Maurer takes over Virginia City hoops

Tom Maurer, one of the most successful coaches in Nevada high school basketball history, will be back on the bench this season.

Maurer, won who seven regional and one state championship as the Galena Grizzlies head coach from 1992-2012, said Tuesday that he has been hired as the new boys basketball head coach at Virginia City.

“I love challenges,” said Maurer, the only head coach in Galena’s first 20 seasons. “Virginia City hasn’t won (a state title) since 2005. The program needs to be built back up. I can’t wait to get started.”

The Virginia City Muckers are arguably the most successful boys basketball program in the state. The Muckers have won a state-record 17 state championships with the the last coming in 2005. The Muckers also own the longest winning streak in Nevada high school history at 93 games in a row from 1982-86. The program also won 55 games in a from from 1961-64.

The Muckers dominated the state for nearly three decades, winning 16 state titles from 1959-1986. The Muckers won a state-record six titles in a row from 1962-67 and five in a row from 1982-86. No other school has won more than four state titles in a row. Virginia City also owns a state-record nine undefeated seasons.

“That’s why I took the job,” Maurer said. “The tradition. They love basketball at Virginia City and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Maurer has been teaching special education at Pine Middle School since he left Galena High after the 2011-12 school year. He said he will continue to teach at Pine while he coaches basketball at Virginia City.

Maurer, who won the 2007 state title at Galena with four senior starters and junior Luke Babbitt, still lives in Carson City. He has lived in Carson City since he was the coach at Carson Middle School before going to Galena to start the basketball program in 1992-93.

“I was very impressed with the administration at Virginia City,” said Maurer, who won 336 games in his 20 seasons at Galena. “I have never met an administration so supportive of the basketball program. I love the fact that they do it all just for the kids. They also stress academics as much as they do basketball. That was important to me.”