4/26/20

The New England Preparatory School Mens Basketball Association (NEPSMBA) is proud to announce that Laurie Sachs of the Rivers School is the 2020 winner of the Les R. McMillen Award.

Sachs, an employee at the Rivers School in Weston, Massachusetts since 1995 and a Communications Specialist with NEPSAC since 2008, has been an integral part of the day-to-day efficiency with promoting, marketing, and showcasing not only the sport of Boys Basketball, but all NEPSAC athletic programs. In addition to her duties at Rivers in their communication office, Sachs manages the websites and social media channels for NEPSAC and two of its leagues, The ISL and The EIL.

“We are fortunate to have an incredible, caring, and hard-working Executive Board with NEPSAC, which makes Boys Basketball run so smoothly, “ says Sean Kelly, NEPSAC Boys Basketball President. “But we are really fortunate to have Laurie working with us. She embodies all of those qualities to the fullest degree and she’s the ultimate professional – kind, smart, innovative, and has a great sense of humor. Most importantly, she genuinely cares about the experience of NEPSAC student-athletes and the NEPSAC organization as a whole.” A former NEPSAC athlete herself as a 1988 graduate at Hopkins School, Sachs played Field Hockey, Basketball, and Lacrosse.

During the spring of 2019, Sachs helped the boys coaches association get a pair of NCAA approved summer showcases off the ground, which proved to be an enormous success and created exposure for over 300 student-athletes with close to 150 colleges in attendance.

”Laurie is the easiest unsung hero of NEPSAC sports,” adds Al Murphy, Assistant Athletic Director and Boys Basketball Coach at Belmont Hill. “She has worked tirelessly across many sports for decades, and never asked for any recognition. I could not think of a more deserving person for the Les McMillen Award. Without Laurie, the showcase events do not exist. She is one of the most valuable people in NEPSAC, and she is one of the most pleasant people to work with.”

Laurie Sachs exemplifies the type of service that invokes the spirit of Coach McMillen’s legacy and showcases NEPSMBA’s ideals and commitment to their student-athletes. In accepting the award Sachs says, “I am truly honored to receive this award and would like to thank the coaches of the NEPSMBA. I had the privilege of knowing Les McMillen and what a dedicated and positive person he was. He is greatly missed.”

Coach Les McMillen was a longtime athletic director and three-sport coach at the New York Military Academy. His teams were known equally for their talent and success as they were for their sportsmanship. In addition to his success mentoring and teaching young athletes on the court and playing fields, Les was also known among the basketball coaching circles in the prep school ranks for his consistent positive contribution to the experience of NEPSAC Boys Basketball and to the mission of NEPSMBA.

It is with the aforementioned notion of positive contributions in Les’s memory that the coaches chose to honor an individual annually with the Les R. McMillen Award.

Featured in the photo above with Laurie Sachs is Jamie Arsenault, New Hampton School athletic director and NEPSAC Director of Championships.

Author: Sean Kelly E-Mail: SeanKelly@wheelerschool.org