Legendary Don Petranovich Plans To Retire From Coaching

By Sam Conner
   Winslow High School Athletic Director and girls’ basketball Coach Don Petranovich said on Tuesday that he is retiring from his positions as of the end of the 2009-10 season. Petranovich is the most winning high school girls’ basketball coach in state history with very near 700 wins to his credit.
   His teams are perennial state championship contenders. His team is a contender for the state title again this year after having lost last year’s championship game on a last second shot. Petranovich’s teams have won eight state championships and been runners-up eight times, making him the winner of more state championships than any coach in state history.
   Petranovich is a member of the Arizona and National Halls of Fame and was the National High School Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year in this year’s voting. He has received honors as both a girls’ basketball coach and as an athletic director on both the state and national levels. He has been active in the Arizona Athletic Association and other coaches associations at a number of levels.
   Petranovich has taught, coached and administrated in the Winslow school system for more than 40 years. He has coached football and softball, as well as boys’ and girls’ basketball. He has enjoyed decades of success in his chosen profession.
   Among his many accomplishments, Petranovich created the Winslow Winter Classic Girls’ Basketball Tournament, which rapidly became one of the premier girls’ basketball events in the Southwest, if not the entire nation. Teams have come from as far away as Alaska to participate in this tournament, which is held in December.
   The summer camps under Petranovich have been some of the most successful such events in the state for most of his career. His summer program is among the best in the nation. Those summer programs usually conclude with a trip to San Diego for a tournament that includes some of the best girls’ basketball teams in California and other states in the Western United States. It is not unusual to see Petranovich’s Lady Bulldogs among the most successful teams in those tough tournaments. Petranovich has been recognized as having one of only two teams that have been to every San Diego Classic Tournament. He is highly respected by those familiar with that prestigious tournament.