The unspeakable grief of the Collier family was alleviated for a few hours. Norwich head basketball coach, Tom Collier, raised the warmup shirt of his late daughter Krissie toward his wife and family after the Tornado made a miraculous comeback Friday night at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena to win the school’s fifth Section IV championship.

The warmup shirt served as reminder for Tom, whose daughter suddenly - and tragically - passed away May 31 last year, just 3 1/2 weeks before her 20th birthday.

Basketball was one of the many bonds Tom shared with his daughter. A lifelong sports lover, all of Tom’s children - Brian, Ali, and Krissie - played varsity sports for Norwich High School. Like most parents, Tom delighted in his kids’ achievements whether it was on the playing field or in the classroom. A basketball coach for over 20 years, Tom broke with conventional wisdom and preferred to not coach his own kids whenever that was possible. As a longtime volunteer in the Norwich AAU basketball program, sometimes coaching his son or daughters was unavoidable. When it came to the Norwich High School teams, Tom happily sat in the bleachers watching games like any other supportive parent.