Advertisement

Mesa board approves naming Mountain View basketball court after legendary coach Gary Ernst

richard obert, arizona republic
·1 min read
Mountain View high school head coach Gary Ernst, holds the game ball and a trophy given by the school to acknowledge his accomplishments during Division I boys basketball first round at Mountain View high school in Mesa, Thursday, February 16, 2012.
Mountain View high school head coach Gary Ernst, holds the game ball and a trophy given by the school to acknowledge his accomplishments during Division I boys basketball first round at Mountain View high school in Mesa, Thursday, February 16, 2012.

The Mesa Public Schools' Governing Board on Tuesday night approved the naming of Mountain View Gym court after former boys basketball coach Gary Ernst.

The court will now have Ernst's name on it. Just like the football field is named after deceased coach Jesse Parker, who put the Toros on the map as a state powerhouse in the 1970s, '80s and '90s.

Ernst is the winningest high school basketball coach in state history with 943 wins. He won seven of his eight state championships at Mountain View, where he led the Toros for 38 seasons, from 1984-2022.

Ernst spent his first year away from leading a program since the mid-1970s this past season as a freshman assistant coach at Gilbert High, where his grandson played.

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on Twitter@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Mountain View to name court after legendary coach Gary Ernst