Orinda resident Vince Wirthman compiled an impressive 87-43 record in his five years as head coach of the Matadors’ girls’ basketball team.
When Miramonte decided to hire long-time Orindan Vince Wirthman as its girls’ basketball head coach back in 2020, he was an unknown quantity. He’d been the junior varsity coach for three years, but had never been a head coach anywhere but CYO.
“They kind of took a chance on me,” said Wirthman, and as it turned out, the gamble really paid off. Wirthman completed his five-year career with an overall record of 87-43, and 41-14 in Diablo Athletic League play, and his move to Hawaii this summer will end a successful run at Miramonte.
Wirthman, who played at Los Medanos College, always loved coaching. “If there was a job I could choose,” he said, “that would be it.” After moving to Orinda in 2003, Wirthman only had time for an occasional CYO gig, but when he got the chance to take over the Matadors’ JV job in 2017, he jumped on it.
“The JV job is 90% coaching and 10% administration,” he said. “Basically, you just show up to practice.”
But when Kelly Sopak, another Orindan, moved on to Carondelet, Wirthman applied for and got the head job – and it was a shock.
“You’re drinking out of a firehose for a while,” he said, as even those involved in high school sports often don’t realize just how hard it is to be a head coach.
“A budget? I didn’t even know there was a budget,” he added. “Scheduling and budgets were a wake-up call. It’s a big leap to go from JV to varsity.”
And to add to the confusion, Wirthman took over when COVID-19 was still a major issue. His first season was a truncated spring schedule with lots of veterans left over from the previous teams, which had been very good.
“We struggled a bit that second year,” he said. “I was just figuring things out – it was tricky. We were floundering, and then we won a playoff game. That was really big.”
The next season, the Mats won 24 games, and followed that up with 20 wins in 2023-24.
Through the ups and downs, Wirthman always got along well with the parents – which is not always the case in the very competitive atmosphere of Orinda and the nearby cities.
“Ninety-nine percent of the parents are really supportive,” he said, and the community is as well. “You’re definitely part of the community. People know who you are.”
And of course, a coach’s relationship with his players is a big part of the experience.
“The kids are so awesome,” said Wirthman. “It’s been great.”
