DUNMORE, Pa. — It’s been two years since Al Callejas reached the 500 win milestone.
”This is the most touching thing that’s ever happened to me," Callejas said back in January 2020. "I’ve been so fortunate to have the support.”
But the support back then was nothing compared to the support today. The Holy Cross boys basketball coach kept his lung cancer diagnosis private since this past October, but when he revealed his hair loss to his team a couple of weeks ago, it wasn’t private any longer. So how did his team respond? They all shaved their heads.
"Obviously, very, very emotional, certainly not something I thought of or expected," coach Callejas said today.
”Well we want to support him any way we can," Holy Cross senior guard Hayden Hosie said. "In this situation, there’s not much we can do, but we talked about it in the locker room and we decided we were going to do it.”
”Knowing that your team is right there behind you and they’re in the fight with you, it meant so much," Callejas added. The support I’ve gotten from the Holy Cross community, it’s incredible. It really does help you keep a positive light on things, which is really important in this battle.”
But it’s more than a gesture. While the players’ hair is growing back, they’re playing inspired basketball, now riding an 8-game winning streak.
”He doesn’t want the thing that he’s going through to motivate us," Holy Cross junior forward Gabe Gonzales said. "He wants us to just play the way he always wants us to play, but of course it has something to do with it. He shows his passion and everything for us. So, hopefully we can bring it together on the basketball court like we’re doing.”
”When you’re hit with something like this and the team brings it to heart, not only by getting haircuts, but I do see a connection," Callejas admitted.
The 67-year-old Callejas now has 536 career wins, but he’ll be the first to tell you -- the wins are secondary to the life lessons he’s taught for nearly three decades – and this may be the biggest lesson of all.
”Some things are bigger than basketball," Hosie said. "Just seeing how he carries himself and how he’s so strong with it.”
”Any battle that you’re going through, you can go through it as a team and if you have a good supporting group around you, you can get through it," Gonzales explained.
”When things are going well, it’s pretty easy, but everybody gets thrown curves at times in life and you need good people around you," Callejas said. "You just don’t stop.”
Because if you keep going, there will be more touching moments.
”The 500 was big for me because my 3 granddaughters were there and really, I’m the most fortunate guy," Callejas explained. "I’ve had so many good things happen, things you couldn’t write a script for. This is just another, but right now I’m feeling great and looking forward to the rest of the season.”