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Colbey Santos steps down from Bishop Stang to take job at Taunton
In his nine years as Bishop Stang’s boys basketball head coach, Colbey Santos directed the Spartans to more than 120 wins, three Eastern Athletic Conference titles, two Div. 3 South Sectional crowns and one Div. 3 State championship.
“It was awesome,” said Santos, who had an overall record of 121-76 at Stang. “It was my first head coaching experience for high school basketball. I got to learn every single day which was great. Everything that we went through has prepared me to coach at the next level. I got to coach in big moments and have been to the Garden twice.”
Santos announced Thursday that he has stepped down from his position at Bishop Stang to take over the boys basketball program at Taunton High.
“I’m excited,” said the 37-year-old Santos, who lives in New Bedford. “I got to meet the kids today. Like at Bishop Stang, I’m trying to build a culture on and off the court. Everyone seems excited. I’m ready to work.”
The Div. 1 Tigers, who went 12-7 last winter, play in a very competitive Hockomock League.
“It’s going to be exciting. It’s a really good league,” said Santos, who coached Stang the last few seasons in the highly-competitive Catholic Central League. “It’s going to be a challenge and as a competitor, it’s what you want.”
Santos’ fondest memories at Bishop Stang were during the team’s state title run in 2016.
“That’s up at the top,” he said. “That was so much fun. One of my favorite all-time games was when we came from behind down to Spellman. During a timeout, Justin Lopes, a freshman, looked at the team and said, ‘We’re not going to lose.’ He dives on the ball to win the game. I went into the locker room afterward and said, ‘We’re going to win a state title.’”
The Spartans went on to beat Oxford 80-64 in the Div. 3 state title game that year.
“He brought a ton of competitiveness to the program,” said Bishop Stang athletic director Dennis Golden of Santos. “He did it with poise. He did it with class. He did it with respect. We’re grateful for what he did.
“He handled game situations very well and stayed positive. We’re grateful for his service to our school. He did a phenomenal job, but sometimes coaches move on.”
The job opening at Bishop Stang will be posted in the coming days.
“We’d like to get somebody in place soon,” said Nate Greene, who will take over the athletic director duties from Golden on July 1. “We want to get somebody to be here for the long run. There’s a lot of important work to be done.”
Santos said he enjoyed his time at Bishop Stang.
“I appreciate the school so much,” he said. “The next coach that goes there is going to be spoiled. I’m thankful for my time there.”
