In almost 30 years as a girls head basketball coach at Green Fields Country Day School, Immaculate Heart and Amphitheater, Tom Danehy coached those clubs to a 373-146 record. He got more out of less at each stop.
Amphi's head coach Tom Danehy has some instructions for his Panthers in the first quarter of their high school basketball game against Flowing Wells at Amphi High School, Tucson, Ariz., December 1, 2022.
Danehy was elected to the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame in 2024, not just for basketball coaching, but also for coaching high school tennis and track programs, and for operating nonprofit basketball leagues at YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs and the Sporting Chance Center for two decades.
He was summarily replaced this season as Amphi's girls basketball coach, although he remains the school's tennis coach. Amphi's girls hoops teams had 21 consecutive losing seasons before Danehy took charge. He is the third-winningest girls basketball coach in Tucson behind Sahuaro's Steve Botkin, 672, and Flowing Wells' Michael Perkins, who won his 382nd game last week. Danehy has since become the Marana High freshman boys basketball coach. The team was 15-1 as of last week.
I'm not suggesting Amphi made a mistake by replacing Danehy, but when the inevitable job openings occur this spring in girls basketball, the first person I'd call is Danehy.
