With a 103-100 victory over Avondale La Joya recently, Horizon High School boys basketball coach Jerry Conner passed a not-insignificant milestone in a long and distinguished career coaching PV basketball teams – a 600th career win.

He commenced his career at Paradise Valley Unified School District at Paradise Valley High School in 1968, where he was assistant coach for the basketball, football and baseball teams.

He moved to the newly finished Shadow Mountain High School in 1974 to establish what would arguably become one of Arizona’s strongest basketball programs. Here he spent 32 years, taking the Matadors to their first state championship in 1996, after being runners up the year before and again in 2000. After taking a break from high school basketball for college ball in 2005, Conner returned to Shadow Mountain in 2013, where the team once again claimed the state title.

In 2014, Conner moved to a third PV high school – this time at Horizon High School, which had been struggling for a number of years. An improved Horizon won 11 games in 2015 and is looking to improve that record this year.

Coach Conner has been named Coach of the Year three times, the Shadow Mountain gym now bears his name, and he was inducted into the Arizona High School Athletics Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002.

Before Horizon’s game against district rivals Pinnacle, Coach Conner will be presented with an award in honor of his milestone win. The award was provided by local businessman, Bob Overly of Arrow Awards, a former player under Conner at Paradise Valley High from 1969-71.

“I’ve admired him ever since my time at high school,” explained Bob. “He is a great role model. I didn’t meet anyone who didn’t like him – he was strict but fair.”

The 600th career victory presentation to Jerry Conner will take place in the Horizon High School gym before the Huskies game against Pinnacle High School, Tuesday December 13th at 6:45 p.m.