LATROBE — Jimmy Petruska has learned quite a bit in his five years as an assistant basketball coach at St. Vincent College.

Now that he’s become the interim head coach for the Bearcats women’s squad, he’s hoping to continue its winning ways.

Petruska, 28, took over the program after Kristen Zawacki, the only coach in its 27-year history, died unexpectedly Dec. 25.

“The first thing I learned from her was to trust my instincts,” said Petruska, a 2000 graduate of Mars High. “Also, how to talk in the recruiting process.

“I learned a lot from my mother (former Mars and current Deer Lakes girls coach Dana) and (former Pine-Richland coach) Sherry McConnell. Recruiting is a different avenue,” he added.

The Bearcats (12-1, 5-0 in the PAC) won their first three games on Petruska’s watch — a 72-32 victory over Washington & Jefferson College Jan. 3, a 60-30 triumph over Geneva Jan. 6 and a 76-64 win over Bethany Saturday.

Petruska began his coaching career in 2002, when he served as an assistant under his mother for three seasons while attending St. Vincent.

He spent the 2005 season as an assistant under McConnell before joining Zawacki at St. Vincent. He graduated from St. Vincent in 2004 with a degree in history and a minor in secondary education. He is pursuing a master’s in curriculum and instruction.

Taking over for a coach who totaled 512 wins is but Petruska has a lot of knowledge to guide him along.

“We’re off to a great start,” said Petruska. “We were nationally ranked, as high as 16th, then dropped out before Christmas. But we’re still getting votes.

“There’s a big amount of pressure, but, at the same time, we’ve handled pressure well. That’s another thing I’ve learned: to do what it takes to get the job done. That’s my mindset,” he added.

Petruska has recruited a lot of these players, including senior guard and Butler High graduate Maria Baroffio.

“I’ve known the Petruska family for years,” said Baroffio. “I went to a lot of camps at Mars, and I’ve known Jimmy since I was in seventh grade. His mom was an assistant coach (at Butler) my senior year.”

The Bearcats are playing at a high level this year. Case in point: Before Saturday’s game against Bethany, they had surrendered just 189 points over the previous five 5 games — about 38 points per contest.

“Those past few games have been phenomenal,” Petruska said. “Anytime you hold a college team under 40 points a game, that’s incredible.

“The team’s focus, their determination, has been great,” he added.