By Zach Cavanagh
Marc Popovich. Photo Courtesy of SCHS Boys Basketball.
Marc Popovich, the longest-tenured and winningest coach in San Clemente boys basketball history, stepped down after 15 years in charge of the Tritons program on Monday, March 28.
Popovich, 41, resigned from the position to spend more time with his family—wife Kristin and their 11- and 9-year-old daughters—and that commitment would not allow for the full-time, year-round attention the program demanded to maintain the accustomed level of success achieved during Popovich’s tenure.
“I got to do my dream job for 15 years,” Popovich said. “Fifteen years is a long time. Every year, the job gets bigger and bigger. With the ages of my kids, it became more untenable to give full-time to both. I want to give my full passion and don’t want to feel like I’m shortchanging either.”
Popovich will continue to teach AP/IB-level social science at San Clemente High School, and he said he’ll remain on the microphone as the PA announcer during Triton football games.
Popovich, a Class of 1998 San Clemente High School graduate, returned to helm his alma mater’s boys basketball program for the 2007-08 season and compiled a 227-166 overall record in the following 15 seasons. Popovich’s Tritons won the program’s first league title since 1975 and then the second-ever league title in school history in 2013, and San Clemente would go on to win five league championships under Popovich.
Beyond the team’s accomplishments, Popovich said his favorite memories of the job were not the game days, but he loved the Tuesdays and Thursdays during the league schedule, which were the practice and game prep days for Wednesday and Friday nights.
“The thing is, when you’re building a program,” Popovich said, “kids come in and progress. There’s always little steps. … Those are the things I’ll carry with me.”
San Clemente has qualified for the CIF-SS playoffs in 11 consecutive seasons and has posted a winning record in eight of the last 10 seasons. The Tritons won at least 10 games in all 15 seasons under Popovich.
“Marc has been a tremendous role model for our student-athletes,” San Clemente athletic director Jon Hamro said in a statement. “Hard-working and competitive for sure, but first and foremost, a professional educator who genuinely cared about his players both on and off court.”
After graduating from San Clemente High School, Popovich attended Kansas State University and Cal State Fullerton. He began his coaching career as an assistant for the Saddleback College women’s team in 2001, where he coached with his father, Steve Popovich, for one season. Steve Popovich was a legendary coach at Marina High School in Huntington Beach. After Saddleback, Marc was the junior varsity head coach and a varsity assistant at Tesoro for five seasons before coming to San Clemente.
This also doesn’t spell a complete end for Popovich’s coaching career, but simply a time to “pause and reflect” as he spends this extra time with family.
“I don’t think I’ll never coach again,” Popovich said. “I still have a passion for coaching. That part isn’t going away.”
By Zach Cavanagh
Zach Cavanagh
Zach Cavanagh is the sports editor for Picket Fence Media. Zach is multiple California Journalism Award winner and has covered sports in Orange County since 2013. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @ZachCav and follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SouthOCSports. Email at zcavanagh@picketfencemedia.com.