Notre Dame's Dave Pero will be honored before tomorrow night's girls basketball game against Holley.
Several former players will be on hand to speak and share their thoughts on how Pero helped influence them and shape their lives.
If this sounds like a swan song event for the Fighting Irish coach, it just might be. Then again, maybe not.
Pero hasn't announced any retirement plans but his son, Dave Pero Jr., is thinking that once the season is over, the elder Pero just might call it a career.
"It's not guaranteed he's going to resign, but if I had to put a dollar on it, I would say it's his last year," Pero Jr. said.
Given that hunch, the assistant coach wanted to be sure his father got a proper send-off. The Friday game seems like the best time to do it with only two home games left on the schedule -- a weekday game, which former players who are in college wouldn't be able to attend, and then senior night, and on that night a farewell to the coach would take the spotlight away from the players.
Pero became head coach at the start of the 2002-03 season. His teams have notched eight five league titles, a state title (in 2013) and sectional titles in 2003, 2006 (the team lost the state title game that year), 2007 and 2013.
A logical choice of successor for Pero Sr., is Pero Jr., who said he's obviously interested in the job, but that's a decision for the Notre Dame Board, not to mention his wife, who he would ask to bless any such assignment.
UPDATE: More on Pero's record: He is currently 234-51, and 101-12 at home. His teams have a postseason record of 34-11.
