NY High School Basketball 2001 State Champions-Coach
Mark Sausville
August 2017
As expected, Mark Sausville is getting the nod as the new boys varsity basketball coach at Scotia-Glenville following the retirement of 400-game winner Jim Giammattei.
Sausville, 55, was the school’s JV coach the past two seasons and previously won a NYSPHSAA championship during a 12-season run at Schenectady.
“I met with the athletic director (Jamian Rockhill) and he asked me if I would accept,” Sausville told The Daily Gazette. “I had to talk to my family about it to see if they were OK with it. It’s a big commitment. It’s different than the JV.”
Sausville’s son Alex played for the 2014 team that won NYSPHSAA and Federation championships, and Giammattei directed the 2015 team to another New York State Public High School Athletic Association crown.
With only three players back from a 17-5 team, the new coach will have some rebuilding to do.
“G’s objective was always to put the kids in a position to be successful,” said Sausville, a special education teacher at Schenectady. “That’s what I am going to try to do.”
Sausville was 198-75 in a dozen seasons at Schenectady earning a state title in 2001. His appointment will become official when the school board meets Monday.
Sausville was hired in 1998 after spending three years as an assistant under Gary DiNola. He also coached the freshman team for two seasons.
Sausville, a Mont Pleasant graduate, had his best season in 2001. Led by Jason McKrieth and Rashaun Freeman, Schenectady won a state championship. Sausville’s program produced several Division I players, including McKrieth (Rice), Freeman (Massachusetts) and Andy Robinson (Buffalo).
A special education instructor in the district for the past 18 years, Sausville will continue to teach at Schenectady High.
“I was honored and privileged to coach some great players to coach against some great basketball minds in Section II,” Sausville said. “That’s made me not only a better coach but also a better person.”