Behrs out at Petaluma

Petaluma High School is searching for a new boys basketball coach.

In a press release sent out last week, the school said, “After four years leading the boys varsity basketball program at Petaluma High School, coach Scott Behrs and the school are parting ways.”

Behrs made it clear the decision to leave the Petaluma basketball program was not of his choosing.

“I was fired,” he said. “I had every intention of sticking around.”

Petaluma athletic director Rick Krist acknowledged the contribution Behrs has made to the Trojan program. “He put a lot of time into the off season and developing his players,” Krist said. “Scott has great basketball knowledge, and I want to thank him and his staff for the time they put into the players. I wish them all the best.”

Behrs spent his first three years in the Trojan program assisting his father, John Behrs.

In 2015, by mutual agreement and with the approval of the school administration, father and son switched roles, with Scott assuming the head coaching job and John becoming his assistant.

In Scott Behrs’ first year as head coach, the Trojans finished 19-9. They were second to Analy in the Sonoma County League, but beat Analy to win the post-season SCL Tournament championship.

In his four years as head coach, his teams compiled a 53-55 record.

This season, their first in the Vine Valley Athletic League, the Trojans were 6-19 and 3-9 in league play.

Behrs carried four sophomores on the varsity team, with all getting considerable playing time.

Despite the four top sophomores playing on the varsity, the Petaluma junior varsity compiled a 17-8 record and went 9-3 against league opponents.

Behrs said the young players were part of a plan. “I did everything to prepare for the coming seasons,” he said. “It was all set up. Now someone else is going to get credit for that plan.

“When we (he and his father) took over the program, it was a disaster. We turned it around. We made it a program where the players wanted to be.”

The coach said he believes the problem was that the school administration failed to support him when faced with criticism from some disgruntled parents.

“They always talk about support, but they never supported me - Not the principal, not the assistant principal, not the athletic director,” he said. “All they knew was the chatter they heard from the stands.

“I enjoyed working with the players. They supported me. I still keep in touch with a lot of the former players. I did nothing to deserve getting fired.”

Behrs said he is going to back away from coaching for a time while he contemplates if he wants to return at some point.

Petaluma assistant principal and administrator for athletics Giovanni Napoli said the school appreciated Behrs’ efforts, but it is time to move on.

“We truly appreciate Coach Behrs and his time and effort to build the program,” Napoli said. “We appreciate the tremendous amount of work that goes into running the basketball program and applaud Scott’s work with the program during the last seven years.”

Napoli said the search for a new coach would begin soon, and that an interview committee will be formed to help with the selection.

He pointed out that Casa Grande was already looking for a new basketball coach following the resignation, last month, of its head coach, Jake Lee, to devote more time to classroom teaching, and suggested that Petaluma might benefit from sharing information with some of the candidates who have already applied for the Casa position.