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L'Italien family allegiances put to test in opening round

Wednesday, February, 27 By Dan Guttenplan
Sports editor

Impossible questions.

Which of your children is your favorite?

To which sibling do you feel closest?

Which parent do you like better | your mother or father? Some questions don't merit answers.

For Ginny L'Italien one such question would be: Who would you support if the team coached by your son faced the team coached by the father of your grandchildren?

But life often requires difficult choices, and Ginny L'Italien's time to declare her allegiance came Monday evening when the Newburyport boys basketball team hosted Lynn Tech in the opening round of the state tournament.

On one sideline, Ginny L'Italien's son, Tom, served as the head coach of the Clippers. On the other, Ginny L'Italien's daughter's long-time boyfriend, Marvin Avery, readied his Lynn Tech squad.

So which team did Ginny support?

"Don't do that to me," Ginny said yesterday. "I had my grandson (Lynn Tech coach Marvin Avery's son) on my lap, so I couldn't even clap. I had a big smile on my face the whole time. When it was over, I was going to congratulate whoever won."

As it turned out, Newburyport coach Tom L'Italien warranted the congratulations. His team narrowly pulled out its first tournament victory in his two-year stint as Clippers coach. The win lacked nothing in the drama department. In a 58-56 victory, Newburyport's final bucket came as time expired causing the Newburyport fan section to erupt and the Lynn Tech fan section to evacuate quickly.

So what did Ginny L'Italien do when her son's team clinched the victory?

"I did what a mother should do and told my son how proud I am of him," Ginny L'Italien said. "My son has made me so proud over the years. It's a never-ending thing with him. He's such a good person, and I'm proud of what he's done for Newburyport."

In truth, what Tom L'Italien has done for Newburyport does not yet match what Avery has done for Lynn Tech. In Avery's nine years in Lynn, his teams have earned eight state tournament berths and captured one state title (2001). His 2003 team lost in the state title game.

Avery, who recently turned 40, started dating Traci L'Italien, 32, over a decade ago. They have three children: Tyrone, 10; Marquese, 3; and Marvin Jr., 6 months.

Tom L'Italien, 35, who coached at Georgetown for six years prior to coming to Newburyport, had never opposed a team coached by his daughter's girlfriend.

Thus, they had never tested Ginny L'Italien's loyalty. "They bantered back and forth all week leading up to the game," Ginny L'Italien said. "They wanted to know who would be getting my support. One said he was responsible for my grandchildren. The other said he's my only son."

Tom L'Italien felt his argument was stronger.

"I told Marvin during the week, there's no question his household is rooting for him," Tom L'Italien said of his sister and three nephews. "But one person he couldn't convert was my mother. There was no doubt she was rooting for her only boy."

Avery decided to test that theory last week when he asked his coaching counterpart's mother to baby-sit his grandchildren.

"I baby-sat the grandchildren while he game-planned for Newburyport," Ginny L'Italien said. "I thought to myself, 'This is awkward.'"

Awkward would not be a word anyone would use to describe the actual game. Breathtaking might be a better word.

The product on the court satisfied all parties involved. The undersized Clippers played over their heads as their fiery coach went through his normal game-day ritual of wearing every possible emotion on his sleeve in a 32-minute span.

A young Lynn Tech squad battled back one insurmountable deficit after the next, coming within a few fractions of a second from forcing overtime against the higher-seeded opponent on Newburyport's home floor. Some could even argue Avery showed more energy than L'Italien, challenging players who showed fatigue while partaking in a constant banter with the referees.

"I can't think of one difference in their coaching styles," said Traci L'Italien, Tom's sister and Avery's girlfriend. "They're both animated. They're both active on the sidelines. My mother and I were joking trying to figure out who was yelling louder."

At the final buzzer, as Newburyport's fans charged the court and mobbed the players, Ginny L'Italien ventured onto the court to give her son a hug. Her grandchildren found their uncle; one hugged his leg while the other wrapped his arms around Tom L'Italien's neck. Traci hugged her brother before searching for her boyfriend, who seemed to be just as excited for Tom as he was disappointed for his team.

"The biggest thing about those two coaches, they respect each other so much," Traci L'Italien said. "No matter who won, there's no animosity."

With his family draped all over his body, L'Italien almost forgot about the game.

"That puts things in perspective," L'Italien said. "It made me realize my mom would always be there for her son. I'm coaching 12 kids who all have moms and dads supporting them. Coaching a bunch of kids, sometimes that gets lost."

When the dust finally settled at Newburyport High Monday evening, Marvin Avery stood waiting at center court for the uncle of his three sons. The men who spent the last 32 minutes screaming, stomping, jumping, crouching, pacing, celebrating and agonizing, finally met for a long embrace.

"When you get into a situation like that," Avery said yesterday, "you don't pick and choose sides. We're all winners when things turn out like they did (Monday night)." Something tells me Ginny L'Italien is still smiling.