By Geena Monahan—For the North Star Reporter
In front of a crowd of more than 1,000 people at North Attleborough High School’s Pickering Gymnasium, the No. 43 jersey of local basketball legend Mike Babul Jr. was retired posthumously, honoring a career that left a lasting mark on the school and community.
The ceremony, held on Tuesday, Jan. 20, between the girls and boys varsity basketball games against Attleboro High School, transformed the typically raucous rivalry atmosphere into one of reflection and remembrance.
Banners reading “This is Babul Country” and “We Love 43” lined the walls as family members, former teammates, coaches and players from multiple generations gathered to celebrate Babul’s impact on and off the court.
As cheerleaders from both schools lined the court, Babul’s family and friends were welcomed, including his father, Michael Babul; his twin brother, Jon Babul; and his younger brother, Jeffrey Babul, along with their families.
Longtime friend and event organizer Rick Patch opened the program, sharing memories and recounting the many accolades Mike Babul earned over a lifetime devoted to the game. A standout at North Attleborough, he scored more than 1,000 points for the Rocketeers and was named Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year in his senior year.
Mike Babul went on to a successful collegiate career at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he was an Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team selection and team captain. He later played professionally overseas and coached at several Division I basketball programs before returning home to mentor younger athletes.
To Patch, this legacy extended well beyond the stat sheet.
“He saw the game differently – he was playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers,” said Patch, adding that Babul was known for his humility, work ethic and ability to connect with people from all walks of life.
Jon Babul followed, addressing the crowd before unveiling his brother’s framed jersey, which now hangs permanently inside the gymnasium. He pointed to the many young players in attendance who had been coached by his brother at summer camps or through his basketball programs, noting that he and Mike were once children sitting in those same stands.
“This gym is where the journey started,” said Jon Babul. “From the time we were 4 years old, Mike and I lived in this gym. I don’t think there’s a place in the world where I spent more hours with my brother growing up than right here.”
After the ceremony, Jon Babul told the North Star Reporter that of all the memories he shared playing alongside his brother, his favorite was simply watching him perform at his peak.
“My brother was so good in ‘95 and ‘96,” he said. “He was so elite during that time that I would just sit back and watch, night in and night out, against defenses that would throw two or three people at him, and thinking, ‘Yeah – that’s my twin.’”
Jon Babul acknowledged the difficult year it’s been since his brother’s sudden death on Dec. 30, 2024, at age 47, but described the high school ceremony as “healing.”
After returning to North Attleborough during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mike Babul immersed himself into coaching and developing young talent – traveling across the state to work with players one driveway at a time, masks on. Those efforts grew into a thriving AAU program that drew hundreds of aspiring athletes.
“It was never work to him,” said Jon Babul. “He just wanted to be here and do what he loved.”
Michael Babul echoed that sentiment, saying that if his son were here tonight he would have spent the evening out in the crowds, hugging his former players and talking with as many people as he could.
For him, the most meaningful memory isn’t a statistic or achievement, but a simple moment: buckling his son into the car after a youth basketball game at the Hockomock YMCA and hearing him say, “I just love basketball.”
He also recalled UMass Amherst’s Midnight Madness events, where Mike Babul won the dunk contest four years in a row, and a memorable alley-oop in a win against Kansas.
As additional tributes take shape – including a scholarship and documentary – Mike Babul’s No. 43 will remain a permanent presence at NAHS – a reminder of a legacy defined as much by character as by achievement.
“He may be gone,” said Patch, “but his legend will live forever.”