Jeff Mulvihill/Courtesy
Karen Weitz coaches the girls’ Centennial basketball team in 2018. The legendary coach is also taking on the boys team this coming season.
Thursday, May 5, 2022 | 4:47 p.m.
Karen Weitz gathered the Centennial High School girls basketball team together for a meeting to get her players’ feedback on a potential career move.
Weitz, the best girls coach in Nevada history with 13 total state championships, had been presented the opportunity to also coach the Centennial boys. First, she needed the blessing of her girls team.
“Right off the bat they were like, ‘Oh my God, coach. We have been waiting for you to do this forever,’” Weitz said.
Weitz accepted the position, knowing there is much work ahead to rebuild the program and confident she can manage her time in running both teams. Practices will be scheduled back-to-back, her assistant coaches will be reliable, and administrators have given her assurance that the game schedule won’t have many conflicts.
“I love to coach. I love the high and the lows, the stressful days and the non-stressful days,” she said. “I still need a little stress and anxiety in my life.”
Weitz next month will retire from her job as a physical education teacher, freeing up time for coaching exclusively. The goal is to have the boys program mirror what she built with the girls, who have won seven straight state championships and are regularly ranked nationally.
The Centennial boys went 9-14 last season and won just two league games. Colleagues had frequently joked over the years to Weitz that she should coach the boys, and she admits to always wanting the challenge. She stressed that challenge had to come at Centennial, where she’s been on the school’s staff since it opened in the early 2000s.
“I don’t mind being someone who sets standards and holds someone accountable. That is what (the boys team) really needs,” she said. “I never want to say I am bored with my job, but we have built a solid program, and you usually don’t have to do much or say much.”
Weitz realizes the Centennial boys won’t instantly be a contender and stresses the initial season will be about changing the program’s culture. Once a certain level of accountability is reached, the fortunes will change, she said.
“Winning basketball games isn’t the top priority,” she said. “They need culture. They need accountability. They don’t have any of that, and that is why they struggle.”
It’s rare for a woman to coach a boys high school team, but then again, Weitz isn’t your typical coach. And she says to not make a big deal out of breaking gender barriers, as it’s something that hadn’t crossed her mind.
“I am going to do me,” she said. “Everyone will be accountable, and everyone will be bought in.”
