Retiring from
the Railsplitters

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

It’s been 14 years, and now the time has come.
Steve Gittleman — longtime coach of the Abraham Lincoln High School basketball team — has decided to retire. And the Railsplitters sent their fearless leader off with a solid season worth remembering.
After putting together a 10-5 league record in the regular season, the Lincoln squad scored its first playoff win in 14 years with an overtime 61-57 victory against Central High School on Feb. 13.
"It was a great ride, and I’m really happy and proud to get this far in my last season," said Gittleman, smiling ear to ear.
Two days later, though, the good times ended. Lincoln faced Southern in another postseason battle but lost, 84-71, knocking the Railsplitters out of the Public League playoffs.
By virtue of their regular-season record, Lincoln had one more chance to keep the season alive, playing Roxborough High School on Feb. 20 for the fourth and final berth in the District 12 Class AAAA state basketball playoffs.
Final score: Roxborough, 54, Lincoln, 51.
And that ended the Railsplitters’ basketball season for good.
"We missed too many lay-ups throughout the game. We missed too many easy shots," Gittleman said after the loss. "If we made half of what we missed, we would have won by fifteen points. It all came down to making shots."
Roxborough’s Clayton Brothers ran the show with 22 points, followed by Eric Bryan and his 18. For Lincoln, Daniel Randall sank 15 points, while Maurice Robinson and Dorrell Harrington scored 11 each.
The loss gave Lincoln an overall 18-8 record in the Public League B Division.
"I thought the season was great," said Gittleman. "Finishing eighteen and eight was unbelievable, and fighting for a playoff spot was exciting. As a team, we’re really undersized. And to win eighteen games is phenomenal. We definitely overachieved, and I couldn’t be happier."
In addition to ending his 14-year run with the Railsplitters, Gittleman’s retirement announcement will bring his 35-year teaching career in the Philadelphia School District to a close as well.
"Seeing the kids grow and go to college or trade school or whatever they want, and make something of themselves, is very rewarding," said Gittleman, who also is the athletic director at Swenson High School. "But I put in my dues. It’s time for me to go."
The coach’s career has included mentoring the women’s basketball team at Community College of Philadelphia.
His own career on the court started long before his coaching days. The former forward was a standout player at the University of Southern Mississippi, where he played basketball for four years and graduated in 1973 with a degree in athletics administration and coaching.
"Going to school and graduating and doing what I wanted to do is the greatest feeling. Plus, I think it gives me credibility on the courts. When I’m out shooting with the team and I can outshoot them..." Gittleman said with a smile. "I was always a basketball player. I love sports. I enjoyed coaching. It’s my life. I just love it."
But now, after almost four decades of teaching and coaching, the time has come for Gittleman to turn in his clipboard and playbook.
Well, almost . . .
"I’ll take one week off, then the softball season starts," he said. "I coach that too."
When the school year ends, the Olney native will make the transition to a seaside view near Margate, N.J., and his life of retirement at the beach.
"I’m planning to enjoy my summer down the shore and do a lot of golfing and fishing," said Gittleman. "Maybe I’ll try for a coaching job down there or something.
"I’ll miss the kids — seeing them on a daily basis, watching them come in here and give me 150 percent every day and work hard.
"But I won’t miss sweeping the floor," he said with a laugh. ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com