Quaker Valley’s Mike Mastroianni racked up the 600th win of his high school basketball coaching career Dec. 19 in a 63-21 section victory at Ambridge.
Mastroianni began the season with a 595-244 career mark and needed five wins to achieve his latest milestone.
The Quakers wasted little time, defeating Windber, Richland, Farrell, Brentwood and Ambridge in succession to give Mastroianni, a QV alumnus, a 600-244 record in his 34th season as floor boss.
It was a special night for the Mastroianni family as his wife, children and a pair of grandchildren were in attendance. His son Mike was on the bench alongside his father as a member of the team’s coaching staff.
“There are not enough of the right words to thank my family, but especially my wife Karen,” Mastroianni said. “Coaching has been part of every winter we have been together. Her commitment far exceeds mine, and I am grateful for her understanding and the many sacrifices over all these years. It is definitely interwoven with in our family dynamic and my children for all these years, but I learned a long time ago that home is home, and I honestly don’t bring much of it home.
“Obviously, growing up in the community and being a QV graduate has been special for a long time. I think anyone coaching as an alumnus will tell you there are both advantages and disadvantages and managing that piece is sometimes delicate. I never take for granted the many positive experiences I have been able to share with our community through our QV basketball program.”
Mastroianni has had two stints with the Quakers and also coached at Bethel Park for four years and Keystone Oaks for three. He is the 14th WPIAL coach to achieve 600-win milestone.
“To be honest, I haven’t really thought much about it. I’ve been busy with the demands of the current season, but I’m sure there will be a time and place down the road,” he said. “I feel fortunate and honored to have my name stand beside the coaches on the (WPIAL) list as I looked up to them and had the highest respect for them when I started.
“My hope is that people understand that our program over all these years was never about the numbers but more importantly about how we went about our business. How we do things has always been way more important than what we accomplished, and my hope is that all of our former players reflect that message.”
The veteran coach continued his discussion in the aftermath of his 600th career win.
“The milestone is an opportunity to reflect on and be appreciative of all the players that played and dedicated many hours to a sport they enjoyed,” he said. “Our program has always been way more than the basketball piece and although the basketball remains the connector, my hope has always been that our program helped influence decisions and provided some guidance and direction for our players as they exited high school and started their paths.”
The Quakers were led against Ambridge by senior guard Zach Washington with 18 points, along with sophomore guards Harrison Kerley with 15 and Nic Cohen with nine.
“I’m really happy for Coach Mas,” Washington said. “He has been an amazing coach and role model for all of us on the team. I’m grateful I got to be a part of that special game, and I’m grateful for all the lessons he’s taught us, especially those that go beyond basketball.”
Kerley added, “It was really impressive. Not many coaches achieve that level of success in their careers and coach has shown season after season that he can coach at a high level.
“It was really special to me because it was fun for us as a team to be able to celebrate coach in that way. I think being a part of that achievement kind of made all of us realize how successful of a career he has had.”
Cohen applauded the milestone along with Mastroianni’s coaching style.
“Just being a part of coach winning his 600th career game was amazing,” Cohen said. “We played a great game, which made the night even better, and we got to celebrate everything he does for us.
“It means even more to me and the rest of the team, especially because we all get to be in the gym with (Mastroianni) every day. So, we know why he’s been so successful and what he has done to get to this place.”
QV’s veteran coach secured his 500th career win in 2019-20 via a 54-51 decision at Albert Gallatin. Two sophomores led the way for the Quakers as Markus Frank scored 23 points and Adou Thiero added 12.
In 1998, Mastroianni hit the century mark in career victories with a 20-point win over Avonworth. Eight years later, he achieved No. 200. Since then, it’s been about a four or five-year gap between 100-win marks.
Win No. 400 arrived Jan 30, 2015 against South Side.
A decade later, the Quakers followed up Mastroianni’s historic 600th win at Ambridge with a 61-33 section victory Dec 23 at home against Avonworth.
Washington sparked QV with 19 points. Cohen added 15 and junior guard Sam Chapman chipped in with 13.
Chapman is grateful to have an upbeat and masterful coach as his mentor in high school.
“Coach Mastroianni’s (career milestone) really shows his dedication to the program and how he has built a culture at QV,” Chapman said.
During Mastroianni’s tenure, the postseason has been a familiar neighborhood for the Quaker Valley boys basketball team. The Quakers have advanced to the playoffs 21 consecutive years.
QV’s leading offensive threats the past two seasons have included the backcourt trio of Washington, Cohen and Chapman. All three averaged double figures in 2024-25. Kearley also has developed into another outside threat for the Quakers.
“My expectations are for us to win a lot more games to add to that 600,” Kearley said, “and I’m excited to see how far we can go this season knowing how good and skilled we are as a team.”
Mastroianni spent three seasons at Keystone Oaks before beginning his first stretch with Quaker Valley in 1995. Two years later, he guided the Quakers to their first boys basketball title in program history.
In 2003, Mastroianni took the head coaching job at Bethel Park, leading the Black Hawks to a WPIAL crown in 2007 in his final year with the team. He then returned to Quaker Valley.
The 64-year-old Mastroianni is in his 27th season at QV. His next milestone will be his 500th career win with the Quakers.
He said his plans for maintaining his athletic director and coaching roles in the future are unresolved.
“I have no definite plans at this time,” Mastroianni said, “but I feel that once I make a decision it will be quick.
“Honestly, with the demands of both positions, I want to make sure I am being fair to both and to our student-athletes. If at some point I feel that has changed, I am probably giving myself the answer.”