UTC Women's Hoops: Coach Foster And An Old Coaching Friend

It’s the battle of the Philly Cheesesteaks.

It’s a pair of Baby Boomer Coaches … Doo Woopers … Philadelphia natives … American Bandstand watchers … The Big Five and games in the hallowed Palestra on Saturday afternoons and nights ... Coat and Tie vs. Sweaters.

Tonight at 7:30 in McKenzie Arena the Chattanooga women’s basketball team puts the nation’s longest home court win streak – 39 – on the line as highly respected Big East foe Villanova (23-9 a year ago) comes to town.

One to regularly deflect talk of win streaks and big milestone wins (his 800th win last season comes to mind) UTC’s Jim Foster said earlier this week, “we are 0-0 and that’s it.”

It’s also a battle of coaches – UTC’s Foster and the Wildcats Harry Perretta – who both open their 37th season on the sidelines tonight.

“It’s great to have coaches who are longtime friends compete against one another as I feel it’s for the betterment of the game,” said coach Perretta.

“I like playing against folks I am familiar with,” Foster said a statement which is substantiated by the fact he plays former assistants this year (Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw) and next year  (UConn’s Geno Auriemma.)

Rookie Coaches – Little Pay: It was Dec.

5, 1978, and Viet Nam vet Foster opened his college coaching career with a 75-52 home win against Delaware, while across town 22-year-old Perretta led the Wildcats to a 65-38 victory against Philadelphia Textile.

Now closing in on a combined 1,500 wins later both are hall famers and have numerous awards and honors.

“Both Jim and I were head coaches, but only getting part time pay and did not go full time until maybe our third seasons,” said coach Perretta who was all-Catholic League at Monsignor Bonner in Upper Darby

With his usual dry humor, coach Foster adds, “you can say you were on full-time salary, but looking at the lack of zeroes on the checks, coaches became well aware that Jesuits wanted everyone to take a vow of poverty.”

Strange Part-Time Jobs: While coach Perretta was an elementary school teacher to supplement his coaching salary in those early years, coach Foster became adept as a cook (ran a restaurant), re-surfacing tennis courts, coached St. Joe’s softball team and was a bartender.

“My wife and I also ran a home for neglected boys in the early years, until one day one of the kids set the place on fire and burned it to the ground.”

Coach Perretta, a First Date and Cheers: “During that first season at Villanova I had a date with a young lady and took her to the bar where Jim was the bartender.”

Coach Foster added with a smile, “Yes, and he was a little nervous so I had to coach him on conversation topics.”

Foster, who coached against Perretta for 13 years while at St Joe’s (Foster won 8 of 12 meetings) before stops at Vanderbilt and Ohio State and now UTC, was a cross between running a college crowd type Cheers Bar and Jackie Gleason of the made for television bartender skit in the mid-1960s.

Evidently, Coach Perretta has done quite well in his communication skills with the opposite sex since that night as he has led the Wildcats to 661 wins, 10 NCAA tournament appearances, seven trips to the WNIT, coached a 2013 Rhodes Scholar and the 1987 national player of the year in Shelly Pennefather.

Pennefather is now a nun in Alexandria, Va. and another example of how Perretta has done well in the communication and caring department, he is the only non-family member who is allowed to visit Pennefather and that is for about 90 minutes once a year.

“We have great talks each year and discuss several topics including basketball and life in general,” stated Perretta who takes as much non-perishable foods to the convent as possible each summer as the nuns live off the donations of others.

Tonight, after exchange of pre-game handshakes and other pleasantries, these two old friends will work hard to communicate well with and hope for excellent execution from their female players and another win for one hall of fame coach, while the other awaits a re-match in the not too distant future.

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net