For those who have never had Mr. Grodski as a chemistry teacher, he is that monster of a human being that you might see now and then in the halls of the science wing. If he was your teacher, I don’t think a reminder is necessary; he is a unanimous fan favorite among current students and alumni.
As a current student of Mr. Grodski, I find it tough to picture him in a jersey and shorts, going through a grueling college basketball practice. Not because of his stature, but because of the personality that he projects to his classes. The only thing I can picture in my head is a UMass Basketball team picture with Mr. Grodski giving head coach, John Calipari the classic “bunny ears.”
When talking to current head basketball coach, John Baumiller, who coached in the same league as Grodski back when Baumiller was the head coach at Patchogue-Medford, he had much to say. He said, “[Grodski] was a fantastic player when I coached against him at Longwood. He was one of those players that you needed to game-plan around to contain him, there was no question he was a D1 talent and deserved to play at the level he did.”
During Grodski’s playing days, he was measured at a towering 6 foot 9 and 240 pounds. Just to put that into perspective, that size is equivalent to the height and weight of NBA superstar, Kevin Durant. Grodski says he reached this size in 10th grade and back in middle school, was “growing out of clothes a couple of times a year.” His size combined with his skill was very rare to come across.
When I interviewed Mr. Grodski, I mentioned his college coach, John Calipari, who today is the current coach of the University of Kentucky Wildcats and won the NCAA National Championship last year with the team. When asking him what it was like to be coached by a potential hall of fame coach, he said, “John (Calipari) was very demanding physically and mentally. If you performed well you were highly praised and if you did not you were highly scrutinized.” He continued, “I was taken back by his success but he was an excellent recruiter. When I was a freshman I was the best at my position and started most of our games but as time went on he recruited potential NBA players that made the competition tough.”
If it were not for the sport of basketball, Mr. Grodski would might not be teaching chemistry. According to Mr. Grodski, “Basketball opened up academic doors that I would not have had opportunities otherwise.” Although basketball gave him so much, he seems very modest when talking about his history with basketball. He said, “I do not talk much about my athletic accomplishments because they do not define me. As we all are multifaceted I prided myself in being more than just a basketball player. I have seen too many people who have made poor life’s decisions based on a singular definition.”
It’s been a little over 25 years now since Mr. Grodski’s last high school game and he is still today the all-time leading scorer at Longwood High School. Cruising past the 1,000 career points barrier, by his senior year, Grodski was averaging 20 points and 20 rebounds per game, a feat that is rarely seen on any level of the game. Grodski was a gifted talent at the sport of basketball and his accomplishments on the court should be appreciated. Although he was a very good basketball player, he is an even better chemistry teacher. When alumni look back at high school and think of Mr. Grodski, we will not think about how good he was at basketball, we will think about how he was one of the best teachers we have ever had and feel sorry for anyone that didn’t get the chance to be one of his students.
