Remembering Glenn Rose: A Basketball Legend And Student Mentor

 HARWICH – Glenn Rose, a basketball legend and longtime youth mentor, passed away peacefully at his home on March 8. He was 83.
 Mr. Rose dedicated a 42-year career to teaching in the Harwich school system, serving as a physical education teacher and athletic director and inspiring generations of students both in the classroom and on the basketball courts and fields of Harwich. He was well known for his competitive spirit, encouragement and commitment to helping young people reach their potential.
 Cape Cod Regional Technical High School Resource Officer John Larivee, who played for Mr. Rose from 1991 through 1993, said the high school coach was helping him out even before Larivee began playing for him. Larivee said his parents divorced when he was in the seventh grade and he was getting into trouble.
“My dad was not around during my teenage years,” he said in an email. “I credit Mr. Rose with being the role model that I needed. He took an interest in me and helped me believe in myself. And whenever I started to get off track, and go in the wrong direction, he was there to get me back on track.”
“One of my favorite stories involving Mr. Rose was when there was a semi-formal dance my sophomore year. We had practice that day and all the players rushed out after practice to go home and change before the dance,” Larivee wrote. 
“Me and one player remained in the locker room. Mr. Rose heard us and asked why we were still there. We explained that we didn’t have dress clothes to go to the dance. He told us to get our stuff. He then drove us to a local retail store and bought us both a button-down shirt and a tie. He told us ‘You’re going to that dance tonight.’”
Larivee said the direction Mr. Rose set for him influences his commitments even today. Larivee has been coaching in the travel basketball program, Little League, and is an assistant coach for the Monomoy Regional High School boys basketball team.
“Mr. Rose was there for me when I really needed it,” he said. “I hope to be able to pay it forward, even if it is for just one kid. Without Mr. Rose’s guidance, I certainly would not be where I am today.”
Mr. Rose was a basketball legend, scoring 1,594 points in his high school career, a Cape and Island record that stood for 44 years. He coached the Rough Riders for 28 years, had 328 wins, and took the team to 16 state tournaments. His 1990 team played in the state finals at Boston Garden, losing a 52-50 nailbiter to Roxbury’s Mission Church High School, finishing the season with a 21-1 record.
Larivee said the following year, his team made it to the state semi-finals, losing by two points to Wayland.
Select Board member Jeffrey Handler said as a P.E. teacher, Coach Rose was gifted in the way he taught each student the value of a healthy lifestyle. He would always say,"If you don't take care of your body, where are you going to live?" Handler recalled. Mr. Rose played very competitive softball well into his 60s, he added. 
Coach Rose made everyone feel included and important. No one athlete was bigger than the team. The amount of playtime reflected his level of trust in you as a player, not if you were a senior. He played no favorites, Handler said.
“As my coach, he was a mentor first; he led by example,” he said. “He did what he said he would do without exception, and he instilled that value in all his athletes. He was intense but fair, he was honest and considerate, and he had the perfect balance of what it takes to be a great coach and role model.”
Angelina Raneo Chalaka was inducted into the Harwich High School Hall of Fame with Mr. Rose in 1995. She was a star in three sports as a Rough Rider and was the first female to score more than 1,000 points in the school’s history.
“I grew up with Glenn,” Chalaka stated in an email. “The Cape Verdean Community was very active and loved supporting Glenn through his youth and star power athletics. During our high school years, the Harwich High gym was packed, watching the rivalry of Harwich vs. Nauset and Harwich vs. Chatham.
 “Glenn's athleticism was amazing,” she wrote. “More importantly, Glenn was always a gentleman. He was kind, welcoming and easy going. He made everyone feel comfortable. I had the pleasure and honor of working with Glenn for many years at Harwich High School.  
“He loved teaching the students in his class as well as coaching soccer and basketball.  Basketball was his true love,” Chalaka wrote.
Monomoy Regional High School Resource Officer Thomas Clarke was a Rough Rider from 1989 through 1992 and served as a captain. He said they enjoyed an incredible amount of success in those years playing for Mr. Rose, including back-to-back appearances in the old Boston Garden.
 “Coach was from the old school, tough love mold. He demanded your best, in terms of focus and effort at all times,” said Clarke.
 “The bottom line with coach is that yes, while he was a big, intimidating figure and he would get after you if he needed to, he had a huge heart. He would invite us into his own home. He and his wife Debbie would host team dinners before big games,” he said. “Coach would let his guard down a little and you would get to see a softer side of him with his family. Those dinners were some fun times and special memories. Those were the moments that built trust and formed life long friendships.” 
Clarke said that during his sophomore year, “we were playing an inner-city team from Mission Hill. We were down by two with time expiring, and I missed a 3-pointer. I was inconsolable and felt like I had let my team down. Later on in the locker room, Coach Rose sat with me and offered some words of support and encouragement. We were both hurting and I have never forgotten his compassion and that he cared enough to make sure that I was going to be OK.
“It goes without saying that Coach is a legend when it comes to the sport of basketball and winning, but I think the biggest thing to take away from Coach's legacy is that he cared about his players. He cared about you and what was going on in your personal life,” Clarke said.
In 2002, Mr. Rose stepped down as the Rough Rider coach, but he missed his leadership and mentoring role, returning to coach the Chatham Blue Devils the following year. While coaching at Chatham, he saw his Cape and Islands record broken by one of his own players, Christian Messersmith, who claimed the new record, scoring 1,713 in his high school career.    
 The Chronicle reported at the time, “Rose, his fist closed and his arm raised in the air as the record shot swished, was as emotional as anyone, delighted by his player’s grand accomplishment.
 “‘I kind of enjoy it,’ Rose said of passing the torch. ‘Christian has worked hard for me and he’s grown up more than any other kid I’ve had in a long time.’”
That sentiment captured Mr. Rose: always mentoring and pushing for improvements for his players. 
 In 2012, when Mr. Rose’s Rough Rider record was broken by Rough Rider Jennifer Gonsalves, he sent her a letter of congratulations, writing, “The record books will always be there. There will always be someone there to break those records. The important thing is the legacy you leave behind. I know people will be talking about Jennifer the person first and the athlete second.” 
 Mr. Rose was born on Feb. 16, 1943 to John and Agnes Rose. A 1962 graduate of Harwich High School, he grew up surrounded by a large Cape Verdean family. He attended Emporia College in Kansas, where he develop[ed a lifelong passion for education, athletics and mentorship. 
 He is survived by his wife, Deborah Rose; his daughter Dyanna Rose; his son Adam Rose and his wife, Hannah Conway; and stepchildren Kevin and Heidi Arena. 
 Visitation will be on Saturday, March 21 from noon to 3 p.m. at Chapman Funerals and Cremation-Blute Chapel, 678 Main St. in Harwich Center.