a Falcon.”

One of the boys on the St. Rose basketball team, Kellen Holmes, said that his family has season tickets, but this experience was different for him. 

“I go to a lot of games,” Holmes said. “It was cool to see the players up close.”

His teammate, David Pauley, said he did not follow St. Joe’s basketball before this game, but is definitely a fan now. 

“The players were all nice and welcoming,” Pauley said. 

Pauley said that watching St. Joe’s play pushes him and his teammates. 

“We saw how the St. Joe’s students play,” Pauley said “We can be motivated to play that way, so we’ll probably play better.”

As for their fellow Falcon in Lange, the boys said that knowing that he started at the same place as them made their interaction special. 

“It was really cool,” Holmes said.  “I’ve only seen Coach Lange one other time, and I have an autographed hat of his.”

Pauley said that seeing what Lange has accomplished inspires him when it comes to thinking about his own future. 

“It’s so cool to think that a St. Rose student can become a coach of a D1 team,” Pauley said.