Two years removed from coaching Skyline basketball, former head coach Pete Pontacq is on his way to the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He will be enshrined March 14 at the State Final Eight in San Diego.
         Pontacq gives credit to the coach he proceeded in Lyle Newcomer. Pontacq said that Newcomer got Trojan basketball going and he maintained what Newcomer did. Pontacq coached 22 seasons (1979-2001) compiling a record of 486-152, with a conference record of 256-34. He won 16 Coast Conference championships, as well as 16 coach of the year awards. Pontacq has one state championship in the 1981-82 season and a runner up the following year. From 1984-1987 Skyline had a 50 game conference winning streak in the span of four seasons.
         “I am excited, Pontacq said. “It’s an honor to go in. I am looking forward to it. It’s going to be a fun day and I am excited about it.”
         Winning those conference championships back in the early years of Pontacq’s coaching was easier than it is now in getting recruits.
         “I don’t think there was the competition in terms of recruiting athletes wasn’t like it is today. Now if there is a good athlete like in Oakland or San Francisco or Daly City, everybody knows about him and ten schools are talking to him. In the old days it was me, San Francisco and Canada; we all basically went after the same players.”
         A graduate of St. Mary’s in 1968, Pontacq was a back up point guard and former commissioner of athletics in San Francisco Elwood Lang influenced him to go to St. Mary’s. In his senior year of high school Pontacq blew his ankle during the summer and was in a cast. Not being able to play basketball Pontacq was invited by his freshman head coach to help his team. His coach was on a recruiting trip and a very young Pete Pontacq started his coaching career at age 20, as he coached against the Cal State Hayward freshman team while coaching St. Mary’s freshman team. Lang once again influenced Pontacq to receive his teaching credential in which he got at St. Mary’s. Pontacq made four stops before coming to Skyline. He went to Albany, Capuchino, Crestmoor, and Aragon. While at Albany, he was student teacher. Albany had freshman, junior varsity, and varsity basketball teams who needed a freshman coach. At Capuchino Pontacq was a volunteer assistant basketball coach but was the head coach of the swim team. At Aragon, Pontacq coached for two years and in his second year his team won around 24 games but lost in the championship game in five overtimes.
         In a basketball system that was structured where certain players go on particular routes, in which the shooting guard would run the right lane, the point guard would run the middle lane, and the small forward would run the left lane. This was the system former head coach Newcomer used in which Pontacq acquired in his basketball playbook. Pontacq gives credit to Newcomer who passed away from leukemia during his last basketball season in 1979.
         In Pontacq’s first season at Skyline the team won 18 games. With many years of coaching experience, Pontacq has brought to the table a winning tradition that continues today with Pontacq’s predecessor, Tony Raffetto.
         “If you are a good coach you learn from other people,” Pontacq said. “You are never satisfied. You continue to try to get better. I think good coaches have a desire to win and be successful.”