Perretta tradition continues

The life and times of longtime Villanova women’s basketball coach Harry Perretta

Sixteen years ago, a man named Harry Perretta virtually stumbled upon the head coaching job for the Villanova women’s basketball team. This incident in retrospect is a fortunate one for both Perretta and Villanova. As the women’s hoops mentor, Perretta has compiled a 278-153 record during his tenure as well as a Final Four appearance and two Big East titles.

Barely old enough to get past the bouncer at Kelly’s, Perretta landed at the helm of the Lady Cats after graduating from Lycoming College in 1978. He was all of 21 years old. Undaunted by his youth, Perretta applied for coaching positions at ‘Nova and St. Joseph’s University.

"I said, ‘I should apply to every job that comes along just in case; even though I’m young maybe I’ll still get lucky and get it," said Perretta. "I had three years of coaching experience while I was going to school before I got the job here that summer."

Perretta’s success came more suddenly than anybody expected. He posted a 17-8 record in his inaugural season coaching the Wildcats. The team’s record improved steadily with each of the next three seasons, culminating in a Final Four appearance in the national tournament. The season was 1981-82, when the Cats finished 29-4 and were ranked No. 11 nationally by the AP. This immediate success not only won Perretta nationwide respect, it also made him a prominent fixture in the Villanova athletic program.

"It went from being a part-time job to a full-time job," says Perretta. "We were a small college when I got the job, and we went to the Final Four in major college in four years.... It became a really good job."

The advent of the Big East has brought more success for Perretta, who lists Villanova regular-season conference titles in 1985 and 1987 among his career highlights, as well as Big East Tournament championships in 1986 and 1987. Perretta credits the Big East for accentuating women’s hoops in recent years.

"In the last four years we’ve grown into one of the top eight conferences in the country," says Perretta. "So the Big East as a whole is really pushing to develop women’s basketball."

Through all the changes around the sport, one element of Perretta’s troops remains the same: his teams are strong on defense and execute a carefully plotted offensive attack.

"Coaching, we run the same system now that we did 15 years ago," says Perretta. "It’s just plugging in the players and changing it a little bit. You may press more, or you may slow the ball down more, or you may shoot more threes, depending on who you have. But [there has not been] a lot of coaching change."

However, a coach who has lasted as long as Perretta has also recognized the need to evolve with the sport. As Division I schools offer more scholarships, recruiting has become a whole new ball game.

"Recruiting, you [now] have to do a lot of different things," says Perretta. "Of course, the competition is so fierce to recruit, it’s almost like the men now."

This increased competition for playing talent has a positive face, however. It reflects the increasing national focus on women’s hoops. For the first time ever, this year’s NCAA Tournament will invite 64 teams. More and more games are being shown on national television, and many schools like Vanderbilt and Connecticut are drawing full-capacity crowds.

The Perretta era has spanned this tremendous growth in the game of women’s basketball. Over the years, Perretta has amassed four NCAA Tournament appearances and six Big 5 titles. Still, he believes the best is yet to come. This year’s team will return entirely intact next year, and Perretta has landed three national-scale recruits to bolster the 1994-95 squad.

After 16 years of growth and success, Perretta’s name has become synonymous with Villanova women’s basketball. He is dedicated to continuing the winning ways of the program he has developed, and plans to be part of ‘Nova hoops for many years to come.

"If I leave Villanova it will be not to coach any more; it won’t be to coach at another school," said Perretta. "If I stay in coaching, I will hopefully stay here at Villanova."