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Vertacnik has been a rock to many in coaching career

7 min read

Above all, Janine Vertacnik is present.

She is present for her family, her Monessen High School girls’ basketball team, her players and her friends.

Vertacnik can be counted on and because of that, she has become a beloved figure.

A standout volleyball, basketball and softball player at California University, Vertacnik was one of the trail blazers for women’s athletics for the Vulcans and in western Pennsylvania.

She’s been a head basketball coach in college and in high school. Her stops also include Yough, Jeannette, Greensburg Salem and Pitt-Greensburg.

Vertacnik led the Jeannette girls’ basketball team to the 2010 WPIAL Class A championship.

She’s been to the top of the mountain with little left to prove. Don’t tell her that.

Every day is a chance to get better and to help someone.

“It comes with my passion for the game,” Vertacnik said. “I hope that rubs off on our players. It’s something I’ve always done in practice and at games. There’s always something to work on, get better at and to point out that they’ve done well, that’s up 30 or down 30. It’s not in me to quit.

“I think the players I’ve coached have fed off that and take it on as their personality. I hope my intensity makes them more intense. If I sit down, know that I’m out of coaching.”

Vertacnik is far from finished. She has taken a Greyhounds’ basketball team that was winless the season before she took over to a two-time WPIAL Class A playoff team and a contender in Section 2-A this season.

Her passion, dedication and sincere coaching effort, sets her apart from most of her peers.

Whether it’s on the golf course or the basketball court, the 64-year-old Vertacnik is going to compete, even if it’s to a bitter end.

“She never sits down,” said Kinsey Wilson, a senior on the current Monessen girls’ basketball team. “We could be losing 80-8 and she would still be standing there coaching like we are in the game, tied and about to win. It drives us and that part of her really shows to anybody paying attention.”

“The Monessen girls get everything Janine has to give – every day,” said Laura Montecalvo, head coach at Chartiers-Houston. “She’s going to fight and coach to the end. I think her players see that and it impacts them. Her work ethic and influence has affected a major change in the program. Her passion is infectious. If I were a player, I would be on her bandwagon.”

“I just think that is the way Janine is wired, said Monessen athletic director Gina Naccarato. “I don’t know where she gets her energy from but I know our girls pick up on that. If you watch her team play, her kids never give up. I think that is because of her energy. She never stops coaching at games or practices. She knows that there is always something for the kids to learn.”

Digging the Dirt

It has been said that there are gardeners and there are florists.

Vertacnik is a gardener.

She just does not coach. She does anything and everything to improve the program and develop young people.

At a Monessen boys game Friday night, she sold 50-50 tickets, walking through the crowd, to raise a little money for her girls program.

She is relentless in her effort and commitment. Two years ago, she pushed for a scholarship from the Westmoreland County Coaches Association for a Monessen student-athlete who did not play basketball.

“She’s such a pleasure to work with and be around,” said former Jeannette athletic director Anthony DiNunzio. “She came back to stand with Kayla Cook (her star player at Jeannette) when we inducted Kayla into our athletic Hall of Fame. Janine is there for her kids, everywhere she’s been.

“Not only does she coach basketball, in a lot of cases she’s a mother to a lot of her players. Whoever is part of her program, she takes care of. The players, manager and the statistician. Janine makes a total communication effort to make everybody happy.”

Vertacnik said Cook is the best player she ever coached. The feeling is mutual.

In a Facebook post, Cook wrote: “If it wasn’t for (Vertacnik) I don’t know where I would be. Coach Janine helped me become the person I am today. She deserves every bit of acknowledgment and praise. She will go down as one of the greatest to ever do it I promise you that.”

Jessica Deskins has served as Vertacnik’s assistant. She’s learned that Vertacnik is not only an excellent coach but a role model and mentor.

“Janine has a great personality and desire to win,” said Deskins, a former Monessen player. “She pushes the girls to do their best. She goes above and beyond as a coach and works to make sure every girl succeeds. Janine is a family first person.

“She shows the girls what matters and strives to be a role model for each of them. She wants the girls to be a success not only on the court but in the classroom. She supports them year-long and attends their other sporting events to cheer them on. Janine knows the girls, their families and does what she can for any of them if the need arises. The girls respect her for that.”

Family First

Vertacnik, a Yough product and a Yukon resident, has an infectious personality. Beyond that fiercely competitive nature, lies a wonderful friend to so many.

“I have so much respect and admiration for her,” Montecalvo said. “We have the same approach. We have become friends. When we played at Monessen earlier in the season, she came right over and gave me a bear hug. Not many opposing coaches are like that today.

“She accepts any challenge. She knows what she has and has the patience to let them grow and improve. Janine is just a great coach and a better lady.”

Naccarato said she’s “always loved Janine’s energy and passion for the game of basketball.”

“I coached against her for many years,” she added. “I felt she would be a good fit for our program because she coached at Jeannette. Monessen and Jeannette have the same type of players. You must be tough. Our kids have more respect for you if you are genuine with them. Janine has these qualities.

“I knew Janine was a great athlete. However, I didn’t know that she was just as competitive as I am until we started playing golf together. It makes for some great times on the golf course.”

It has not been an easy road for Vertacnik. Her father died when she was 5. She has lost loved ones along the way. She misses her sister, Marylou, who passed away.

“She became my second mother,” Vertacnik said. “I didn’t know my grandparents and I don’t remember my father. My mom was sick almost my entire life and was widowed at 39.

“My brother Melvin (who coached with Vertacnik many years) got me interested in basketball. He used to beat on me. Not a day goes by we don’t talk. He still gives me his opinions.”

Vertacnik doesn’t feel her efforts and those of teammates at California have been appreciated through the years and it bothers her.

“That’s back when girls and women started getting a chance to play sports,” Vertacnik said. “At the time, we didn’t think about what we didn’t have. But we accomplished a lot and I don’t think people give that enough attention. Thankfully, it’s different now for our female athletes.”

Vertacnik’s impact is obvious. It’s beyond basketball.

“She’s such a positive person to be around,” Wilson said. “She pushes us to be better people on an off the court. She makes us feel loved. We’re her family. There’s nothing more you can ask for from a coach or a person than to make you feel loved.”

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