Fenwick girls basketball coach Dave Power hit the 800-win career mark on Tuesday night as his Friars toppled Niles North 65-26 in Oak Park.
Power joins Marshall’s Dorothy Gaters as the only high school girls basketball coaches in Illinois with 800 or more victories. He currently holds an 800-206 overall record in 34 years of coaching.
Power began his coaching career at Proviso West in 1978. In five years he coached the Panthers to an 82-34 record. Power then moved on to Immaculate Heart of Mary, where his team won a state championship in 1987 and placed third in the state in 1989. Power went 241-59 in 10 years at IHM before beginning the girls program at Fenwick.
The Friars have won two state titles under Power (2001 and ’07). In 18 years, his teams have finished in the top three of the state finals six times, including last year when they finished third.
The Friars (4-0) finish up the Niles North Thanksgiving Tournament against Resurrection on Friday and Proviso East on Saturday. The team travels to Loyola and Carmel before returning home on Dec. 11 to face Benet (2:30 p.m.).
