Gary Ernst sets Arizona career basketball wins record at 775

The names on the rosters have changed every year, dating back to 1974, but the discipline and style has pretty much stayed the same.

And now every one of them can say they were part of history.

Everyone from Dale Horine, who was on the 1976 Chandler team that won the state title and was in attendance last night, to Harper Kamp, Mountain View's leading scorer in 2004-05, to today's players. Gary Ernst wouldn't have it any other way – putting the onus on the players not himself.

Ernst became Arizona's all-time winningest basketball coach Thursday night when Mountain View (Mesa, Ariz.) defeated No. 21 Rincon 66-50 at home in the first round of the Division I playoffs. It gave him his 775th career win to surpass Dick McConnell, who returned from Sahuaro (Tucson, Ariz.) after the 2007-08 season, to set the new standard.

"It hasn't really hit me yet," Ernst said shortly after the ceremony where he received a gold trophy shaped like a basketball and game ball. "I'm just so proud of the kids, and appreciate what they did. I could tell in their eyes they were ready to play. Sometimes they were trying too hard, and it got a little sloppy."

It was the second attempt at the record after the Toros (21-7) were upset in the first round of the sectionals last week.
After the win against Rincon, the school Ernst beat in 1976 while coaching for Chandler on the way to his first of eight state titles, No. 12 Mountain View advances to play at No. 5 Desert Vista on Saturday.

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The Toros controlled the game from the start jumping out to an 8-0 lead and pushing their lead to 20-11 and 40-20 before coasting to the win.

"We knew we had to get this one for him," said senior Camyn Boone, who had 16 points. "He's intense and does a great job of building team camaraderie. We knew we had to do it at home for him."

Plus, the Toros didn't want Ernst's patented stare if things were to go awry against Rincon. He isn't a screamer or a stomper. Ernst chooses his words carefully, but when he is really angry he resorts to a look – one that instantly lets a player know that whatever he did better not happen again.

"We call it the Gar-ster," Boone said. "You don't even want to look at him and you wait as long as you can, but when you look up he is still staring right at you."

Ernst had just about everyone staring at him the entire game with the Mountain View student section holding signs that said "775" and "We Love Ernst." With more than 3 minutes left in the game, the PA announcer said everyone should stick around for the postgame ceremony.

Pretty sure the PA guy got a Gar-ster for that one.

But Ernst took the win in stride, more relieved than celebratory, and was glad to have the whole spectacle over with and a chance to just concentrate on defending the state title.

"You know what you are going to get," said Steve Hogen, the Mesa School District Athletic Director. "They are going to play hard, play as a team and be disciplined. He is going to get on the officials once in a while but at the same time he knows when to back off.

"You are not going to see Mountain View and be shocked by anything. They just do it so well over and over again."

The same can be said for any Ernst coached team – 775 times worth (compared to 293 defeats).

He started out at Chandler in the 1974-75 season and moved on to Aztec High (New Mexico) for three seasons before spending the last 28 at Mountain View. During his time at Mountain View, he shared athletes and a locker room with Jesse Parker, the former Toro football coach who retired as the state's all-time leader with 309 wins but has since been surpassed.

"When he was hired they asked him how he was going to get along with coach Parker," said Parker, who was in attendance. "We got along great and we had a great relationship. We shared a lot of the same values.

"More important than the record is the kind of person he is and what he imparts on the team."

Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic and current Ahwatukee Foothill News staff writer, is a 15-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com or 480-272-2449.