Montville — Jere Quinn's progress in his recovery from a debilitating illness can be measured in small steps.

Simple things, such as completing the short walk from his office in the St. Thomas More gym to the school cafeteria, are worth celebrating, as is coaching his prep school basketball team during practice without the aid of a walker or cane.

Just recently, Quinn started driving himself the short distance from home to work instead of getting a ride from his wife, Judy, or members of the school community.

Over two months removed from spending 109 days in the hospital and rehabilitation facilities, Quinn continues his slow and challenging comeback from Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder that causes a body's immune system to attack its nerves, often leading to paralysis as well as other serious health issues.

Quinn, who began his legendary coaching career at St. Thomas in 1978 — winning 1,028 games, five New England prep championships and the 2011 national title in 41 seasons — is embracing the recovery process.

"I'm still moving around, still saying, 'We're going to get this done,' still staying positive," Quinn said recently while sitting in a rocking chair in his office. "Of course, there are times it is frustrating. But 95 percent of the time this is just, as my wife calls it, a bump in the road. I'm from New York, so we call these potholes."

Quinn's ordeal began last spring. He first noticed his legs felt like they were falling asleep. When his condition worsened, he went to the emergency room at Backus Hospital in Norwich on May 10. He quickly took a turn for the worse.

"By the time we brought him to the ER, he pretty much couldn't stand on his own," said Matt Quinn, Jere's son and assistant coach. "He kind of lost everything. Very shocking. It was out of the blue."

A series of tests revealed that Quinn had Guillain-Barre syndrome.

For the first six weeks, Quinn made no improvement and remained bedridden. He slept only a couple of hours per day. He spent the bulk of his recovery at the Aaron Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Chester.

Quinn, who celebrated his 64th birthday in June, remained upbeat throughout the ordeal. He saw young patients at the rehabilitation center facing a challenging future.

"My objective when I was there was to always be uplifting and positive," he said. "I always tried to make them have a brighter day."

Finally, the day came for Quinn to return home. He left the rehabilitation center Aug. 26 and showed up that afternoon at a St. Thomas More faculty event.

Outside of attending some doctor appointments in late August, he hasn't missed a day of work. He says he couldn't have done it without the loving support of his family, friends and St. Thomas More community.

That includes some of his past players, too, including NBA all-star center Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons. Quinn has 10 St. Thomas More alumni playing in the NBA and has helped over 350 players receive college scholarships.

When asked last week how he's feeling, Quinn responded: "Wonderful. It's nice to be feeling. It's nice to be seen. It's nice to be out of the house. It's nice to be somewhat independent."

Quinn still has some physical limitations.

He experiences some pain and tingling in his feet and deals with numbness and fatigue in his hands.

He wears braces on his lower legs to help steady him while he walks. He's learned to find things to hold on to when necessary and literally isn't afraid to lean on his players for support. Chairs are strategically set up around the court during practice to give him resting spots.

"The players have just been wonderful," Quinn said. "When you're standing out in the middle with your team, you always ask, 'Can I grab your arm? Make sure I don't fall.'"

"... It's certainly interesting when you're trying to be a leader of a group and you need somebody to help you get out of a chair. I think the kids have seen me get better since I came back," he said. "I had been using a walker. I hadn't been able to go to the cafeteria, now I'm walking to the cafeteria from the gym. It takes me six minutes. I'll shave some time off that. I'm getting better every day."

Patient and positive

Being less active, Quinn has had to reinvent himself as a coach. He now spends more time writing instructions on the whiteboard rather than showing his players what he wants.

He's hopeful about making a full recovery but realizes there's no guarantee.

"There may be some limitations, there might not be some limitations," Quinn said. "It's such an individualized virus. It hits each person so differently. No one has ever promised me anything. No doctor, no therapists ever promised me anything, exactly where I'd end up."

"I've always been positive, I've always been patient. I've always thought I was going to get back to where I was," he said.

He's learned to follow advice that he often gives his players: Trust the process.

"The doctors and nurses, they're all just wonderful," Quinn said. "The therapists really motivated me to get better. At the same time, they motivated me intelligently to get better."

"The one thing they kept telling me is it's not something that you can work out of your system," he said. "They thought I would just — and they were accurate — work from the time I was up to the time I went to bed. But I just have to take it just one day at a time."

Another milestone in his comeback arrives on Monday afternoon, when Quinn coaches St. Thomas More against Redemption Christian Academy to begin his 42nd season as the Chancellors' head coach.

Quinn, whose booming voice often can be heard throughout the gym on game days, expects to be calmer on the sidelines.

"It's going to be a little more sedate with my activity on the sideline," he said. "Will (the season opener) be more emotional than most? I don't know. I always thought I was going to get through this. For a while there, honestly, I thought I may be doing it with a walker. So I'm happy that I don't have to do it with a walker.

"But I may bring the walker out for the big game so I'll get some sympathy from the officials. You never know."

An interesting year ahead

The gym has undergone a makeover that includes a refurbished court named after Quinn, and new lights. Drummond made a generous donation for the project.

It's an honor that Quinn, who was nominated to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017 and won his 1,000th career game in 2018, appreciates but it makes him a bit uncomfortable. He prefers the spotlight to be on his program and players.

"I've never done any of this stuff for individual accolades," Quinn said. "It's nice to be recognized. We've got a whole new group of kids so they don't know what I've done in the past. Nothing I've done in the past carries any weight with these kids. So I believe I have to prove myself as a competent coach annually."

Quinn believes he has plenty to be thankful for. He says his wife has been wonderful during his recovery process. They recently became grandparents for the fifth time.

He never doubted that he'd be back doing what he loves.

"When you're in the hospital, of course your mind wanders and you have loads of time to think. I've always thought I've had a pretty nice life working here and I really wanted to get back to it," Quinn said.

"I wanted to get back to it but I wanted to make sure that I could give everybody 100 percent. I think this year is going to be an interesting task to see if I'm me."

g.keefe@theday.com