Pavuk’s ‘homecoming’

The Jim Thorpe girls basketball team, with three rising juniors who have led the Olympians to their two best seasons in school history, has changed coaches.

Former Pleasant Valley coach Nadia Pavuk is in and 13-year Olympian coach Rob Kovak is out.

“I know a lot of the players and they obviously have a lot of talent,” Pavuk said of a program that has gone 49-7 the last two seasons while winning the school’s only Schuylkill League title in 2018-19 and made the program’s first two District 11 title-game appearances. “As a coach I’m looking at it as a new challenge plus I grew up in the Schuylkill League so it’s kind of a homecoming for me.”

Pavuk is Panther Valley’s all-time leading girls scorer with over 1,500 career points. As a senior in 1998-99 the former Nadia Gauronsky led the Panthers to their only District 11 title and a run to the PIAA semifinals in Class 2A under the coach she’s replacing at Jim Thorpe, Rob Kovac.

“I live near Lehighton so coaching at Jim Thorpe will be a lot closer to home,” said Pavuk, who along with her husband, Jon, will continue to teach in the Pleasant Valley School District. “Hopefully, with my experience coaching in the EPC, it will help in achieving the goals we will set at Jim Thorpe.”

Pavuk, who played four seasons at Mansfield University, recorded a 145-116 record in 11 seasons as the Bears coach, going 18-7 in 2010-11 and 18-10 the following season and won the Mountain Valley Conference title both seasons. Pleasant Valley qualified for the District 11 playoffs in all but two of her seasons and reached the semifinals in 2013-14 and the PIAA Tournament in 2011-12 by winning a consolation game.

Reached by email, Kovac said he did not resign but would not elaborate.

Jim Thorpe AD Dustin McAndrew could not be reached for comment.

Kovac went 152-149 in 13 seasons at Jim Thorpe and 99-63 in six seasons at Panther Valley where he reached a district final three times, winning the Class A2A title in 1999.