Girls hoops: Highland's Miner Webster calls it a career

March 8, 2018 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Highland girls basketball coach Miner Webster (center) and longtime assistants Gene Valocchi and Steve Erwin (AzPreps365 photo)

He's debated his departure for the last couple of years. The debate has ended. Highland girls basketball coach Miner Webster is retiring.

Thirty years of coaching girls basketball and 40 in all has yielded Arizona's most prolific coach in the girls game -- 816 career wins, eight state championships and 22 region titles. Win No. 800 was notched late last November against Mesa Mountain View putting Webster in the company of Mesa Mountain View boys coach Gary Ernst as the only hoop coaches in state history with 800 wins or more.

“I’m retiring from teaching at the end of the year and decided with basketball I didn’t want to hang on and hang on,” Webster said.  “I’ve gone back and forth for a few years now. I think it’s time. It’s gotten harder and harder for me to do what it takes as a head coach."

Webster, 65, has a career record of 816 wins and 157 losses meaning his teams have won 84 percent of their games. Webster said he communicated his decision to a few people earlier this week. He made it official Thursday night to players and parents at the team's end-of-the-year banquet. Webster just completed his 25th season at Highland where he began the program when the school opened in the1993-94 school year. HIs career coaching girls began at Gilbert High for five seasons -- 1988-1993 -- with two of the state titles his teams garnered. The decision to coach girls was originally experimental. It grew into something quite large and not as temporary as Webster initially thought it would be. 

Highland players pose after career win No. 800 for Miner Webster in November. (AzPreps365 photo)

The championship seasons piloted by Webster took place in 1991 and 1992 at Gilbert High and 1994, '95, '03, '05, '08 and '09 at Highland. In nine title-game appearances between Gilbert and Highland, Webster's teams won eight. The only loss was in 1998 to Mesa Mountain View.  Webster's teams won 20 games or more in 28 seasons. The two that fell short were 19-win campaigs. There were no losing seasons -- not even close.

Webster recently sold his home/farm and is in the process of finding a place to relocate once the closing date arrives next month.

"That's making it busy right now, and with this decision it's a crazy time," Webster said. "As for what's next, right now I'm just going to play it by ear. I wouldn't rule out returning to coach, but if I did it would be as an assistant.. Having coached in Parker for six years and Gilbert for 34, I think 40 years is enough."

With four decades coaching and teaching behind him, Webster has witnessed societal change especially as it pertains to coaching, athletes and parents.

"I've been forturnate for the most part to have great kids and parents and assistants," Webster said. "Things have changed quite a bit in the last 10-15 years. It’s a different world today for a dinosaur like me."

A "dinosaur" who's made quite an impression.