Melissa Hearlihy has 839 wins as a girls basketball coach, which places her second all-time in California behind Kevin Kiernan, who recently retired from his post at Mater Dei this past 2023-24 season.
However, Hearlihy did something very rare for someone that’s been head coaching high school basketball since 1985. She won her last game.
The legendary coach hoisted a CIF State Division II championship at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento in March, and nobody knew it would be her last game. Not even her.
“I’m going to keep coaching as long as I can. I’ll tell you this, that (Kevin Kiernan) record is nowhere near as important to me as it is to my son,” Hearlihy said laughing on March 9, 2024.
Hearlihy announced her retirement Monday after 39 seasons of coaching. She started at Mission Hills Alemany in 1985 and took over at Harvard-Westlake in 2000.
So, now the question is: Who will replace her?
Harvard-Westlake is a coveted place to work. Located in Studio City in Northern Los Angeles, it’s an institution that prides itself on high-level education and athletics. Director of Athletics Terry Barnum and his staff are professional as it gets. This job would appeal to any high school coach and many current college assistants.
David Rebibo, the boys basketball coach, just won the program’s second straight CIF State Open title. Harvard-Westlake takes its basketball very seriously.
Here is a list of names that Harvard-Westlake could consider to replace Hearlihy.
NOTE: The names below do not reflect any interest in the position. This is just a list of notable girls basketball coaches that SBLive believes would be qualified and thrive in the position.
(Alphabetical order by last name)
2. Rheina Ale, Bishop Montgomery4. Ryan Coleman, Shelhevet6. Stan Delus, Etiwanda8. Jena Laolagi, Notre Dame Sherman Oaks10. Kenny Plummer, Moorpark College
Source : Sports Illustrated