The jacket and tie never stay on for long.
St. Augustine Prep boys basketball coach Paul Rodio, who will be ending his 50-year tenure with the Hermits after the 2026-27 season, has long been one of the Cape-Atlantic League’s most dapper coaches.
But that’s before the opening tip.
The first quarter is not even half over before he turns into the CAL’s version of “Magic Mike.” He unbuttons the sports coat and soon peels it off and drops it on his chair. Minutes later, he claws at the knot in his tie. It hangs around his neck for a few moments before he tears it off, wads it up and fires a fastball toward the bench.
They don’t make a coaches box big enough to contain him. He prowls the sidelines, calling out plays, shouting defensive adjustments, briefly pausing to take a swig from the bottle of water that’s always placed for him at the edge of the scorer’s table.
It’s been that way since 1976, when a 24-year-old Rodio took over the program at his alma mater. The 1970 St. Augustine graduate has since built the Hermits into one of the most successful programs in the state.
Rodio is the second-winningest boys basketball coach in South Jersey history, sporting a 1,060-131 career record. Under his guidance, the Hermits have won five state championships, 15 South Jersey titles, and have won the Cape-Atlantic League tournament 11 times.
The tenure will end after one more season.
“I’ve been doing this for 50 years, which is not exactly easy,” Rodio told NJ.com. “I know that I’m older, not the young kid anymore. It’s become more and more difficult. It’s the right time.”
Rodio, who will turn 74, is retiring partly due to health issues.
He revealed last week that doctors have recommended he undergo a liver transplant. He is currently on the national liver transplant wait list at the University of Pennsylvania.
“I’m actually doing fine, but if you know anything about a liver, it’s not going to get better,” he said. “It’s only going to get worse. I feel better today than I have in the last five years. But you just don’t know.”
Rodio indicated he went through a batter of tests at Penn recently. Because of the encouraging results, he is ineligible to be placed on the cadaver donor list. His liver would have to be from a living donor.
The transplant would require about a 10-hour operation and at least four to five weeks of recovery.
“I want to be 100 percent by basketball season,” he told NJ.com. “If I can have it done by August, great. If not, I can do it after basketball season in March. Once it’s done, the doctors said I’ll feel like I’m 19 years old.”
Rodio has been dealing with various health issues in recent years.
In October of 2021, he underwent emergency surgery after developing two blood clots in his aorta that required a 33-day hospital stay.
But the setbacks haven’t slowed him.
He’s continued to serve as a terrific coach and mentor to athletes, coaches and fans, a course he has followed for nearly 50 years.
Rodio coached some of the CAL’s best players, including future college and professional standouts such as Olu Babalola (Clemson), Scott Greenman (Princeton), Anthony Farmer (Rutgers), Mike Kouser (Drexel), Pops Mensa-Bonsu (George Washington), Justyn Mutts (Virginia Tech) and Andrew Sullivan (Villanova).
Most still stay in touch with their former coach. Some have already volunteered to be tested as possible donors.
“What makes you feel the best about the whole thing is the kids,” Rodio said. “I got a phone call the other day from a kid who took off to get tested because I helped him as a kid. That means more to me than all the other stuff.”
When he retires, he’ll join a special group of former coaches who are considered CAL boys basketball legends, a fraternity that includes Gene Allen (Atlantic City), Tom Feraco (Middle Township), Dixie Howell (Ocean City), Ken Leary (Pleasantville) and Jim Mogan (Sacred Heart). Current Ocean City coach John Bruno will also be a member when he puts away his Hawaiian shirts.
But for now, there’s one more chance for Rodio to coach, one more season in the gymnasium that now bears his name.
One more opportunity to see if that sports jacket and tie can make it through the first quarter.
Photo credit: Paul Rodio Facebook
