Longtime Ohio Valley basketball coach Gene Ammirante said Wednesday that, when it came to the success he’s enjoyed over his years in the sport “it’s not about the plays, it’s about the players.” The people who he has worked with over the decades have been the catalyst for those triumphs.

So as he accepted the 2025 Dr. Lee Jones Patron of Youth Award for his career’s work in mentoring the region’s youth, he made sure to credit those who have helped him along the way.

“This award is more of a testament to the people who raised me and that I’ve been blessed to be surrounded with my whole life,” Ammirante said before a packed Wheeling Park White Palace ballroom at the annual Wheeling YMCA Light of the Valley luncheon.

The Dr. Lee Jones Patron of Youth Award is given annually to an Ohio Vall

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