Congratulations & Thank You
2024 All-Star Coaches
Daniel Copes -Windsor Locks High School
Coach Daniel Copes has been coaching four sports for 20 years. Along with basketball he has experience with Junior Varsity Soccer (10 years), Junior Varsity Baseball (5 years), and Varsity Golf (15 years). 2024 was his 19th season coaching basketball, 7th at the helm for Windsor Locks. A Windsor Locks alum, in 2023 he led his Raiders to both the NCCC and CIAC Division 5 State Championships, the school's first state championship since 2001. Coach Copes also helped lead the Raiders' baseball team to a State Championship in 2006 as an Assistant Coach. Coach Copes has been teaching Social Studies at WLHS for 20 years. He has a 9-month old son, Walker, with his girlfriend Nicole.
Jamal Gibbs - Weston High School
The former McMahon High School and Springfield College standout has led the Trojans for the last 7 seasons. Prior to taking over the helm Coach Gibbs has served as an assistant coach at Weston (5 years), Norwalk, McMahon, and Sabis International Charter School (Massachusetts). Coach Gibbs' Weston teams have earned the Harold Swaffield Sportsmanship Award by the Fairfield County Board 9 Officials three times during his tenure (2017, 2023, & 2024). He has a son and a daughter, Geremiah Fuentes and Zara Gibbs who are involved in baseball and cheerleading.
Daniel Goscinski - Litchfield High School
Coach Goscinski has spent the last 15 years coaching at Litchfield, with the last 11 years as head coach of the Cowboys. This season, the 9-11 number 15 seed Cowboys reached the CIAC Division 5 Semifinals for the first time since 1985, losing to eventual Champion Old Lyme 43-40. Coach Goscinski is a Wellness Teacher at Avon Middle School. Prior to that he worked for Torrington Public Schools. He is also the program director for the Bell City AAU Club. Coach Goscinski has been married for 7 years to his wife Jessica, and has a 5-year old son Grayson. After 100 years of basketball, the 2023-24 season will be the last for Litchfield High School which will be regionalizing with Wamogo to form the new Lakeview High School.
Garrett Hickey - Norwalk High School
Coach Hickey has built a resume with experience and success at both the high school and college levels. Coach Hickey began coaching in 2014 as an Assistant Coach at Notre Dame Fairfield. There he helped lead the Lancers to the Class S State Championship game. In 2015 he joined Coach Mitch Oliver's staff at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven where the Falcons won the 2017 GNAC Championship earning a bid to the NCAA Division 3 Tournament. In 2017 he became the Junior Varsity Coach at Fairfield Prep before taking over the Bears' program in 2021. Since 2015 he has worked as a teacher for Bridgeport Public Schools. He resides in Bridgeport with his wife and son.
Armand Levasseur - Kennedy High School, Waterbury
A former CHSCA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (1995), Coach Levasseur has been a part Waterbury basketball as a player and coach since the 1990's. A former All-NVL and All-State player from Kennedy, he went on to play basketball at Drake University. He began coaching at Kennedy in 2005 as the JV coach under the legendary Jack Taglia. He took over as head coach for the Eagles in 2008 before leaving to become an Assistant Coach at Waterbury Career in 2015. In 2021 he returned "home" to Kennedy lead them to back to back 20-win seasons (2022 & 2023). Coach Levasseur has two daughters with his wife of 19 years, Evelyn.
Ryan Raponey - Lewis Mills High School, Burlington
In his 5th year at Lewis Mills, Coach Raponey led the Spartans to the 2024 CCC South Division title and the CIAC Division 3 Championship game. Prior to taking over at Lewis Mills, Coach Raponey was an assistant coach for 9 years at Bristol Eastern under Bunty Ray and CHSCA Hall of Famer Mike Giovinazzo. Outside of basketball, he is entering his 13th season as an assistant baseball coach for Plainville High School, winners of the 2012 Class M State Championship. Coach Raponey has been a Physical Education/Health Teacher at Southington High School for 9 years and resides in Plainville with his wife Olivia.
Scot Wenzel - Newington High School
Coach Wenzel started his coaching career at Mashpee (Massachusetts) High School in 1999 where he earned accolades as the Cape Cod & Islands Coach of the Year, as well as the Massachusetts Coach of the Year in 2000. He came to Newington High School in 2003, where between 2003 - 2017 and again in 2022 to the present he has won 217 games including 4 Conference Championships (2004, 2015, 2016, 2017), and coached 41 All-Conference players, 5 All-State players, and 5 CHSCA All-Stars. He is married to his wife Kelly with whom he has three daughters (Ashley, Jenna, and Alyssa). He began his teaching career 28 years ago at Mashpee HS before moving to Plainville High School for the last 21 years. This is Coach Wenzel's second All-Star game having been selected in 2009.