Seton girls basketball learns from a college coaching legend
Harry Perretta knows how to lighten a moment. During a break at Seton’s two-hour girls varsity basketball practice Tuesday in Manassas, he asks a player what she should do first if she ever played for him. She mentions a play they just ran. It’s a good answer, but not the one Perretta is looking for. Perretta tells her any player must first pay attention. Then, with a storyteller’s perfect cadence who knows his audience, he explains why, pointing to a banner of Saint John Paul II on the far wall of the gym. “When he talks about religion, he’s infallible,” Perretta said in reference to the former Catholic pope. “And when I’m inside these four lines and I’m talking basketball, I’m infallible.” The comment draws laughter from those nearby. Then, comes the topper. He walks off the court and quietly says to one observer with a smile, “How’d you like that one?” Of course, Perretta doesn’t really think he’s infallible, but when he’s on the basketball court and teaching, players and coaches would be wise to listen to him. Not because of quick one-liners. But because he knows a little something about coaching basketball. For 42 seasons, Perretta led the
