Empty chair in Canon-Mac gym to honor late basketball coach

CANONSBURG, Pa. — There’s going to be a new chair in Canon-McMillan’s gymnasium, but nobody is going to sit in it.

That’s because it is in honor of former basketball coach Brian Anselmino, who was killed in a car accident last February.

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Channel 11's Cara Sapida on Wednesday talked with Canon-Mac's new basketball coach about how the school and the team are working to keep the former coach's memory alive.

“I want his legacy to continue,” said Coach Rick Bell. “He was such a good person.”

Another way the school is honoring the former coach is through a scholarship in his name.

A senior from both Canon-McMillan and Ringgold will each get $5,000 from a fund in the coach’s name.

Anselmino was driving with his son in February 2014 when he was hit head-on on Interstate 70. He and his son were headed to his daughter’s volleyball game.

State police earlier this week charged the driver in the crash, saying he was speeding and driving erratically before crossing the center line and hitting Anselmino.

For his part, Bell said people will remember Anselmino every time they see the empty chair in the gymnasium. That's a good thing, he said, because the coach touched so many lives during his time.

“I mentioned at Brian’s funeral, if you didn’t get along with Brian Anselmino, something was wrong with you,” Bell said.

WPXI