Villanova’s Perretta to retire at end of season
An era is coming to an end at Villanova.
Harry Perretta announced Wednesday that he will retire as the women’s basketball coach at the end of the season.
Perretta said he is retiring for health reasons. He will remain at Villanova as a special assistant to the athletic director through the 20202021 academic year.
The Drexel Hill resident and Monsignor Bonner graduate is entering his 42nd season on the Main Line. The Wildcats open the season Wednesday, Nov. 6 against George Washington at the Pavilion. Tip-off is 7 p.m.
“My body’s just breaking down,” Perretta said when reached by phone. “I had some health things the last couple of years and every day has become more of a struggle. I can’t even stand for two hours of practice. I have to sit in a chair. And I don’t think it’s right for these kids to be like that.”
Perretta, 64, enters the season with a career record of 765476. His 42 years will tie him with Yvonne Kaugmann of Elizabethtown College (19712012) for the most seasons at one school in all divisions in the history of NCAA women’s basketball. He is the seventh winningest active coach in Division 1 and ranks 13th alltime in career victories.
During his career, Perretta has guided the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament 11 times, the WNIT 11 times, three Big East tournament titles, two regular-season championships and 12 outright and five shared Big 5 crowns.
The Wildcats have posted 20 wins in seven of the last eight seasons and earned a postseason bid teach time. Villanova is 148-83 over that span.
“The last couple of years have been really hard,” Perretta said. “I’ve been really exhausted, tired, fatigued and every day just became harder. I found myself not being as attentive to the kids on the team as I wanted to be. I just felt like, hey, I didn’t want to leave them now before the season started because I didn’t think that was right.
“Helen (his wife, the former Helen Koskinen) and I decided, why don’t I do the year and walk away. Villanova’s being unbelievably good. They’re going to give me a consulting position next year so I have another year. I was trying to stay here because my sons (Stephen and Michael) are here now. My one son (Stephen) is a junior and my other son is a freshman. I was trying to at least get my freshman to his junior year and I was going to retire, but I talked to both of them and what was going on. My body was breaking down and they said, ‘Hey dad, if you have to go, you have to go.’ They understood so as long as they understood I felt pretty good.”
Perretta said the toughest thing was telling the players.
“They took it hard,” Perretta said. “Some of them took it harder than others. I felt bad for them because a couple of these kids I’m very close to, but I told them that we have this year together. I’m not leaving right now. We have the year to hang out together, and next year I’ll be up watching you guys play and we’ll go from there. We can still be friends.”
Perretta came to Villanova in 1978, after graduating from Lycoming, and quickly established himself as a winner, going 17-8 in his first season. Three years later the Wildcats went 29-4 and reached the semifinals in the national tournament of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), the precursor of the NCAA tournament, in 1982.
Perretta guided the Wildcats to a share of the Big East regular-season title in 1984 and 1985, and Big East tournament titles in 1986, 1987 and 2003. The 2003 squad upset No. 1 Connecticut, 5248,
to snap the Huskies’ 70game winning streak. “Words cannot fully capture the gratitude that Villanova University has for Harry Perretta and his 42 years leading our women’s basketball program,” University president Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, said in a statement released by the school. “During his tenure, Harry has built an incredible legacy that stands out among the nation’s most prolific coaches. He has left an indelible mark on this University, and will always live in the heart of Villanova.”
During his time on the Main Line, 99 percent of the athletes that stayed four years received their degrees. Last week the women’s basketball program was one of 11 Wildcats teams to earn a 100 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR) from the NCAA.
“Harry is truly irreplaceable,” athletic director Mark Jackson said in the statement. “His ability to build countless relationships with our women’s basketball student-athletes and entire community for over 40 years is reflective of how much he cares and how much he loves to lead with his heart. His basketball acumen is second to none, but his impact is felt far beyond the court and he has become interwoven into the fabric of Villanova through his loyal service on multiple fronts. I look forward to leaning on Harry and his friendship, not only to help determine our next head coach, but in helping us guide our athletic department into the future.”
Perretta has plans for retirement. He said he intends to volunteer for lunch duty at St. Bernadette School, his home parish in Drexel Hill. He also said he may do some student teaching. Perretta has a master’s degree in education.
Wednesday, though, was a time for reflection.
“Having Shelley (Pennefather, the 1987 Wade Trophy winner as the national Player of the Year) was cool,” Perretta said. “I’m looking at a mural now on the Finneran Pavilion wall of all the players that played for me … It’s been a wonderful life.”