Coaches Corner
Gary Bestman, was born and raised in Springfield, Ma. He started playing basketball at the Carew St Boys and Girls Club, where he spent most of his nights. Bestman played 3 years of basketball at the High School of Commerce where he graduated in 1986. Bestman was considered one of the best big men in Western Mass when he graduated. Bestman made all Western mass and All State his senior year. Bestman finished 12 years of school with perfect attendance. He credits his mentor Gary Mindell for teaching him a lot about the game of basketball and how important it is to be a good person.
Bestman took his talents to Western Connecticut State University where he played 4 years of college basketball. Bestman played for Bob Campbell, one of the best coaches in New England. Bestman was part of 4 of the best years in Western history. In Bestman’s final two years at Western they complied a 53 – 5 record including 28 – 2 his senior year, which is still a record at Western. Bestman’s senior year which included William Shepard, his high school teammate is still considered the greatest team in Western Connecticut History. In 1990 Bestman’s team started the season with another record, 19 straight wins. In 1990 Western made it to the elite 8 where they lost to Washington College in over time. Bestman graduated in 1991 with a degree in communications.
In 1992 Bestman decided to pursue a coaching career in Connecticut. Bestman’s 1st job was as a freshman coach at Brookfield High School. Bestman spent the following two seasons as the JV coach at Brookfield. In 1995 Bestman was hired as the 4th head coach in the history of Abbot Tech in Danbury. Bestman spent 5 seasons as the head coach at Abbot Tech. They struggled for his first two seasons but over his final 3 years at Tech they compiled a 55-17 record, won 3 division titles and played in two championship games. At the end of the 1999 – 2000 season Bestman was named to the Danbury New-Times Coach of the year.
Following that season Bestman decided to return to his Alma mater Western Connectivut as an Assistant Coach. Bestman spent one season at Western and in 2001 decided to return home, mainly to be closer to his sick mother. In 2001 Bestman was named head coach at East Longmeadow, where he spent one season. Bestman was named head coach at Sci Tech in 2002 and he resigned from East Longmeadow, unfortunately the job at Sci Tech was taken away from Bestman because a teacher in the building filed a grievance.
Bestman accepted his 3rd high school coaching job at West Springfield, where he coached the Terriers from 2004 – 2006. Bestman was also head coach at STCC from 2009 – 2012. Bestman returned to high school to Assist William Shepard and the Putnam Beavers from 2014 – 2017. Putnam won back to back Western Mass championships in 2015 and 2016.
In 2017 Bestman started his own Non-Profit Youth Organization with Richie Colon called the Birthplace Ballerz. The BpBz participate in Zero Gravity, AAU, CYO and local leagues.
Bestman has been running the Best Basketball School for over 25 years and it’s mission is to teach kids the “Best Way” to play basketball.
