Players rally behind coach in fight of his life

May 05, 2011 | By Lenny Megliola, Globe Correspondent

If first impressions mean anything, Paul Seaver was a big hit this winter in his debut as coach of the junior varsity boys’ basketball team at Wellesley High.

The 51-year-old Seaver has been in the coaching business since 1983, first as an assistant under Steve Manguso at Milford High, followed by 10 years as head coach at Franklin. In 1999, he stepped away, but didn’t walk far from the game.

He was coaching his older son’s youth team in Milford, and then, Seaver said, “I was persuaded by a couple of draft beers to be president of the league. It turned out to be a 10-year commitment.’’