After leading a small high school basketball team to a perennial powerhouse, Mike Adey announced his retirement this week as the head of the New York Mills Boys Basketball team.

His tenure in The Mills included a pair of New York State Class D Championships (2011 and 2014), and a run of Section III Class D titles that stretched from 2009-2015. As reported by the Utica OD's Ron Moshier, his Marauders' sectional-streak ended this year after a 20-4 campaign - three losses to eventual state champs Oriskany and one defeat to Moriah, the team Oriskany would defeat in the state tournament finale in Glens Falls.

Adey joined WIBX First News with Keeler in the Morning to reflect on a stellar coaching career, while also identifying what seems to have became a pet-peeve when it came to his two attempts at winning back-to-back NYSPHSAA banners.

The correction: His players weren't trying to defend, they were trying to win, he said. 'We never defended any titles, we always tried to win a title, and that was a good thing because they always wanted to get better and prove that they were a good team,' Adey said.

While cherishing the relationships he built with his players, Adey, 69, also got a little emotional when talking about having his son Brian as an assistant coach.

'As the years went by, I gave [Brian] more and more responsibility', Mike Adey said, referring to his son as the program's offensive coordinator. 'It's been the best part of the last 18 years. We've shared a lot of experiences...when you think about what Brian and I have experienced together, a lot of fathers and sons don't have that. That's something we'll have forever.'

Adey is set to coach the 'celeb' team in the Cops vs Celebrities fundraising game this Saturday to benefit Joseph's Experience.

' I gotta win, it's my last game. I don't wanna go out a loser,' Adey joked.

The Observer Dispatch article notes that Adey's career record stands at 566-200 overall, and 343-74 at New York Mills:

Adey also spent some time as an assistant coach at Utica College, and he is a member of the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame, the Rome Sports Hall of Fame, and the Rome Catholic High School Hall of Fame.

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