Girls basketball Coach of the Year: Orne returning to bench brings championship back to QND

QUINCY — It’s better to burn out than fade away.

Those words are in the lyrics to the rock anthem “Rock of Ages,” released by Def Leppard in May 1983.

Four decades later, they still ring true.

Eric Orne burned out, but he never faded away.

Following the Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball program’s fifth straight state final four appearance in 2014, the architect of that incredible success walked away. Orne said it then and he still says it today. He was burned out.

A couple years later, when a talented and committed group of sixth graders needed a coach who could instill in them a love for the game and a sense of purpose, Orne found his way back to coaching. He became rejuvenated. He rediscovered his passion. He rekindled his own sense of purpose.

And he brought a championship back to 10th and Jackson, too.

Orne returned to the QND bench full time in 2017 and has guided the Raiders to five consecutive winnings seasons and a pair of seasons with 25 or more victories. The state championship QND won by beating Winnebago 63-56 in the Class 2A title game was the fourth under Orne’s watch and the sixth in program history.

It further cemented the legacy for a coach who has won seven state trophies and 486 games in 20 seasons on the bench. He has a career winning percentage of 80.7 percent with 15 seasons of 20 or more victories.

The Raiders’ success under his guidance made Orne an easy choice for the inaugural Muddy River Sports Coach of the Year honor.

Orne recently sat down to chat with Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman to talk about the season, the championship and the return to coaching. Take a look: