Long Beach State University Athletics
Manarino Long Since in the Groove
4/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
Manarino Long Since in the Groove There was a moment in Pete Manarino's athletic career when he seemed on track to become a college basketball coach. As a two-sport star at Pius X High, in baseball and basketball, he developed a nice jumper that earned him a spot at Cerritos College for two years. So who knows? With the proper timing and circumstances, Long Beach State one day might have chosen Manarino, its softball coach for the last 22 years, as its basketball coach. Some may even suggest he should be hired today, but that's a puckish issue for another day. Manarino is two wins away from 800 in his college career, a milestone coaching accomplishment that will put him on a very short list of NCAA coaching greats. He will be one of just 19 coaches all-time with 800 wins and one of 15 active coaches. He hopes to notch the two wins he needs this weekend during a three-game series at home against Cal State Northridge. He's admittedly proud of reaching 800, but feels a greater satisfaction for others who have been a part of it, his players and his coaches, like Kim Sowder, who played for Manarino and has been an assistant for 10 years, and Ralph Levy, who has been a volunteer assistant for 16 years. That line of continuity over those 22 years means more than any number. Manarino never thought of softball when he was a young college student. His left turn came innocently, when he went to see his younger sister Mary play a game as part of a travel team in Downey. "Mary had told some of her coaches that I played baseball, and they asked me if I would like to help," Manarino said. "I wasn't sure about it, but I thought it would be fun to help coach my sister. And we had a great season." That led to Manarino being asked to help coach the team at Downey High School, even though he was still in college himself, at Cal State Fullerton, where he was working on his bachelor's degree and taking sports theory and coaching classes taught by Bobby Dye, Billie Moore and Augie Garrido. From there, he landed at St. Joseph High School in Lakewood, where he coached varsity softball and girls basketball and also served as athletic director. In 1980, he led the school to the CIF 3-A title, beating Downey, and a year later finished second. With his sister playing for him three seasons, St. Joseph softball also put together a 44-game winning streak. Manarino coached five league champs at St. Joseph in softball and girls basketball. "My plan always was to coach, I just didn't know which sport it would be," he said, "and I had no idea I'd ever be coaching girls or women's sports. "But I immediately loved it. I loved the way they responded to coaching and how much they wanted to learn. The satisfaction I get out of this is watching kids become young adults who graduate and go on to have successful careers. "We've graduated 98 percent of the players I've had since I've been here. That number means more than 800. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the wins that we forget about the all-around collegiate experience these kids are looking for." Manarino got the Long Beach State job in 1984, a few years after the program was launched. His salary for that first year was $2,000 as the part-time head coach. His budget topped out at $20,000 for the season, and his team played its games at Mayfair Park. He continued to teach and serve as athletic director at St. Joseph while coaching the 49ers. Thanks to former 49er assistant athletic director Bob Donlan, he eventually became the full-time coach, but still operated with a budget the size of home plate. In 1986, the 49ers went to the College World Series even though he had just two scholarships. He didn't get the full complement of scholarships until the early '90s. The 49ers advanced to the College World Series four straight years (1990-93), coming closest to a title in 1992, when they won their first two games before suffering a pair of extra-inning 1-0 losses. Their most recent regional assignments have been in tough locales, too Fresno three times, UCLA twice, and Seattle and LSU. The 2005 team is currently on one of Manarino's better runs. Including the end of the 2003 season that saw the 49ers win 20 of their last 26, the 49ers have gone 94-33. Their 23-15 record this season 2005 is misleading, too, since the 49ers have played 11 ranked teams this season and more than half of the season without BYU transfer Oli Keohohou. They seemed poised to make a run in the postseason. The school is bidding for a regional for the first time (at Mayfair Park) with softball having adopted the regional and sub-regional format that's worked well for college baseball the last few years. "We've played .800 baseball for the last few years, against tough schedules," he said. "If you want a good program that can be consistent each year, you have to play a tough schedule. That's the only way to get better." It's also the way Manarino has reached to the edge of 800 wins. |
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