400 wins and counting
CRANBERRY TWP — It is Molly Rottmann's name that appears next to the number, but she is the first to admit that she's had a lot of help along the way.
Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic's longtime girls basketball coach reached 400 wins with last Thursday's victory over Freeport. Along with a two-year stint at Montour in the mid-90s, she now owns a career record of 401-128. She led the Trojanettes to the program's first state title in 21 years in March 2016 and its latest WPIAL title last season.
Rottmann took the reins at North Catholic, her alma mater, prior to the 1997-98 season.
“For me, this many wins signifies a successful program that Coach (Don) Barth started a long time ago,” said Rottmann. “He won over 700 games and I've felt a responsibility to continue that great tradition.
“What we've been able to do here is a reflection of the type of girls we've had,” she added. “Our girls have always been super-hard workers who are constantly in the gym and they are extremely competitive.”
It has also helped Rottmann that there is no revolving door when it comes to her assistant coaches. Her father, Bill Larkin, has been with her from the start. Kate Lewandowski (no relation to former Butler coach Joe Lewandowski), her other assistant, has been with the Trojanettes for 11 seasons.
“My dad has always been super-supportive of me,” she said. “I think back to when I started and when you are young, it helps to have people around you who you can trust.
“There is a lot of turnover when it comes to high school coaches these days,” added Rottmann, “but the administration here at North Catholic has had faith in us and it has led to a lot of stability.”
As a player, Rottmann helped North Catholic win a state championship her junior season in 1988. She graduated as the program's all-time leader in points scored (since surpassed by 2017 graduate Sam Breen).
“Coach Barth had a huge impact on me,” she said. “His demeanor was very business-like. He was strict, but he took care of all of us.”
Rottmann earned an athletic scholarship to the University of Delaware, where she continued to star on the court, scoring over 1,000 points in her collegiate career and helping the Blue Hens to a pair of conference titles.
“After my playing days were over, my coach, Joyce Perry, kept me on staff as an assistant and I've always appreciated her for that. I did a lot of scouting and game preparation and loved it,” said Rottmann, who is grateful to have had much success as a player and a coach at her alma mater.
“You can't script something better than that,” she said.
