Pingeton Aims To Rebuild BHS’s Girls Hoop Team New Coach Has Franklin Pedigree

By KEN HAMWEY, Staff Sports Writer

Bob Pingeton is Bellingham High’s new girls basketball coach, and his hiring could be the end to the program’s high turnover rate of head coaches at the varsity level. The Blackhawks have had six head coaches in the last 10 years.

“This will be my only job at the high school level,’’ Pingeton said. “The position is so appealing, not only because I live close by in Franklin, but also because it’s a rebuilding situation that I want to see go in the right direction. Success can be achieved in Bellingham and it’s a chance to establish a quality program.’’

Coaching the Blackhawks will be the 49-year-old Pingeton’s first varsity basketball attempt as a head coach. He does, however, have varsity hoop experience, serving last year as Franklin High’s assistant to the legendary John Leighton. Last winter, Pingeton helped Leighton guide the Panthers’ girls squad to a 21-1 record and into the state tourney quarterfinals against Springfield Central, the eventual state champ. 

Pingeton also has varsity head coaching experience in two other sports. He’s currently the golf and girls’ tennis coach at Franklin High. He also has a lengthy tenure coaching in Franklin’s youth basketball programs and also at the AAU level. 

“I coached in the Franklin Recreation League for nine years, the last five for the Metrowest Travel group,’’ he noted. “I also was a coordinator for four years at the youth level and served on the board of directors for six years. And, I’ve been coaching Grades 5-11 in AAU basketball for eight years.’’

Pingeton has coached golf for one year and he finished his second year as girls’ tennis coach in June. His golf team had a 9-5 record, finished third in the Hockomock Tournament and 12th in the sectional. After a 5-9 first year with the tennis team, he led the girls to an 11-7 record in the spring. His squad defeated Lynn Classical in the first round of the state tourney before bowing to Brookline.

Pingeton, who’s married and has two daughters, says “the time was right’’ to become a head basketball coach. “I was ready after the great season we had at Franklin last winter,’’ he said. “I got the experience I needed and basketball has always been my favorite sport.’’

Pingeton was a three-sport athlete at Leicester High (suburb of Worcester) where he excelled in football, basketball and baseball. He was a quarterback in football, a two-way guard in basketball and a pitcher/centerfielder in baseball. He was a captain and a Southern Worcester County all-star in all three sports.

Now, as he takes the reins of Bellingham’s girls’ team, which went 5-15 last year, Pingeton is eager to get started. He met the players and their parents after being hired in May. At the meet-and-greet session, he mentioned his goals and hopes for the future.

“Our primary goal will be to play as hard as we can and be as competitive as we can in every game,’’ he emphasized. “Then, we’ll strive to win the Tri Valley League Small Division title. Third on the list is to qualify for the state tourney, then win a state championship.’’

Pingeton said he also wants to be as visible as possible for games at the youth level. “I want to know who’s in our program, and we want to build that program by doing the right things,’’ he emphasized.’’

Pingeton’s style of coaching will feature an up-tempo offense that “gets up the court fast.’’ He also expects his players to be in tip-top shape. “We’ll get rebounds, get into transition and hopefully get as many easy hoops as we can,’’ he said. “We’ll force turnovers with good defense, that’ll be man-to-man 80 percent of the time. We’ll strive to be the best defenders we can be and we’ll mix in some zone traps.’’

On his relationship with his players, Pingeton says: “I want them to be comfortable asking questions. I’ll never yell at an individual, and I won’t yell at referees. As a players’ coach, I’ll help them understand how to fix a mistake. I’ll stress basics and how to play the game the right way.’’

Pingeton’s philosophy of coaching will focus on creating a comfortable culture and an enjoyable experience. “We want the players to reach their potential and understand our expectations that will lead to winning,’’ he said. “And, there are life lessons the girls can learn from athletics. Sports can teach them how to overcome adversity, how to develop mental toughness and to be resilient. And, they can learn how to be good teammates and good leaders.’’

Pingeton knows what it takes to play basketball in a highly competitive atmosphere. He worked in the Hockomock League, now he’ll get a taste of the TVL, another challenging circuit.

“We’ll have to work hard for every win and we’ll have to be at our best to win games,’’ he emphasized. “The Large Division has great programs and we’ll face a tough schedule against the Small Division teams. The new tourney format helps us because we’ll have a strong schedule, facing teams that are in higher divisions.’’

Calling Leighton, who’s coached the Franklin High girls for 16 years, a role model, Pingeton also recalls his high school coach — the late George Alboro. “He was a terrific motivator,’’ Pingeton said. “Even though I was a captain, I had to work excessively hard. He was a players’ coach and I enjoyed competing for him.’’

Pingeton says he wants his players at Bellingham “to enjoy playing for their school and for him.’’ 

If rebuilding gets done at a moderate pace and quality teams are the result, there’s little doubt that Bellingham’s players will be enjoying their time in Bob Pingeton’s program.