MYSTIC, Conn. — What began as a simple two-minute tribute video evolved into a sweeping documentary project that has touched an entire community, preserved local history, and honored the life of one of Massachusetts’ most beloved athletes and coaches.
Steve Bibby, owner of Mystic-based digital marketing agency Stratedia, recently completed Out of Ordinary, a multi-part documentary chronicling the lives of identical twin brothers Mike and John Babul, two of the most celebrated athletes in North Attleboro High School history.
For Bibby, the project was never about recognition, compensation, or filmmaking credentials.
It was about giving back.
Raised in North Attleboro, Bibby attended school with many of the people featured throughout the documentary and developed lifelong friendships with members of the Babul family and their close-knit circle. Although he now lives in Connecticut and operates a nationally recognized digital marketing agency, his connection to his hometown remains as strong as ever.
Among his earliest influences were football coaches Ray Beaupre, Paul Sullivan and Don Johnson, as well as longtime wrestling coach Steve Laskey. The lessons they taught about accountability, toughness, loyalty, discipline and perseverance continue to shape both his personal and professional life.
Those experiences helped foster relationships later in life with current North Attleboro leaders, including Head Football Coach Mike Strachan, Superintendent John Antonucci and Principal T.J. Rizzo.
Though he no longer lives in the community, Bibby remains actively involved in supporting North Attleboro athletics. Each year, he donates the sign displayed above the football stadium press box featuring his company logo alongside the phrase, “Welcome to Big Red Country.” He also produces the football program’s weekly hype videos that appear on the stadium’s digital scoreboard and creates the team’s annual season-ending highlight film.
“The lessons I learned growing up in North Attleboro have stayed with me my entire life,” Bibby said. “Giving back to the town that helped shape me is important.”
Originally, Bibby was asked to create a short video for the retirement of Mike Babul’s jersey at North Attleboro High School. After gathering several former teammates, coaches and friends inside the school’s gymnasium for interviews, he quickly realized there was a much larger story waiting to be told.
What started as a two-minute tribute became a six-month labor of love.
The resulting documentary explores far more than basketball accomplishments. It chronicles the extraordinary bond between the Babul brothers, their family, their friendships, their coaching careers and the lasting impact they had on generations of athletes throughout Massachusetts and beyond.
The film features interviews with former teammates, coaches, family members and several prominent figures from the basketball world, including Hall of Fame coach John Calipari, now the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Arkansas.
For Bibby, securing Calipari’s participation was one of the most memorable experiences of the entire project.
As a teenager, he remembers seeing legendary coaches such as Dean Smith, Jim Boeheim and Calipari walking the halls of North Attleboro High School while recruiting the Babul brothers. Decades later, finding himself conducting a one-on-one interview with Calipari felt surreal.
More than his basketball résumé, Bibby was struck by Calipari’s sincerity.
“He spoke to me like we were close friends,” Bibby said. “He’s incredibly charismatic and when he talks, you listen. But what stood out most was how genuine he was when talking about Mike. I believe his contribution elevated the documentary tremendously.”
Yet the documentary’s most powerful moments often have little to do with basketball.
One of Bibby’s favorite stories comes from lifelong friend John Case, a standout athlete at rival Attleboro High School. While the Babul brothers starred for North Attleboro, Case was leading one of the school’s biggest rivals. Their friendship crossed town lines and one of Massachusetts’ oldest Thanksgiving rivalries.
In the documentary, Case recalls a game against Durfee High School featuring future NBA player Chris Herron, widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players ever produced by Massachusetts. During the game, Case pulled up for a three-point shot while hearing Mike and John Babul enthusiastically encouraging him from the court.
When the shot fell, the brothers celebrated as if they had scored it themselves.
Years later, Case reflected on that moment as a lesson about genuine friendship and how difficult it can be to find people who are truly happy for another person’s success.
For Bibby, that story captures the heart of the entire film.
“It’s not really about basketball,” he said. “It’s about friendship. It’s about loyalty. It’s about surrounding yourself with people who genuinely want the best for you.”
As filming progressed, Bibby discovered something unexpected.
The documentary was becoming part of many people’s healing process.
What began as interviews about sports frequently turned into emotional conversations about grief, family, loss and love. Several participants openly discussed Mike Babul’s sudden passing in 2024, while others reflected on decades of friendship and shared experiences.
“There were moments where people became incredibly emotional,” Bibby said. “I was honestly shocked by how open and transparent so many people were willing to be.”
Rather than shy away from difficult subjects, participants chose honesty.
Many shared tears on camera. Others revealed deeply personal stories they had never spoken about publicly before. Bibby said the trust they placed in him became one of the most meaningful aspects of the entire project.
“When someone is willing to sit down and share that kind of emotion, that’s a responsibility,” he said. “The fact they trusted me enough to tell those stories means everything.”
After the documentary’s release, many of those same participants reached out to thank him.
Several told him the experience had become part of their grieving process and allowed them to preserve memories that otherwise might have been lost with time.
For Bibby, those messages ultimately made every hour invested worthwhile.
“When you spend six months working on something, there are times you wonder if it’s worth it,” he said. “But when the same people who cried during interviews are texting you afterward saying how much they needed the process and how much it helped them, that’s when you realize it was all worth it.”
The documentary also explores the complicated realities of Mike Babul’s life after basketball. While widely respected as a player, coach and mentor, the film does not shy away from discussing personal struggles, career setbacks and the challenges he faced away from the public eye.
Those conversations paint a portrait of a man who was admired not because he was perfect, but because he cared deeply about others.
Following his passing, countless former players, colleagues and friends described the same qualities: generosity, humility, loyalty and an unwavering desire to help people become better versions of themselves.
After leaving the college and professional coaching ranks, Babul returned home and founded HoopWork, a basketball training program that quickly became one of the region’s most respected youth development organizations. Former players repeatedly describe him as a mentor who cared more about developing character than developing jump shots.
The title Out of Ordinary reflects Bibby’s view of the Babul brothers and the people who shaped them.
“In my opinion, everything about them was out of the ordinary,” Bibby said. “Their relationship as brothers, their friendships, the way they treated people, the impact they had on others. It was all special.”
Produced entirely without compensation, the documentary was created in hopes of preserving Mike Babul’s legacy and supporting efforts to raise awareness and funds for memorial initiatives established in his honor.
For North Attleboro residents, the film serves as both a historical record and a celebration of community. For younger generations, it offers lessons about friendship, resilience, humility and service.
And for Bibby, it represents something even more personal.
A chance to give back to the town that helped shape his life.
In the end, Out of Ordinary is about much more than basketball.
It is about family.
It is about friendship.
And it is about the enduring impact one person can have on a community long after the final buzzer sounds.
