Cherry Hill looked much different when John Valore joined the ranks of the coaching staff at Cherry Hill East. That’s because it was 1968 and Springdale and Evesham Roads were still covered in dirt.
Valore grew up playing basketball, continuing through high school and also as a student at West Chester University. He knew that he wanted to stay with the game after college, and said he saw coaching as a way to keep his own dreams alive.
He lived in the area at the time and knew a job at Cherry Hill East would be a perfect fit.
So he applied.
And in 1968, fresh out of college, Valore took on the role of assistant coach.
By 1976, he was named head coach, mentoring and training student-athletes both on and off the court until 2011.
And after 43 years of service to the basketball community at East, Valore still has more to give.
He’s also taught physical education, health and driver’s education throughout his tenure. And now, the fit 67-year-old, who still looks like he could bank a layup into the net, shows up to the high school day after day to fill in teaching wherever he is needed.
After 43 years of service to the sport, district administrators, teachers, staff, students, athletes, parents, family and friends rallied together to unveil the new addition to the hardwood court — John Valore’s name.
Last month, hundreds came out to celebrate the court dedication.
“Just being able to work in Cherry Hill for 43 years … If I were reincarnated, it couldn’t be better than it has been in coaching and teaching,” Valore said.
The years have brought highs and lows to the basketball program, boasting winning seasons as well as missed titles. But it was all worth it in the end for Valore, who said he loved working with students as a teacher, coach, mentor and even a friend.
He said former players still call him to this day, asking for advice. They also send email updates with photos of their children. And instead of asking coach how to nail a 3-pointer, they’re asking him where’s the best place to send their daughters to kindergarten.
“I have a very close relationship with the players. I was fortunate to be involved in basketball and teaching in Cherry Hill,” Valore said. “I can’t see anything greener. The pasture doesn’t get greener on the other side.”
A special connection
From time to time, players check in with Valore.
But the coach said he has the pleasure of seeing one of his players almost everyday.
Brad Hennefer, like most students on the basketball team, started on the freshman team, played JV and eventually made the varsity squad.
He graduated in 2008, but he isn’t very hard to find these days. Hennefer works at East’s cafeteria in the morning and works a shift at Wegman’s. He also travels around the county, spreading his message to students and families.
When Hennefer was a freshman, his father, Bob Hennefer, contacted Valore to see if he could get his son connected to the team. Hennefer’s father wasn’t expecting him to play, but wanted him to be a part of something bigger during his high school years.
Valore and his coaching staff saw something special in Hennefer, who has Down Syndrome.
“Coach V opened the eyes of everyone in the community by giving an individual with disabilities the opportunity to play,” Bob Hennefer said.
But for the East basketball family, Hennefer’s presence on the squad meant just as much to them as it did to him, Valore said.
“The players accepted him as a player. He’s a beautiful person and he energized the team,” Valore said.
Hennefer’s father said the team supported his son more than he could have ever imagined. The coaching staff also developed special plays for Hennefer to utilize his distinct shooting ability.
Hennefer was known as “the three-point specialist,” his father gleamed.
For Hennefer, whose work has taken him across the country, sharing his hopeful message to young families and special education majors at the university level, he’s just thankful to have been given the opportunity to play.
“He opened doors for me and was a great coach,” Hennefer said.
Bob Hennefer said he’s proud of the work his son has done and credits some of his achievements to what he learned along the way as one of Valore’s players.
“Young families, he gives a lot of hope to them. It’s a pretty neat concept,” Bob Hennefer said. “And John — he opened up doors few people are willing to open.”
The next generation
Valore shows no signs of slowing down, even though he’s hung up his coaching hat for good.
Last year, he passed the job on to Dave Allen, who played for the Crimson and White in his day and also served as Valore’s assistant coach for six years.
Valore said Allen gave up playing basketball during his senior year at Beaver College, now Arcadia University, to serve as his assistant.
In between his time at East, he coached at Eastern Regional High School, in Voorhees, for seven years, and Cherry Hill West for five. Allen said he is glad to be back on his home turf.
Allen follows the trail blazed for him by Valore, one rooted in decades of pride and legacy. His office is in transition mode this season, as he’s working on putting up photos and news clippings of a team he can call his own.
But looking back, he said he’s thankful Valore’s guidance along the way.
“He’s an iconic figure here. His name is synonymous with Cherry Hill East because of the tenure and tradition he’s built,” Allen said.
