NIGHT TO REMEMBER: Members of the DiGregorio family, from left, Aaron, Nadia, Derek, Steve, and Zack, share a laugh with legendary coaches, from left, John Thompson III, Jason Garrett, and Pete Carril last Wednesday at Conte’s Pizza. Thompson, Garrett, and Carril headlined “A Night with Coaches,” an event held at the venerable Witherspoon Street hang-out to raise money to fight ataxia telangiectasia, know as A-T, for short, a rare genetic neuro-muscular disease which afflicts Derek, 17, a rising senior at Princeton High. Attracting 120 people to Conte’s, more than $150,000 was raised to benefit the A-T Children’s Project. (Photo by John Dowers)

Pete Carril and John Thompson III closed down the bar at Conte’s Pizza many times over the years when they coached together for the Princeton University men’s basketball team, engaging in marathon post-game gatherings at the venerable Witherspoon Street hang-out that would sometimes go into the wee hours of the morning.

Last Wednesday, Carril, the legendary former Princeton men’s hoops head coach, and Thompson, a former Tigers basketball star, assistant coach, and current head coach at Georgetown, along with Jason Garrett, a former Princeton football star and the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, brought down a packed house at Conte’s as they headlined “A Night with Coaches.”

The event was presented by Derek’s Dreams, a group organized in 2009 to raise money to fight ataxia telangiectasia, know as A-T, for short, a rare genetic neuro-muscular disease which afflicts Derek DiGregorio, 17, a rising senior at Princeton High.

Attracting 120 people to Conte’s, more than $150,000 was raised to benefit the A-T Children’s Project. In addition to Derek, an ever-smiling presence near the front door of Conte’s, other luminaries on hand included Princeton Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux, former Princeton AD Gary Walters, past Princeton President Bill Bowen, head football coach Bob Surace, head men’s basketball coach Mitch Henderson, and former Princeton and New York Giants running back Keith Elias, among many others.

For Derek’s father, Steve DiGregorio, a former Princeton assistant football coach, the outpouring of support was overwhelming.

“I think one of the reasons I felt so good about tonight was that we are having it at Conte’s,” said DiGregorio, whose opening remarks were followed by a video of Derek’s acceptance speech when he received the Mike Geltrude Foundation Inspiration Award last month.

“We have all been here and everywhere you look, there is a friend, there is a familiar face, there is a relative and it is just so good to have all of you here tonight. This is an amazing room. Nadia and I and my family thank you so much for being part of this tonight and making this so amazing. Go and try to find a place anywhere on earth, there is nowhere as good as this room. Look around and you see things that are extraordinary and I mean that from the bottom of my heart.”

Coach Thompson, for his part, credited Derek with bringing together that group of people.

“I want to thank Derek because I don’t know how many more times that I would have the opportunity to be in a room with this group of people,” said Thompson, the head men’s basketball coach at Princeton from 2000-04 before moving on to the same job at Georgetown.

“This room has meant so much to me as a person and my growth and development. Any chance I get to come back to Conte’s, I am coming back to Conte’s. To be here with this group of people is something that is special for me, there are so many people here who have shaped who I am, why I am, how I think. That relates to coaching, that relates to being a father, that relates to being a man, that relates to being John Thompson.”

Sharing the platform with Carril had special meaning for Thompson. From his first meeting with Carril, Thompson realized that his college mentor had a lot in common with his father, John Thompson, who enjoyed a Hall of Fame tenure at Georgetown from 1972-1999.

“I go on my recruiting trip and we are sitting up in the stands, coach Carril and I,” recalled Thompson, a star forward at Princeton from 1984-88 who ranks fourth in assists (347) in program history.

“We are sitting up there and it felt like three hours, it was probably only 20 minutes. Coach Carril is telling me how much I stink. You need to work on this and you are not good at this and you are going to be on the JVs if you don’t do this. I walked away from that thinking that he reminded me so much of my dad. I remember going back home and my dad said what do you think, I said it is OK. He said if you go there you are going to learn how to play basketball, you are going to understand this game, that man knows what he is doing, and so I came here. I loved this place; it sounds crazy with coach up there telling me how much I stink.”

Returning to Conte’s last Wednesday was like going home for Carril. “We would come here after a game, that was a ritual as a coaching staff,” said a grinning Carril.

“We stayed a little bit later than we should. I always think those were great days. It brought the staff closer together, we talked about nothing but basketball and how we could get better and about the game and everything. It was really nice. We would drink a lot of beer, which we always felt was for medicinal purposes.”

One of Carril’s former charges, Howard Levy, a member of the committee that organized the Night with Coaches, saw Conte’s as the ideal venue for the event.

“We have spent so many great times here after games as coaches,” said Levy, a hoops star at Princeton from 1981-1985 and Tiger assistant coach from 1996-2007 who currently serves as the head coach of the Mercer County Community College men’s basketball team.

“I want to thank Conte’s for hosting. I can’t think of a better or more appropriate place to host this. I feel like the amount of money the people in this room have spent at Conte’s, we probably own a good part.”

The $150,000 raised by the people on Wednesday will be put to great use. “This amount of money that we raised is going to be meaningful for the guys and women that are studying this disease,” said Levy, noting that he met last summer with Dr. Yossi Shiloh, who runs a lab in Tel Aviv that focuses on investigating the causes of A-T.

“It is going to really help and make a difference with pushing forward the research.”

For Garrett, being on hand to help was a no-brainer, considering his relationship with Steve DiGregorio, whom he referred to by his nickname, “Digger.”

“It goes back to Digger, I have known Digger a long time and Digger is a dear friend,” said Garrett, who played for DiGregorio at Princeton in the late 1980s.

“Digger has been a huge influence on my life and when you have the opportunity to somehow impact someone else’s life, even in the smallest way, you take full advantage of it. When Digger calls and Verbs (longtime Princeton assistant football coach Steve Verbit) calls on Digger’s behalf, there is not even a thought in your mind. I don’t use the word privileged a lot but we are privileged to be here tonight.”

While Garrett has been privileged to be on one of the biggest stages in sports, having been to four Super Bowls during his playing career with the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, he emphasized taking advantage of the experience.

“I think one of the things that happens when you are playing in these big games is that you get get caught up in the results of the game and what it is going to be like to be a Super Bowl champion,” said Garrett.

“Sometimes you lose sight of that moment instead of just going out and playing. That is certainly an emphasis for everyone when you are involved in it; enjoy it and embrace the moment and typically you play your best when you do that.”

Referring to his book, The Smart Take From the Strong Carril echoed that sentiment in his closing remarks.

“The most important statement in the book is that whatever you are doing is the most important thing when you are doing it, that’s a tremendous little line,” said Carril, who turned 85 on July 10 and his birthday was celebrated at the end of the event as he received a personalized Dallas Cowboys jersey from Garrett and a birthday cake.

“It is very good, I don’t think I invented it myself but I sure like it and the thought behind it. While you are doing something, give it the best you have and you are going to be fine.”

For Levy, it was Derek and his courage in battling A-T that brought out the best in those taking part in the special night.

“The last thing I will say is thank you to Derek,” said Levy. “I am just going to say that my life is better because you are part of it. You have made so many people in this room into better people and I love you for it.”