When Diane Decker saw the women's basketball head coaching position opening at LVC, she called her mentor and former college coach Harry Perretta and asked to use him as a reference.
 
"He said when I got the job, he'd come be my volunteer assistant. I thought he was joking," she said with a laugh.
 
Yet as the season comes to a close, Perretta, who won nearly 800 games in more than 40 years coaching the Villanova University women's basketball team, held true to his word. He travels from his home near Villanova a few times each week for practices and games.
 
"I love having him here," said Decker. "He has a brilliant basketball mind and sees things from a different perspective. He's my voice of reason who calms me down, just like when I coached on his staff. I feel very lucky."
 
Decker and her staff spent much of the season working to install Perretta's patented offense that is replicated at numerous programs across all divisions of college basketball. Although, Decker admits some of her players didn't realize the basketball legend they were learning from and were shocked when they looked him up and made the connection.
 
Perretta, who spent the 2020-21 season helping a local school basketball team, relished the opportunity to stay involved in coaching. "I wanted to do something in basketball. In Division III, it's not for the scholarships. They are playing because they love the game. It's amazing working with kids who are willing to learn. Coaching here satisfies everything I miss about the game."
 
The bond between Decker and Perretta dates back to when he recruited her out of Marian Catholic High School. During her years at Villanova (1985-89), he even spent summers in that area as Decker tells stories of friends asking Perretta to join their pickup games at the playground. Perretta formed close connections with Decker's parents, and her dad continued to attend Villanova games throughout Perretta's career.
 
Decker reunited with Perretta for the 2019-20 season when he created a position for her to join his coaching staff at Villanova for his final year.
 
"The staff was awesome, and the players were great, very coachable," said Decker. "One of my strengths is player development, so I did a lot of individual workouts. I also handled scout work and on-campus recruiting.
 
"When I left my previous position, I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue coaching. But that year was one of the best years I ever had and made me want to stay in the game."