Dan DeRose makes ‘tough decision,’ resigns as North Allegheny boys basketball coach

By: Chris Harlan
Wednesday, March 17, 2021 | 10:01 PM

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Calling it “a very tough decision,” Dan DeRose resigned Wednesday night after one season as boys basketball coach at North Allegheny.

“I really need to step back and evaluate some things,” he said, “because I’m going through some personal and some family issues that I need to deal with.”

DeRose didn’t offer specifics but said the decision to resign was 100% his. He and athletic director Bob Bozzuto met with the players and their families at the school Wednesday.

“It was very tough to tell the kids and their parents,” DeRose said. “I really want to thank all of them because they were phenomenal, and they were supportive. I went through basically the entire season not having one complaint from the 19 kids or the parents, and that’s a rarity.”

North Allegheny went 16-7 this season, won the Section 1-6A title and reached the WPIAL quarterfinals. DeRose’s resignation came as a surprise, said junior Matt McDonough, one of the team’s top players.

“I think the whole team was shocked and disappointed,” McDonough said. “We had a pretty good year. NA hasn’t done this good in a while, so we were feeling pretty good and excited for next year and got hit with this.”

McDonough said the team didn’t receive much explanation.

“We asked but they said it was confidential and they couldn’t tell us,” he said. “They said it was personal reasons but nothing specific.”

DeRose won 100 games and a WPIAL title in five seasons at Penn Hills before North Allegheny hired him last May. The Beaver Falls native who coached at both the high school and college level said he was optimistic he’d coach again someday.

“I hope so,” DeRose said. “But I’ve got to take care of some personal issues first. I think this is in the best interest of everybody.”

DeRose coached college basketball for more than a decade, including a successful six-year run at the Community College of Beaver County from 2003-09. He went 139-45 at CCBC and won a conference title every year.

He led the South Park boys to the WPIAL playoffs in 2015 during his one season with the Eagles.

His career record in the WPIAL is 132-40.

DeRose also had stints as head coach at Penn State McKeesport (2000-01) and Chowan University (2010-12), an NCAA Division II school in North Carolina.

“I want to thank Bob Bozzuto for hiring me,” DeRose said. “He’s one of the best athletic directors out there. I want to thank him for giving me the opportunity.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny