Family came 1st in Giannikas’ decision to resign from coaching Penn-Trafford girls

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, March 30, 2025 | 8:07 PM

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John Giannikas had been contemplating this decision all basketball season. It was not easy and gave him restless nights.

But while it burdened him, he knew what he had to do.

Family must come first in the case of Penn-Trafford’s girls basketball coach, who resigned after 19 seasons leading the Warriors.

He told the team over the weekend.

With both of his children set to play basketball at Norwin next year, Giannikas had to free up his schedule to coincide with theirs. Stefano Giannikas will be a senior next year after contributing minutes this season for the Norwin boys. His little sister, Giuliana Giannikas, is set to be an incoming freshman who will play for the Norwin girls.

Giannikas thought about coming back, but he knew something would have to give or one side would get shortchanged.

“It would be almost impossible with the boys and girls playing. It’s like three different seasons,” said Giannikas, 53, who was hired in 2006. “Time goes by so fast, and I don’t want to look back and see how much I missed.”

Penn-Trafford just completed one of its best seasons under Giannikas. The team went undefeated in the regular season for the first time (22-0), made the WPIAL quarterfinals and state playoffs and set a team record for wins in a season (25-2).

“We have had a lot of good kids,” Giannikas said. “Not good kids, great kids. The program has always been in a good place. It’s about the kids. And I had tremendous assistants. Those are hard to find. I had great help. They weren’t just ‘yes’ people. Anyone can hold a clipboard and keep rebounds. I didn’t want them to be afraid to tell me if they saw something or had an idea.”

Giannikas said Penn-Trafford is a unique place to coach because of the closeness of personnel. He valued relationships he had with administration, other sport coaches, athletic trainers, scorekeepers and, of course, athletic director Kerry Hetrick.

“Kerry was great, too,” he said. “You have to have support from the top. This is a great place to coach. It never felt like a job.”

Giannikas made the WPIAL playoffs 16 times, won five section titles and one WPAL title (2014) and made the PIAA playoffs five times.

All told, he won 273 games and lost 176.

“You never want people to think you’re leaving because you don’t have talent or don’t have a lot coming back,” Giannikas said.

That is far from the issue here. The cupboard isn’t nearly bare. Penn-Trafford loses five seniors but will bring back most of a rotation that, at times, stretched 10 or more deep.

A crop of young guards who sharpened their skills and gained varsity experience includes junior Torrie DeStefano, sophomore Isabella Fontana, juniors Olivia Weishaar and Hannah Weishaar, freshman Raya Johnson, sophomore Ava Ruane and junior Arabelle Nichols.

“My best players were always the hardest workers,” Giannikas said. “I wanted the girls to have fun but also be ready to compete.”

Giannikas said he has not ruled out a return to coaching, but if it happens, it would probably be at the tail end of his kids’ playing days.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Penn-Trafford