As a writer, it's not often that I find myself at a loss for words. Friday night around 11 p.m. was one of those times.

I had just received a text from a good friend of mine, informing me that longtime Freeland girls' basketball coach Tom Zolinski had passed away. Initially, I simply could not believe what I was reading. My immediate reaction was, "That can't be true."

Unfortunately, as I quickly learned, it was all too true.

Once the reality of that news set in, my next reaction was sadness just piercing, overwhelming sadness. It's always stunning when someone you know pretty well dies unexpectedly. It doesn't matter how often one experiences that news. It never gets any easier, and it's always gut-wrenching.

Choking back some hot tears, I inquired as to the cause of Tom's death and was told that the cause was yet to be determined. As of this writing Saturday afternoon, it's still a mystery. What is not a mystery, though, is why I have been hearing so much feedback from folks in the local sports community sharing their thoughts, prayers, and memories of Tom and praising him for a life well-lead.

From what I can gather, he was loved, respected, admired, and cherished ... and he will be missed dearly.

Freeland coach Tom Zolinski meets with his players during a timeout in a Division 2 quarterfinal game vs. Cadillac last March.

Freeland coach Tom Zolinski meets with his players during a timeout in a Division 2 quarterfinal game vs. Cadillac last March.

Photo: Daily News File Photo

Freeland coach Tom Zolinski meets with his players during a timeout in a Division 2 quarterfinal game vs. Cadillac last March.

Freeland coach Tom Zolinski meets with his players during a timeout in a Division 2 quarterfinal game vs. Cadillac last March.

Kelly: Zolinski left wonderful legacy of humility, success, and class

It does not surprise me one iota to hear all of the aforementioned comments about Tom Zolinski. It's been said many times already today, but I will definitely say it again he was a great coach and even better person.

I think it is easy to overlook how good a coach Tom was based on the fact that Freeland has produced a string of excellent female basketball players over the past many years. But, as more than one coach has pointed out to me today, simply having good players does not necessarily result in multiple conference, district, and regional championships. Someone still has to guide them, to promote team chemistry, and to assure that the parts function smoothly as a unit. And by all counts, Tom was masterful at getting the very best out of his players both superstars and role players alike.

Having covered Tom's teams for the past 12 years, I can say without reservation that his Falcons have always been some of my favorite teams to cover for three simple reasons: they always played uber hard, they always played smart basketball, and (here's my favorite thing) they always played together SO well.

A great example of that was Tom's 2017 team, which had no superstars like Tori Jankoska or Taryn Taugher but which still managed to win its first 26 games and reach the Class B state semifinals before finally losing for the first and only time. No, that team didn't have a superstar, but what it did have was a bunch of girls who bought into the team-first concept, who shared the ball beautifully and crisply, and who valued the importance of defense. A lot of credit goes to those players for embracing that model, but a lot of credit also goes to Tom for fostering a team atmosphere where everyone understood her role and flourished in it.

Let's face it, a coach doesn't string together the run of conference, district, and regional championships that Tom did in his 12 years at Freeland without knowing what he's doing and without having the trust of his players.

And that brings us to Tom Zolinski, the man.

All day today I've been hearing stories of how Tom cared deeply about his players (a fact which was always evident whenever he'd talk about them in postgame interviews), about how he excelled at building relationships with his players, and about how he would even go have lunch with Freeland's elementary schoolers in order to form a bond with his future players early in their young lives. That, to me, is going above and beyond the norm, and that probably goes a long way toward explaining why Tom's players seemed to love playing for him.

My personal experience with Tom was nothing but positive. Of course, it's tempting to paint an individual in glowing colors after he or she is gone. But when folks call Tom Zolinski a "great man," I can honestly say without hesitation that my experience with him supports that claim 100 percent.

During his 12 years at the Falcons' helm, I had the pleasure of covering his teams dozens of times, including many, many postseason games. Never not once did Tom EVER treat me with anything but graciousness, respect, and courtesy whenever I interviewed him, and that includes some tough interviews following heartbreaking postseason losses.

He was never surly, never defensive, never standoffish. When his teams won a big game, he was polite and humble. And when his teams lost a big game, he was even-keeled and reflective. But never grouchy. One of his more endearing qualities was that, for all of his on-court success and hard work, he invariably gave ALL the credit to his players. As I've said, he was nothing if not humble.

I recall driving down to the Breslin Center or, rather, attempting to drive down to the Breslin Center for Freeland's state semifinal game in March 2017. Along the way, around St. Johns, my car broke down, and I was forced to sit in a cold car in a cold parking lot, watching the snow fall while awaiting assistance and knowing that I was going to have to miss the game. I was so disappointed. I felt that I was letting Tom down, I was letting his team down, and I was letting our readers down by not being there.

The very next morning, I called Tom and personally apologized for having missed the game. Rather than upbraid me for not being there (or rather than even hint at being disappointed by my absence), Tom's immediate reaction was to make sure I was OK and to give me some terrific advice. "Go see my brother at McDonald Ford in Freeland," he said. "He'll get you a good deal on a nice car. I guarantee it."

Well, I took Tom's advice, and sure enough: his brother Steve and the staff at McDonald bent over backward to get me financed for a low-mileage Chrysler 200 the same car I'm driving today and the best car I've ever owned. Suffice it to say that I was and still am very grateful to Tom and to his brother for that gesture.

More than a couple of people, such as local coaches and players and acquaintances of Tom's, have told me today that they will miss Tom greatly and that the basketball community will not be the same without him. All I can say to that is, "Amen." I, too, will miss Tom fiercely.

I will miss his smiling face. I will miss his easygoing demeanor. I will miss hisfirmhandshake and warm chuckle. I will miss watching him mold young girls into an incredible basketball-playing machine. I will miss his self-effacing praise for the players under his tutelage. But most of all, I will miss his friendship.

How will Freeland girls' basketball go on without Tom? Who will coach the team in his stead? Will future generations of Freeland basketball players enjoy similar success? I have no idea yet. But I do know that Tom's legacy will live on in the lives of the players he loved so dearly. And, hopefully, that dedication to molding young people into winners both in sports and in life will trickle down from his former players to many future generations to come.

In short, Tom may be gone, but I have a feeling that his positive influence will continue to be felt in more ways than he could've possibly imagined.

I think Tom would be so incredibly pleased to hear what Tori Jankoska had to say about him Saturday morning. I think she summed up Tom's impact on his players' lives beautifully.

"Coach Z ... coached all of us from the beginning (of our basketball careers), but it was never about the wins. He made us all laugh and fall in love with going to practice and playing the game we love with our best friends," said Jankoska, who is now coaching young women at Missouri State University. "He brought light to anyone around him. He guided us in life. He created memories that will last a lifetime on and off the court. I can only hope to touch players' lives the way he did mine."

Who can ask for a better legacy than that?

Fred Kelly is a sportswriter for the Daily News.

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