Commack baseball coach Bryan Bonin passes away at 33

Bryan Bonin’s players couldn’t wait to spend time with him.

Bonin, the varsity baseball coach at Commack High School from 2017-21, wasn’t the type of coach whom players feared or resented. Quite the opposite, actually. Wherever Bonin was, his players wanted to be as well. When the season was over and the everyday grind of a varsity sport had ended, those players couldn’t wait to see him again.

"Any time that we had the opportunity to be around him off the baseball field, we took it," said Jake Krzemienski, 20, of Commack, who played for Bonin for three seasons. "He just made us feel like family. We all loved him so much."

Bonin, a father of three who taught physical education in the Commack School District, died Jan. 25, surrounded by family at his home in Deer Park after a year-long battle with melanoma, his family said. He was 33.

"I’ve never seen a coach coach the way Bryan did," said Matt Salmon, 42, of Melville, Bonin’s assistant coach and close friend. "He just let them be them . . . Rather than harping on them or being tough on them, he taught them to figure it out by themselves and supported them. A lot of coaches are yellers and screamers and say ‘run’ and ‘do this.’ He didn’t do any of that. He just really had confidence that if he showed them what he wanted, that they would get there."

Bonin’s teams went 73-21-1 and made the playoffs in all four of his seasons (there was no 2020 season because of the pandemic). In that time, Commack won three league championships and two county championships and captured the 2021 Long Island Conference I championship with a 3-1 victory over Massapequa, according to Newsday records.

"He had great feel for the moment," Salmon said. "He had great feel for situational decisions. His in-game decision- making was outstanding. His preparation was outstanding. He was constantly learning about the game."

Born Aug. 24, 1988, at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, Bonin played baseball and basketball for Commack High School. He was a four-year starter at shortstop on the Post baseball team and earned a degree in business.

After a short stint in the business world, Bonin decided to change career paths, went to Hofstra for a master’s degree in physical education and became a teacher.

"He just treated everyone with respect," said brother Joe Bonin, 45, of Oceanside. "He was just a people person. People always had great things to say about him. He was just a genuine, loving, caring person."

Bryan Bonin was a fierce competitor in almost everything he did. He eliminated the monotony of baseball practices by making almost everything into a game. Sometimes those games didn’t even have anything to do with baseball.

"If we were inside and practice ended, he would pull out the basketballs and say ‘team three-point competition,’ " Krzemienski said. "Then he would join the competition and beat all of us. He’d let us hear about it, which was great."

In addition to teaching, Bonin worked as a manager at J. Paul’s Terrace Café in Oceanside, which his family has owned since 1982.

"He was an amazing son, brother, father and husband," Joe Bonin said. "He had three children, whom he adored, and hundreds of friends that he cared about so much."

This spring, Commack High School will name the baseball field in his honor, Joe Bonin said.

"He’s the greatest coach that I’ve ever played for by far and [among] the best people that I’ve ever met," Krzemienski said. "Commack will be honored to have his name on that baseball field, representing our team and our school."

In addition to his brother, Bryan Bonin is survived by his wife of six years, Lauren Bonin, daughters Ashlynn and Ella and son Luke, parents Joe and Lorraine of Commack, and four nieces and nephews.

A wake will be held from 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. on Monday and from 2 p.m.-4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.-9:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Claude R. Boyd-Caratozzolo Funeral Home in Deer Park. A funeral will be held at 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday at St. Cyril and Methodius Roman Catholic Church in Deer Park. He will be buried at St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, his brother said.

With Andy Slawson