Top Sports Stories of 2017 - No. 4: Plainfield's Arremony reaches 500 win milestone

This week the Norwich Bulletin is presenting the Top 10 sports stories of 2017. Today we look at Plainfield boys basketball coach Bob Arremony reaching the 500 win milestone. 

As the final seconds ticked away during the Plainfield boys basketball season opener against Montville, the Panthers student section began chanting, ‘Arremony.’

It brought a smile to the normally stoic, longtime Panthers head coach.

"I never expected that," Arremony saids.

With Plainfield’s 69-40 victory over the Indians on Dec. 16, Arremony became the 16th high school basketball coach in the state of Connecticut to have recorded 500 career wins. He also joined three other Eastern Connecticut boys’ basketball coaches in the 500-win club: Tourtellotte’s Jim Canty, Putnam and Tourtellotte’s Tony Falzarano and Arremony’s high school coach, Griswold’s Gary Kinel.

"It’s a good lifetime accomplishment," Arremony said. "You think persistence, 38 years, and to be successful for that long is a good thing. We’ve had good players, good assistant coaches, and the people in this community and in this school have been so good to me over the years. I couldn’t have it any better."

Arremony was presented with a 500th win ceremonial banner and basketball following the game.

Former Hall of Fame Plainfield baseball coach John Schiffner served as Arremony’s assistant with the basketball program for a number of years.

"He has worked hard and he deserves this," said Schiffner, now an assistant baseball coach at Maine. "I say, and I don’t think there will be many who will argue with me, he is the most underrated basketball coach in the state of Connecticut. He has done a tremendous job for all of these years. This is the crowning moment for him and I know he’s going to win more, but this is pretty special."

Arremony’s thoughts on this day were with his parents, John and Norma Arremony. John died shortly after his son won his 400th career game in 2010. Norma passed away on Oct. 7 at the age of 81 from ovarian cancer.

"She worked so hard to try to make this game. Her immune system just gave out," Arremony said. "They were here."

Montville coach Derek Wainwright congratulated Arremony after the final buzzer sounded.

"Some of these high school seasons are a grind and just the dedication, him coming back year after year – he’s obviously on a nice run right now - and the kids still respond to him," Wainwright said.

Former Board of Education member Ted Dumaine, who had in hiring Arremony, was also in attendance.

"I don’t know if they thought I was going to stay here this long, but I did and I always worked hard to make sure they didn’t regret hiring me when I was that young," Arremony said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Top Sports Stories of 2017 - No. 4: Plainfield's Arremony reaches 500 win milestone