One of state's winningest girls hoop coaches resigns at Sacred Heart Cathedral, which in 2008 had the No. 1 team in the nation. He leaves just three wins shy of 600th milestone victory.

By Harold Abend, Special to CalHiSports.com

After 28 years, the last 19 at San Francisco's Sacred Heart Cathedral, California girls basketball coaching legend Brian Harrigan has decided to change gears. He announced on Tuesday he would be resigning his post at Sacred Heart Cathedral, but told CalHiSports.com on Wednesday that he could return to coaching at a later date.

"A lot of people don't realize or forget how long it's been,” said Harrigan, who began his career in 1981 as a 23-year-old girls coach at the old St. Rose Academy in San Francisco.

What a lot of people also don't realize is if St. Rose had not been forced to close after suffering irreparable damage in the 1989 San Francisco earthquake that also halted the Bay Bridge World Series, the affable Harrigan may never have landed a mile west at Sacred Heart Cathedral.

He did, and the rest is history.

Harrigan leaves behind a legacy of four CIF state championship teams, six Northern Regional titles, 10 consecutive Central Coast Section crowns, and a 597-174 record for the 2006 State Coach of the Year, and the 2009 National High School Coaches Association Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. His 2008 team was also named State Team of the Year.

The first state championship team Harrigan coached was the 1998 squad that beat Alemany of Mission Hills 67-54 in the Division III title game.

The other three came back-to-back-to-back. In 2006, Harrigan's Fightin' Irish needed overtime but took the Division IV title game in a 66-56 victory over Windward of Los Angeles. The 2007 team also needed an extra period but prevailed, 60-54, over Bishop Amat of La Puente, this time back in the D3 championship.

Harrigan's 2008 team may very well have been his best after completing a 33-0 season that culminated in an exhilarating 46-45 victory over St. Mary's of Stockton in the Northern Regional championship, followed by a 48-33 dismantling of Anaheim Magnolia in the D3 state title tilt.

For their efforts, his 2008 squad ended up as national No. 1 in the ESPN RISE FAB 50.

What made the 2008 achievement even more remarkable was that the team, with Harrigan as one of the emotional linchpins, was able to overcome the trauma of the tragic murder of star Tierra Rogers' father during halftime of a game at midseason.

"I've been blessed to coach a lot of outstanding young women and I feel proud to have had a positive impact on their lives,” Harrigan told CalHiSports.com.

"My stepping away has nothing to do with Sacred Heart Cathedral or my love of the game,” continued Harrigan.

"I'm 51 and my health is good, and it's all good. I'll see what the big bad world has out there,” said Harrigan, who emphasized he was only "stepping away” from coaching.

"The (San Francisco) Chronicle said I was retiring but that's not correct,” he said.

"I'm not ready to dive right into anything but if something appealing were to come up either at the high school or another level I'd listen and consider it,” said Harrigan, a 1976 graduate of Sacred Heart Cathedral who will continue to teach pre-school in San Francisco.

If it's at the high school level, Harrigan may still get win No. 600, but until then his name is still pretty high up on the list of all time wins for girls' coaches in the ESPN RISE CalHiSports.com Record Book and Almanac.  

Although no successor has been named, sources close to the program tell CalHiSports.com that junior varsity coach Mike Carey is a leading candidate. However, even though he's already coaching at the school, the sources also said the job will be opened up and Carey will have to go through the same interviews and processes as other candidates.

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