May 9, 2008

By Mike Sheridan

Villanova Media Relations

His tenure in his current position dates to the days of polyester suits and eight track tapes. These days he operates in a power packed 16-team BIG EAST Conference that sends multiple entrants into an NCAA Tournament field telecast nationally by ESPN from an office in a state of the art practice facility.

Yet the essence of the seminal figure in the history of Villanova women's basketball remains largely unchanged.

Harry Perretta, the architect and orchestrator of Wildcats women's basketball since 1978, values the same items he has since he first walked into Jake Nevin Field House during the Carter administration. Those priorities include family, education and integrity delivered in a teaching style all his own.

"I think sometimes people who don't know Harry aren't sure what to make of him," says Trish Juhline, who graduated in 2003 as the No. 3 scorer in school history and helped lead the `Cats to a BIG EAST championship and Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a senior. "He's really smart and does things for a reason. I think people see him on the sidelines and think he just loses his mind. But it's much more than frustration. He's looking for a reaction from you and he wants to see the same kind of passion he has."

"He's very honest and direct," says Shanette Lee, a Wildcat guard from 1995-99 and now a member of the Villanova coaching staff. "That's something you don't always get in big-time college athletics these days."

Perretta's impact on Villanova and the women's basketball program he has nurtured from infancy will be feted in grand style on Saturday, May 10 at the Connelly Center on the school's campus. The "Legacy of Villanova Women's Basketball Celebrating Harry Perretta: 30 Years on the Main Line" is set for 7:00 p.m. University president Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A., BIG EAST commissioner Mike Tranghese, former men's basketball head coach Rollie Massimino, current men's coach Jay Wright and 35 former players and coaches are scheduled to be on hand for the festivities.

The event is more than a testament to mere longevity. It also recognizes the progress of the program itself under Perretta's stewardship. His 553 wins rank him 20th on the list of winningest active college coaches and he has more victories than any coach in Wildcat history on the men's or women's side. There have been 20 winning seasons and 14 campaigns with 20 or more wins.

Yet when celebrating the ubiquitous Harry - no "Coach Perretta" honorariums for this plain spoken product of West Philly, thank you very much - numbers only tell a small portion of the story. If you have spent more than a few minutes with him, you've likely walked away with your own "Harry" nugget and a glimpse into a real world view that gets right to the heart of the matter.

Few appreciate that more than those who have played for him.

Whether it is a member of the 1982 squad that went to the Final Four, or the '87 club that featured national player of the year Shelly Pennefather or a more recent athlete, the echoes of Harry tend to create a bond.

"Last year I was frustrated at one point," recalls Wildcat guard Siobhan O'Connor who will be a redshirt senior in 2008-09. "I had a chance to talk to (former point guard and current Villanova Senior Associate Athletic Director) Lynn Tighe about what I was going through. She talked to me about some of the tough times she had during her career. It was refreshing and reassuring to hear that from someone that I know Harry thinks so highly of. Speaking with her helped me grow up a little bit.

"She'd been there. We've all been there and there is definitely that common link."

It did take a little getting used to, however.

"When I first came in I'd look around and see (former `Cat standout and current Drexel head coach) Denise Dillon around or (former guard and current La Salle assistant coach) Mimi Riley playing with us," she says. "I was like, aren't they coaching at other Philly Six schools? But with Harry, it's the relationships that are important."

"When you graduate from Villanova having played for Harry there is a family bond that exists," says Lee. "You kind of get initiated into a group of people who had similar experiences to the one you did. They have heard everything you have and it makes for a camaraderie.

"You tell stories about what Harry said to you. What you find is that while a couple of the details may be different, they are basically the same stories others have."

Often, those accounts center on Perretta's direct approach. The subject can be basketball related or not. Like a great official - and he counts some of those as his friends too - he calls `em as he sees `em.

Juhline recalls attending a Final Four several years ago. While there, she spotted former Oklahoma player and current ESPN announcer Stacey Dales. The two had become acquainted during Juhline's short tenure with the Washington Mystics of the WNBA in 2003.

"When I was with the Mystics, she really went out of her way to be nice to me so I wanted to say hello," says Juhline.

The two chatted briefly before Juhline walked back over to her friends from Villanova. Perretta was among them.

"Don't ever stand next to her again," he told her.

"I had no idea what he meant," she says. "I asked why and he told me that, standing next to her, I looked invisible."

With that, Juhline roars in laughter.

"I was crying in laughter it was so funny," she says now.

The most public expression of Perretta's direct manner generally can be seen at the Pavilion during basketball season. Like a professor in his laboratory, he coaxes and prods in a voice that is seldom subtle. As a former point guard, Lee knows well the drill.

"One thing you get right away is his passion and knowledge," says Lee, recalling her first days in his system in the mid-1990s. "Then you come to learn that anything that happens on the floor during the game as a point guard is your fault. That was true even when I wasn't on the court. If I was sitting on the bench in foul trouble, he would yell at me because I wasn't in the game. It was a constant responsibility to know what he was thinking but I liked it."

Though the volume on the floor can rise, it is off the court, behind the scenes where Perretta sometimes makes a larger impression.

"He really does stick his neck out for you when you need something," says O'Connor.

After one potential graduate program opportunity had fallen through in recent months, O'Connor found herself in something of a quandary, unsure which way to turn. Perretta took a keen interest. He kept pressing the matter with her for the better part of a week until one morning he concluded that the two of them would take a stroll.

"We walked all around campus, meeting with this dean and that professor talking about my options," O'Connor states. "I spent two hours walking around the entire Villanova campus with him. He was telling jokes but at the same time he was serious. He didn't want me to waste a year and felt it was important that I accomplish something.

"That was really the first time I saw for myself how he'll go the extra mile for you. He might step on someone's toes, but he was trying to protect me. He doesn't worry what someone might think about him coming into an office asking for something for me."

Lee too has benefitted from his loyalty.

"There was a time in my life when I really needed someone to be there for me," says Lee. "My brother had passed away. Harry was away recruiting when I called him. He told me he would get there as soon as he could and even missed the flight he had been scheduled to board talking to me. He was there the next day and he was with me the whole time. Harry cared more than I thought any other coach would.

"Harry takes time out for each and every one of his players, past and present. If there is something happening significantly in their lives, he is there for them. That's one thing people don't really get to see about him. You can say what you want about him, but when you're back is up against the wall and you need someone to fight for you, you want to have Harry on your side."

He's been on Villanova's side for three decades, a fact to be celebrated at the Connelly Center on Saturday night. Along the way he's created a unique basketball family, with dozen of proud graduates who understand much more fully now the common sense values he helped instill in them.

"You may not have appreciated it fully when you played because you are caught up in the emotion of the moment," says Lee, "but as you get older, you really understand the way he helped you learn about basketball and life."